Twenty-Four Hours of Advertisement Exposure

The amount of advertising the average person takes in within a single day is stunning.  Today, it can be hard to avoid advertisements due to the fact that they are virtually everywhere.  

During the past twenty four hours, I have become very aware of advertisements and the countless placement methods they use in order to gain access to my attention. 

                Like most weekend mornings at home, after running, I began my day with some television over breakfast.  As expected, I was instantly subjected to a tidal wave of commercials advertising different products and services.  These advertisements included, but were not limited to Tums antacid tablets, the Nintendo 3DS portable gaming console, Progressive Car Insurance, and the upcoming film, “Wrath of the Titans.” 

                In hindsight, these advertisements made a lot of sense in terms of the demographic of people they were signaling to.  Since I was watching Comedy Central, a channel typically aimed at young adults, it seemed logical for the channel to include commercials advertising video games, since they are a common interest for young adults, car insurance, since most of Comedy Central’s viewers probably drive, and a movie such as “Wrath of the Titans,” because it seems like action/fantasy films and comedy shows and films tend to attract a lot of the same viewers.  

                Later, as I departed from home to return to Kutztown, I was subjected to even more advertising, this time from billboards and signs standing along the highway.  As I drove, I passed several exits for Hershey, Pennsylvania.  Naturally, I also passed several advertisements for the Hershey Park attractions and Zoo America, a popular zoo located near Hershey Park.  In addition, I also passed a large sign advertising Ron Paul’s 2012 political campaign.  I also passed by numerous signs for fast food restaurants located off of exits I was approaching.  This made sense considering these restaurants are trying to attract people who may have been driving for a while and have become hungry as a result.  

                Finally, after returning to Kutztown, I logged on to Facebook before bed.  While updating my status, I became aware of yet another batch of advertisements located on the right side of the website’s homepage.  These ads were different than the ones I had experienced earlier in the day.  This was because they were specifically aimed at me and were able to shape their content based on the interests and “likes” I had included on my Facebook account.  Since I am a member of the Kutztown cross country and track teams, there were several running-related advertisements for things such as Nike footwear and the Philadelphia Marathon.  There were also advertisements for two upcoming video games, both from franchises in which I “liked” on Facebook.  Since these advertisements were directly aimed at me on a personal level, I found them to be the most interesting.  

                This experience really opened my eyes to the ways in which modern advertisements are exhibited based on demographics, as well as the personal information people share on the internet.