Upon reading Hilary Rejto’s post regarding misleading advertising, I began to think about what effects advertising really has on consumer behaviour. Advertising is everywhere, constantly bombarding the senses. Radio, TV, internet, even cellphone games are packed with it. Although often overlooked, it is nearly impossible to leave the house without being struck by a heavy barrage of advertising. Consumer behaviour is shaped through the use of advertising. Ads target consumers in hopes to change how they think. Companies associate desirable features with their product, and the consumer begins to do the same. 

Ads attempt to position the brand in question into a desirable spot in the consumers mind, like the beer ad above. The beer is positioned with a beautiful girl on a beautiful beach in some beautiful tropical destination, and the consumer is lead to believe that all that can be theirs if they support the brand. According to research done by Mark Changizi of the Rensselaer Polytechnical Institute, exposure to advertising appeals to a subconscious section of the brain. When someone sees a movie with a “cool” guy riding around with a pair of fresh Nikes on, the consumer subconsciously makes note of it. They see that whoever the guy in the Nikes is, whatever he is doing is paying off and he is successful. Its the sense of something greater, like success, that ads feeds consumers in order to obtain their business. Ads will tell a consumer what is cool and what isnt cool, and the consumer changes their behaviour accordingly. They dont have a choice because a subconscious part of their mind has been attuned to the brands wishes. Consumers like to believe they make their own choices but those choices have a heavy weighting placed on them through advertising and its mental effects.