Blog #7: Advertising, Consumer Culture, and Desire

The spoof ad of the Calvin Kline Reality Man is selling the “product” of a male body. This ad is so refreshing because it promotes a realistic body as opposed to an idealistic, fantasy-prototype most likely presented in the ad it is mocking. Because of this striking difference, the ad contrasts with what society has classified as normal and is inevitably more likely to attract consumer attention. The article mentions that many of today’s consumers have grown so accustomed to advertisements that they can tune them out, and advertisers are now trying to invent new, unique ways to maintain their consumer audience’s attention. These spoof ads are a prime example of a different form of advertising that will catch consumer attention because they contrast with the structure of typical advertisements. By marketing products in a seemingly truthful or negative manner, advertisers can address the realistic aspects of a product that ads commonly tend to omit. Although this act of spoof ads may seem slanderous to the world of advertising, the Billboard Liberation Front claims that “To advertise is to exist,” their intentions are not to destroy advertising, but to keep the business interesting through the incorporation of fresh ideas. These cultural jams and puns on false advertisements can illicit truth, humor, political messages, or simply force the consumers to look at the ad from different perspectives. This Calvin Kline spoof ad promotes the idea that having a little extra weight around the middle is perfectly acceptable; this ad is advocating a more accurate depiction of normalcy. If people feel they can relate to ads, they may be just as prone to buy their product as opposed to if they were striving to achieve something the ad models have that they lack. Although in current society many people pride themselves on earning their own achievements, even the most ambitious can become discouraged when the dreams they strive for are unattainable. Because of this, advertisers who promote unrealistic products will eventually loose consumers from fatigue over their “failures” to match the advertised ideas of perfection. Some small portion of the advertising world is finally recognizing this flaw in promoting unattainable products, and is taking action through the creation of spoof ads in order to promote more truthful advertising.