In todays media industry, even schools and colleges are advertising their education, making it seem like a competition of 'who can enrolling the most kids'. I see advertisements for our college everywhere, on the college, on busses, bus stops and even every morning while I'm on my way to college as on schedule Joe Poole telling me how 'amazing' South Sefton is on the radio, trying to convince the listeners to give it a try. I feel like advertising today to an extent is just too much as advertising education is a step in the wrong direction.
For a big city such as Liverpool, I am constantly surrounded by advertising wherever I go and I have grown up with it and it feels almost ingrained in me to believe it is normal but it is so strange to go somewhere and have ads everywhere. However some ads are meant for good use and not just for sale or advertising.
This Liverpool ad is meant for the city, it has been made to show what Liverpool is about and what we stand for as a football club, ads like these are the ones people take in and actually watch, these ads are similar to Christmas advertisements from places such as John Lewis as it is giving the sense that advertisements like these aren't all about just the brand but more about community.
As of Banksy's statement, I agree with the initial statement that they are everywhere. You cannot go into a busy place and not be surrounded by advertisements and in-between shows on TV they are there you can physically not escape from their plea of your money and attention. He then goes on to talk about how trademarks and copyright are put in place, meaning that advertisers could say whatever they like and there's nothing you could do about it. This is so importantly true, these ads are put in public and we aren't allowed to change it or stop it because of these indestructible rights they have set in stone so no one can interfere or complain, just watch and let them do what they want and its unfair them expecting us to give them all our money. Banksy is right when he says that we owe these companies nothing, even though they expect something of us as a community and its the opposite way round as they have bought an ad in a specific place for specifically us to see without us having a say, they really want us to pay them attention and invest in them but we don't have to, were not obliged to and we could just decide to waste their effort, time and money and just ignore them. I feel like Banksy's message should be known as people who have grown up around advertising and don't know any different, it is such an important message and reality check. Advertising is a bad thing.The prices of advertising is so expensive that only big corporate companies get a say while small self-made businesses are left to die because of this, because people go for what they recognise because we are unoriginal mammals and go for the easiest option, not the best. Public places would be much be better if it was filled with influential things such as art and culture...
or just something that actually matters.
This is a really interesting post, with some really interesting examples. Your point about how educational institutions are now advertising in the way other corporate entities do is something I hadn't thought about before. I guess it's a necessity as colleges need as many students as possible - it's really interesting to see how the marketing for something like a college uses the same conventions and production values as adverts for any other kind of service.
I've always been more concerned with advertising inside of colleges in schools - we're lucky it doesn't really happen in the UK, but in America sports facilities, canteens and even workbooks are often sponsored by big companies - which is great that they are…
I agree with the points made about how advertising can produce a altered and more perfect version of reality and how the adverts that show true representations are the most relatable and the ones that have the most impact