After reading classmate Maddi Koop’s “You Are What You Like” blog” –https://blogs.ubc.ca/maddikoopmarketing/2013/10/15/you-are-what-you-like/– I have come to realize just how sneaky, yet brilliant, firms are in their advertising techniques.

Maddi illustrates the extent to which personal information is exposed when people use social media, and expresses that data miners “will now analyze users’ posts to reveal personal characteristics and personalities in order to better target to these consumers”.  For example, the ‘likes’ on Facebook are used to reveal details about individuals’ sexual orientation, religion, and political preferences.

I find this both creepy, and brilliant. Maddi goes on to say that she didn’t realize just how much information companies know about her from her mere ‘likes’ on Facebook, and that she was surprised when she went on http://youarewhatyoulike.com and received a report about herself, revealing an accurate depiction of her personality. She said she was shocked and that she usually only ‘likes’ pages to support other friends, yet the program must have been able to decipher what each individual ‘like’ meant.

I feel the same way, in that I never expected Facebook to actually know so much about me from a mere ‘like’, and it goes to show just how naive consumers are. I agree with Maddi in that it is slightly scary, but at the same time it teaches us two lessons: do not underestimate the power of firms and be more cautious on the internet, as privacy is a thing of the past when it comes to the online database. Maddi feels uneasy about ‘liking’ things now, and has ‘unliked’ all pages, so less information about her private life is revealed.

She goes on to say that that technique is similar to ‘Big Brother is watching,’ and i completely agree; however it has taught me a lesson. To be more cautious on the internet, and it has taught me to think about similar things that seem innocent yet are revealing my private information. For example, I used to take surveys when there was a chance of winning money, however I know realize that those surveys are also probably created to  analyze my preferences as a consumer and to tap into my private life, so I have stopped taking them.

Sources:
http://www.suite400magazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Facebook-icon.png

It is obvious that in today’s world, sex is exploited to advertise certain products and services, and whether we as consumers approve or not, we are the ones who fall for the content.

Sex sells because it attracts attention, and people are hard wired to notice sexual content-it is only natural. Researcher Tom Reichert says, in a Business Insider article, “Some young men actually think Axe body spray will drive women crazy.” And as perception studies show, brands like axe are perceived as ‘sexy,’ and many consumers want to be just that.

I was very intrigued by this article because I realized how desensitized i’ve become to ‘sexy’ adds. I started to notice all the brands that exploited sex, everywhere I went; Hollister, American Apparel, Sketchers, Nissan, and EVEN Dentyne Ice. What do GUM and CARS have to do with sex? It didn’t matter what the brand was actually selling, one way or another, it was selling sex.

I interviewed one of my best friends about the topic, as I was curious what someone who hadn’t done research on the topic would say. Charlotte, a 20 year old lady in the faculty of Land and Food Systems at UBC, expressed the following in a short one-on-one interview.
(R=Ria, C=Charlotte)

R: Why do you think companies use sex to sell products?
C:To make people feel sexy, because ultimately this is what most people want. Being sexy is linked to humans’ most natural goal-to find a mate and reproduce.

R:Does ‘sexy’ advertising work on you?
C: It’s not that it’s sexy and that’s why I buy the products, it’s more that the girls for example have nice bodies and therefore the jeans look really good on her, so maybe subcontiously it’s the nice body-sex link, but I think the bodies just make the merchandise look good, and that’s why I want to buy it.
R: Do you think it’s ok to use sex to sell products?
C: I feel like I should think it’s wrong, but I don’t really recognize anything wrong with it.

Overall, it was very interesting to notice all the provocative advertising all around me, and to hear what a third party had to say on the topic.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dy9hrv_awUE

Sources:
http://blog.creativedepartment.com/2012/06/13/sexy-ads/

http://www.businessinsider.com/13-brands-that-use-sex-to-sell-their-products-2012-2?op=1