tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6642011.post4956525641627865354..comments2023-10-29T10:32:36.914-04:00Comments on Philosophy, et cetera: Brand ValueRichard Y Chappellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16725218276285291235noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6642011.post-85634292028200103262008-05-20T23:29:00.000-04:002008-05-20T23:29:00.000-04:00Matt, you presuppose a crudely hedonistic concepti...Matt, you presuppose a crudely hedonistic conception of welfare. For those of us who think there's more to the good life than mere subjective satisfaction (autonomy, for example), or who have strong second-order preferences to not be manipulated in such a way, advertising may still be considered harmful.Richard Y Chappellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16725218276285291235noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6642011.post-78317395758770803342008-05-20T22:44:00.000-04:002008-05-20T22:44:00.000-04:00"I'm not sure why this would become okay just beca..."I'm not sure why this would become okay just because it falls short of full-blown "addiction"."<BR/><BR/>The distinction lies in the way that the advertising influences our desires - after all they can reach their goal of making us consume their burger in two ways: increasing the value of consuming it, or increasing the cost of not consuming it.<BR/><BR/>If McDonald's advertising increases the benefit of consuming a McDonalds product then it is creating value - and thereby increasing welfare.<BR/><BR/>If the advertising is increasing the cost of not consuming McDonalds then such advertising is welfare reducing and is not a good thing.<BR/><BR/>Both competition and time add further issues to look at in terms of the optimality of advertising - but the example illustrates that the fact advertising influences desires does not have to be a concern.Matt Nolanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05615455113796090765noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6642011.post-91937433161173604022007-08-09T13:42:00.000-04:002007-08-09T13:42:00.000-04:00BBC reports, "Legal fight over Red Cross symbol"ht...BBC reports, "Legal fight over Red Cross symbol"<BR/><BR/>http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/6938364.stmJaredhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05265489395138702227noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6642011.post-2690775665874375252007-08-09T07:18:00.000-04:002007-08-09T07:18:00.000-04:00Tom - ha, too true!Matt - I'm not sure there's any...Tom - ha, too true!<BR/><BR/>Matt - I'm not sure there's any "misinformation" per se; nobody <I>believes</I> the crap they see on TV, the worry is instead that it manipulates our <I>desires</I>. (I'm not sure why this would become okay just because it falls short of full-blown "addiction".)Richard Y Chappellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16725218276285291235noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6642011.post-44955940203849759352007-08-08T18:46:00.000-04:002007-08-08T18:46:00.000-04:00True, you can bask in the self-satisfaction of my ...True, you can bask in the self-satisfaction of my excellent taste without neding to buy things. But somehow I think you're going to be less than socially impressive if you wander around with a scrapbook of pictures of things you would own if they were more affordable!Tom Freemanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02997295899017354602noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6642011.post-88551804377968520982007-08-08T17:29:00.000-04:002007-08-08T17:29:00.000-04:00"After all, you still have to buy the stuff to get..."After all, you still have to buy the stuff to get the cultural value out of it."<BR/>-Not necessarily. Flipping through <I>Vogue</I> or <I>Esquire</I>, or enjoying a Budweiser TV commercial is culturally significant without obligating you to go and purchase Versachi sunglasses or buy $4 beers in a popular dance club. It (the advertisement) only makes you--the poor schlep who cannot afford Versachi--admire it as "clever", "trendy", "cool", etc.Jaredhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05265489395138702227noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6642011.post-79485044688489194562007-08-08T12:50:00.000-04:002007-08-08T12:50:00.000-04:00I pretty much agree, but I’d amend your claim to: ...I pretty much agree, but I’d amend your claim to: ‘Advertised consumer goods thus serve people <I>with money</I> who want to brand themselves, perhaps to affirm their cultural identity or to gain status.’<BR/><BR/>After all, you still have to buy the stuff to get the cultural value out of it. So lifestyle branding redistributes cultural value from poor to rich. It takes people’s material poverty (or wealth) and makes it more connected to social poverty (or wealth).<BR/><BR/>Rant rant, evils of capitalism, etc.Tom Freemanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02997295899017354602noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6642011.post-2403977582477892492007-08-08T03:52:00.000-04:002007-08-08T03:52:00.000-04:00I think there is a social good to direct competiti...I think there is a social good to direct competition - artificial differentiation or favouritism is a 'social bad' in itself because it reduces the markets ability to fish out 'good'.Geniushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11624496692217466430noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6642011.post-31872159125129963892007-08-08T03:50:00.000-04:002007-08-08T03:50:00.000-04:00I think associating coca cola or macdonalds with "...I think associating coca cola or macdonalds with "good times" IS advertising misinformation. <BR/><BR/>idealy stores would only sell benefits like "macdonalds - on every corner reliable quality - not as unhealthy as you think - your kids can buy the fruit bags - if you offer it to your friends they know what they will get and know our menu, many are open 24 hrs if thats what you want, we got it."<BR/><BR/>actually macdonalds is one of the best :) coke is one of the worst......Geniushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11624496692217466430noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6642011.post-14694618192877176572007-08-08T03:39:00.000-04:002007-08-08T03:39:00.000-04:00In all truth I think there are good and bad sides ...In all truth I think there are good and bad sides to advertising. The fundamental problem with advertising which you identified was its propensity to deliver mis-information. Now mis-information is terrible, because it convinces you to buy something, when ex-post you would have wanted the thing you original decided against.<BR/><BR/>However, the article I found on stuff said that having the McDonalds wrapper made people believe that the food tasted better. As a result, the sensory experience was completely different and it gave a higher amount of satisfaction than the non-branded product. In cases like this, where the brand added value to the product, advertising is good.<BR/><BR/>Now I don't have a problem with current McDonalds advertising. This is because I believe they are not advertising mis-information, they are advertising in ways that get our senses all excited. It makes sense for McDonalds to not provide mis-information, as they are not selling a durable good, and as a result want repeat customers. As a result, a social problem from their advertising only exists if their good is addictive.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6642011.post-13749822048614624642007-08-07T10:27:00.000-04:002007-08-07T10:27:00.000-04:00Marketing executives are scum. The designers and p...Marketing <I>executives</I> are scum. The designers and photographers I have sympathy for: they're artists no less than Da Vinci or Donatello. Especially when it comes to the relationship of filmmakers and photographers to advertisers you'll find many directors, Jean-Luc Godard for example, and photographers pushing advertisement towards more and more artistic endeavor. Is this no less a cultural imposition than Renaissance creating beauty with the trappings of the wealthy Italian and Dutch merchant class? The only difference I see between a sub-Michelangelo Renaissance artist and a sub-Toni Frissell (photographer who began with Vogue magazine) is that the value system of a Renaissance bourgeois was primarily cultural, whereas the advertising executives today rely on an economic value structure.<BR/><BR/>link to Toni Frissell article (/w other links): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toni_FrissellJaredhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05265489395138702227noreply@blogger.com