Affective Conditioning In Advertising

Advertisers spend money in order to sneakily convince viewers what they should desire. In fact, a thirty second commercial from the last seasons super bowl can cost up to five million dollars for people to view (Markman). These viewers are additionally part time consumers, spending money here and there. But with so many things to purchase out there how is anyone supposed to know exactly what to buy? Imagine quickly stopping into the store, only to grab one thing. Then you suddenly remember that commercial about that new chocolate candy advertised during the super bowl and you can’t help but buy it. Advertisers make sure audiences of all ages are able to remember their commercial through affective conditioning. Affective conditioning is “the transfer of our feelings from one set of items to another. It is commonly …show more content…
Many commercials are showing a negative product in a positive light. Drinking beer and alcohol, smoking, being in dangerous situations, and being violent are only some of the many negative things that ads present as being fun. Through all of these ads children watch they gain increasingly positive attitudes towards consuming alcohol and drugs. They feel more and more self-conscious about their appearance and more willing to experiment with sex. They also feel more inclined to participate in violence. This is all because children have an amazing ability to recall commercials, even from a single view of a commercial, making them subconsciously desire what is being advertised. Moreover if just one view for a child can have a huge impact imagine how much impact an advertisement has after being seen over and over. Advertisers work hard so we will remember their ads and include their ideas. Along with this, it is difficult for any parent to control everything their child is watching. With the internet on every device and televisions in every room advertisements and commercials are