One thing I'm looking forward to when I start writing the libretto based on an American classic is that my story will get to deal with issues raised by the early rise of advertising, a subject I can get passionate about. An historical summary:
* Before 1900, ads were mostly informational. They described products and appealed to consumers logic and judgement. The text (ad copy) was the selling feature of the ad.
* During the 1920's (after W.W.I), advertising started putting more emphasis on emotion and image. The ads emphasized the life of the consumer more than the merits of the product.
* With the growing industrial economy, markets for the goods being produced need to be produced. To create this consumer group, advertising began to promote a sense of anxiety, fear, and inadequacy among the population. Advertisers realized the power in appealing to people on a subconscious level based on image and non-rational thought.
It's the post-WWI change of emphasis that especially interests me, a kind of brainwashing that shaped culture forever after until the culmination today in Homo Consumerus. It's going to be fun to write about the origins of this disaster.
1 comment:
Charles,
My previous comment apparently didn't take.
My point was that the Federal Reserve has been instrumental in encouraging and accommodating debt, of living beyond our means. If people couldn't go into debt so easily, they would have to be more selective in how they spend their money. We use a "flexible" currency now, unlike days of old.
George Smith
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