Advertising Invasion

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Over 250 Zion Preparatory Academy students K-5th graders will have the opportunity to meet and greet Hamtaro in person, do the Ham-Ham dance and see an episode of Hamtaro before it debuts nationally--Anime News Service, May 16, 2002

As Madison Avenue becomes more and more desperate to push its products, corporations have taken new steps in advertising. These steps range from invasive, such as interrupting school to debut a new cartoon freshly translated from the original Japanese to downright annoying such as ten full minutes television commercials before the start of a movie the patron paid good money to see. The advertisers are working overtime to get our attention and gather information about our habits.

Advertising is a relatively new phenomenon to the world. Throughout history, product was made locally and sold locally. If one wanted ale, one looked for the sign in his village, town, or whatever. Beer was beer, a wagon wheel was a wagon wheel, and a horseshoe was a horseshoe, the quality of the product spoke for itself, if you did not like it, it was based on your personal experience. Those were simpler times.

With the advent of newspapers and the rise in a literate population, businesses began to hire out space in the paper to showcase their wares. From those humble beginnings sprung a Godzilla sized industry that is encompassing our lives. Advertising has gone from a simple suggestion to purchase a product to a part of our lives. Advertising is on nearly everything, our cars, our clothes, our appliances at home right down to our food.

Now you may ask, "Where is the advertising on my car? It's just a Geo Tracker." That's just it; you answered my question, by naming it. The vehicle also names itself, if you notice the nameplates on the sides that denote the make and model. This is a subtle form of advertising that says what it is, just in case you want one for yourself. Appliances also utilize this form of advertising; right now I own a Sony television that features the company logo prominently in its face below the screen. Our fast food is blanketed in paper with the restaurants logo emblazoned all over it before it's given to the hungry patron, in hopes that someone else sees it and gets an urge for the same food or at least that restaurant's food.

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