Thursday 5 December 2013

American Consumerism... Is America just a product?

When looking for advertisements for American products I can remember an advert I saw myself on television why caught my eye and interested me. A visit California advert, ironically not a specific product you would find in a factory or within a persons house or on a persons body however it made me think that the Globe itself is becoming a product that everyone can own just a little bit of.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GmkSUq_yDHI

Within this advert what caught my attention was the use of 'dream,' something ultimately American, the use of 'space' as they were the first allegedly to explore space, but what really caught my eye was the things that were more covert. A black family, a tipi in a tree which would have been used by Native Americans, a surf board. Although most of the advert seems typically American, actors, explosions, the sun, sea and sand, what caught my eye was the fact that they almost unknowingly added about everything that was wrong about America and California within the advert too. Using a Black family although odd seems to sum up the progression of America, the surf board a symbol almost stolen from Australia and New Zealand seems to be a symbolism of America. Using a Native American symbolism is also odd, something that shocked the world so much about America has become a symbol of positivity, being at one with the nature around them, it is almost like they are using the ideas and life of native Americans to show how America is at one with the nature around them even though in many ways this may be seen as false.
However, the most important question to ask is has consumerism become so much that it is not just products that are being sold across the globe, it is also the countries themselves, come have a slice of California pie for two weeks and consume some memories from it too. Consumerism is becoming so much that we must advertise the best parts of our own country and America seems to be pioneering the way for this new consumer product... their own country!

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