In one of my recent Communications classes, we discussed the relationship between advertisers and the public. We were asked to write about a particular media and explore the effects its advertising, deliberate or not, had on its audience. I chose to focus on a particular reality television show and the text that follows are the thoughts I composed. Enjoy!
I have to admit that one of my biggest guilty pleasures is reality television. From "The Real Housewives" series on Bravo to "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" on the E Network, my DVR is frequently working hard. In recent years, reality television has become all the rage. Many sitcoms and series have been cancelled and replaced by these shows, which are much cheaper for the networks to produce; however, they are creating a much greater cost for the viewer. "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" is a show that lures in the viewership of young women and promotes a lavish and luxurious lifestyle through its content, as well as the commercials that are interwoven into the programming every eight minutes.
At the end of a long evening of studying, I love to crawl into bed and watch an episode of the Kardashians. It feels like an escape, a way to relax my mind and become engrossed in people's lives that have no resemblance to my own. As the girls travel around the world, dine in five-star restaurants, and go on shopping sprees where price tags are never glanced at, as a viewer, I cannot help but want to attain that lifestyle one day. The show attracts its audience of young women through its "plot," which always emphasizes the beauty, sex appeal, love, and luxury the Kardashian girls encompass. It has a casual and at times comedic tone that makes watching an enjoyable and mindless experience after what may have been a long or difficult day for the viewer.
"Keeping Up with the Kardashians" clearly puts the audience into a consuming mood because it portrays material goods and extravagant surroundings as being the pathway to happiness, love, and fulfillment. The segments of the show are followed by commercials that are often related to its content. For instance, just last night I watched an episode and even though I had recorded it and could fast forward through the commercials, I still saw glimpses of advertisements for Khloe Kardashians perfume, the Kardashian clothing line in stores now at Sears, and a television special next month on Kim Kardashian's recent wedding. In an article we read for class titled, "News Media and Society," Smythe states it best, "The work which audience members perform for the advertiser to whom they have been sold is to learn to buy particular 'brands' of consumer goods, and to spend their income accordingly..."(137). So after watching the day to day lives of the Kardashians through this show, the viewer feels they can have a piece of it if they buy the products and attain the materials that these girls possess. It would make no sense for the network to advertise products geared toward men or seniors during this time slot because it is safe to assume that they are not primarily viewing the program. The media sells an audience, in this case of young women, to the advertisers. Then the advertisers cater to those particular viewers interests and desires in the hopes of keeping them attentive and yielding an effect of consumption.
Even if the viewer is to completely ignore the commercials, they are still being sold various goods. Anytime the girls eat something on the show or use a specific item, it is an endorsement for that product. Young women that admire Kim's body or Kourtney's perfect skin are going to think, "Maybe if I eat that bread or use that cleanser, I'll become more like them." These product placements are not necessarily always planned yet they have an impact on the audience.
While "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" and other reality television shows are saving networks money, I would argue the viewer may potentially be at a financial loss. Although the program is free to view, the lifestyle and coinciding products being promoted within and around the context of the show are putting the audience in a spending mood! To achieve a similar kind of living to that of the Kardashian family, we want to emulate their style, food choices, and travel experiences. It is around these items and ideas that the advertising dollars are placed and we as an audience are allured. Although I recognize such pitfalls, I will not refrain from indulging in these programs...what about you?
I have to admit that one of my biggest guilty pleasures is reality television. From "The Real Housewives" series on Bravo to "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" on the E Network, my DVR is frequently working hard. In recent years, reality television has become all the rage. Many sitcoms and series have been cancelled and replaced by these shows, which are much cheaper for the networks to produce; however, they are creating a much greater cost for the viewer. "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" is a show that lures in the viewership of young women and promotes a lavish and luxurious lifestyle through its content, as well as the commercials that are interwoven into the programming every eight minutes.
At the end of a long evening of studying, I love to crawl into bed and watch an episode of the Kardashians. It feels like an escape, a way to relax my mind and become engrossed in people's lives that have no resemblance to my own. As the girls travel around the world, dine in five-star restaurants, and go on shopping sprees where price tags are never glanced at, as a viewer, I cannot help but want to attain that lifestyle one day. The show attracts its audience of young women through its "plot," which always emphasizes the beauty, sex appeal, love, and luxury the Kardashian girls encompass. It has a casual and at times comedic tone that makes watching an enjoyable and mindless experience after what may have been a long or difficult day for the viewer.
"Keeping Up with the Kardashians" clearly puts the audience into a consuming mood because it portrays material goods and extravagant surroundings as being the pathway to happiness, love, and fulfillment. The segments of the show are followed by commercials that are often related to its content. For instance, just last night I watched an episode and even though I had recorded it and could fast forward through the commercials, I still saw glimpses of advertisements for Khloe Kardashians perfume, the Kardashian clothing line in stores now at Sears, and a television special next month on Kim Kardashian's recent wedding. In an article we read for class titled, "News Media and Society," Smythe states it best, "The work which audience members perform for the advertiser to whom they have been sold is to learn to buy particular 'brands' of consumer goods, and to spend their income accordingly..."(137). So after watching the day to day lives of the Kardashians through this show, the viewer feels they can have a piece of it if they buy the products and attain the materials that these girls possess. It would make no sense for the network to advertise products geared toward men or seniors during this time slot because it is safe to assume that they are not primarily viewing the program. The media sells an audience, in this case of young women, to the advertisers. Then the advertisers cater to those particular viewers interests and desires in the hopes of keeping them attentive and yielding an effect of consumption.
Even if the viewer is to completely ignore the commercials, they are still being sold various goods. Anytime the girls eat something on the show or use a specific item, it is an endorsement for that product. Young women that admire Kim's body or Kourtney's perfect skin are going to think, "Maybe if I eat that bread or use that cleanser, I'll become more like them." These product placements are not necessarily always planned yet they have an impact on the audience.
While "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" and other reality television shows are saving networks money, I would argue the viewer may potentially be at a financial loss. Although the program is free to view, the lifestyle and coinciding products being promoted within and around the context of the show are putting the audience in a spending mood! To achieve a similar kind of living to that of the Kardashian family, we want to emulate their style, food choices, and travel experiences. It is around these items and ideas that the advertising dollars are placed and we as an audience are allured. Although I recognize such pitfalls, I will not refrain from indulging in these programs...what about you?