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Consumption a Cultural Context. Instructions: Project Requires

Last reviewed: September 20, 2012 ~7 min read
Abstract

While people are generally accustomed to considering that consumer behavior is an active element in the contemporary society and that it is not necessarily responsible for negative experiences, the truth is that it also has a ‘dark side'. The Super Bowl has an audience nearing 100 million and it is thus essential for individuals in charge of advertising to be especially proficient in exploiting these numbers as effective as possible. With the internet currently making it possible for an international public to join a domestic one in watching the event things are escalating rapidly as hundreds of millions of foreigners watch the Super Bowl. Millions of dollars are invested in the event and in advertising with the purpose of keeping audiences close and in order to have people actively engaged in turning this into a business.

consumption a cultural context. instructions: project requires analyze describe consumption behaviors sources influence widely recognized cultural occurrence. cultural occurrence choose. Howecer, assignment easier conduct choose a context occurring time (e.

While people are generally accustomed to considering that consumer behavior is an active element in the contemporary society and that it is not necessarily responsible for negative experiences, the truth is that it also has a 'dark side'. The Super Bowl has an audience nearing 100 million and it is thus essential for individuals in charge of advertising to be especially proficient in exploiting these numbers as effective as possible. With the internet currently making it possible for an international public to join a domestic one in watching the event things are escalating rapidly as hundreds of millions of foreigners watch the Super Bowl. Millions of dollars are invested in the event and in advertising with the purpose of keeping audiences close and in order to have people actively engaged in turning this into a business.

The Super Bowl encourages hundreds of millions of individuals from around the world to express particular interest in certain products. The fact that the event has a very large audience virtually influenced the masses in believing that it would be perfectly normal for it to stand as a symbol concerning advertising. While the Super Bowl was previously associated with small talk on Monday morning after the game, it is presently one of the most important concepts in the U.S. when taking into account consumer behavior. Consumer behavior concerning the event regards sharing the ad on social networks, commenting in regard to it and virtually getting actively involved in discussing it and the effect that it has on the general public.

The top ten ads related to the Super Bowl are typically captivating the attention of almost half of the event's audience. This means that consumers are also more likely to share these ads then they are to share other ads. As a consequence, the most important brands creating ads for the Super Bowl are well-acquainted with their target public and with the fact that it is essential for them to create products that are very entertaining. "Super Bowl Sunday constitutes the largest venue for experience-sharing via sports -- and for the simultaneous other big game, the "Super Bowl of Advertising"; it is the "national fairgrounds for commercials," where many consumers actually pay attention to the ads" (Kahle & Close xiv). The "Super Bowl of Advertising" is provided with significant attention before the event actually takes place and one can even say that people's interest in the concept is similar to their interest in the game itself. Many individuals from the audience actually talk in regard to the advertising sector of the Super Bowl during the game itself.

Consumers are not necessarily in need of most of the products advertised during the Super Bowl, but come to take on attitudes regarding how it is very important for them to buy and appreciate the products because they believe that this shows that they actually support the event and that their contributions are likely to improve the event in the near future. To a certain degree they are right, given that sponsors are primarily responsible for the event and that their involvement in making it better depends on the profits that they make as a consequence of selling their products (Kahle & Close XV).

The Internet is one of the major reasons for which Super Bowl ads receive significant attention from the general public. "In 2008 and 2009 advertisements deemed too risque to air during the Super Bowl received extremely large viewing audiences as millions flocked to the internet to view the banned ads" (Wood & Solomon 202). Super Bowl advertisers actually realized that they can reach out to people even with the fact that that their advertisements are not aired on TV. Predatory marketing practices are one of the most effective methods to promote products and advertisers are well-aware of this. These institutions succeeded to manipulate the masses by exploiting the Super Bowl and influenced people in associating their products with the event and in actually thinking that they showed their support for it by buying them. It is probable that numerous individuals considered that they put across sporty behavior as a consequence of using certain products (Wood & Solomon 202).

A motivational conflict takes place during most situations when someone expresses interest in a product that he or she knows is promoted through unorthodox means. Advertising a product during the Super Bowl is similar to trying to manipulate individuals in buying the respective product because this process is going to have a positive effect on their self-esteem and on society as a whole. One can even go as far as to say that products promoted during the Super Bowl are providing their producers with significant profits in spite of the fact that the masses would normally express a smaller interest in them. People need to be experienced in interpreting commercials in order to avoid being affected by them. First there is the pleasure associated with having money in one's pocket and then there is the pleasure associated with watching the Super Bowl and events preceding it with enjoyment. Many experience a motivational conflict at this point because they have trouble determining what attitude they need to employ in order to feel satisfied with who they are. Not buying a product might be interpreted as being unsupportive concerning the Super Bowl as a whole and buying a product might be interpreted as being willing to spend money carelessly simply because one wants to feel that he or she is an active part of one of the biggest events of the year.

The Super Bowl is an essential part of American culture and people feel that supporting it means much more than the fact that they appreciate a game. Individuals virtually want to emphasize that they are unhesitant about being involved in having the whole world learn more about their favorite event. The fact that the game managed to get the highest audience ratings in American history demonstrates that it is an American symbol and that the international public might be ignorant when considering that American football is similar to any other sport played around the world. This game makes it possible for the world to gain a more complex understanding of American culture and about Americans in general. Moreover, the products promoted during the event can be considered to be American in character (even with the fact that many originate in other areas from around the world), as it appears that they want to highlight that Americans appreciate quality and that quality can only emerge as a result of receiving significant support from the masses -- the blue collar Americans who care about their country and see nothing wrong with performing sacrifices in order to uphold its position.

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PaperDue. (2012). Consumption a Cultural Context. Instructions: Project Requires. PaperDue. https://www.paperdue.com/essay/consumption-a-cultural-context-instructions-82225

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