I finished my degree in marketing a couple years ago, and yes, it does. Ads are less about the product than they are about how that product makes you feel, or the association with luxury and success. Also, I hope you have a better time finding a job when you're finished studying than I have. Going on 2 years since I finished and I've had no luck at all.
***** exactly!...i wish you the best of luck , but my main field is business management...i take extra class for marketing because i think it's so much fun! Anyways good luck!
Marketing isn't about selling you what you need, but creating desire for what you don't. Wanting moves a lot more product than needing. It also helps that the definition of "want" and "need" have been jumbled together, perhaps advertising's greatest success.
k3nny111 being broke and unable to live on your own really isn't all that fun, but your points about marketing have crossed my mind. The longer its been since I finished studying the more bs I see in the field. I like your line in the beginning " studying marketing is a bit like marketing itself. It promises big things and in the end you stand there with your student loan in one hand and your schlong in the other". I'm trying to get my own thing going, but I'm really not succeeding at the moment, but hey, at least I'm giving it a go :)
Its about the essentials. Many people end up living in greed and fantasizing about acquiring more and more often times just because they have money and marketing makes them feel like they need to buy something. thats when their purpose in life turns to materialism.We promote ourselves everyday, thats how we build relationships and connections. But when we lose sight of our time,health, and piece of mind, our purpose sways in favor of temporary satisfaction (materialism).
Not to do with this video but anyway, a year after following theschooloflife online and watching every video and ordering some books too, I finally went into the London branch( I am from London but was just being a lazy human I suppose) and I can't describe the feeling of seeing shelves filled with all this work I love so much. I had gone in alone and got so emotional, I told the lady by the tills about it. You guys have just made my life so much more happier and allowed me to weave some sort of path and also laugh about the absurd parts of this life with all the knowledge you have given us.( not to mention casually mentioning camus on first dates:) ) Thank you x
When I was a child I often payed more attention to the adverts than the actual programme I was watching. Some classic adverts shown here, especially the Hovis advert, every time I hear the music to that ad I'm moved to tears, its beautiful
I have to admit, not watching TV and blanking out during ads helps me control my buying impulses. Yes they are strong but I am stronger and these companies will not control me or my life. Do I still fail, absolutely but I'm content knowing I can control it to a certain point.
At even the slightest hint of losing exponential growth, capitalism loves to go meta. Don't just advertise and sell the product, advertise and sell the derivatives of the produce (sex, happiness, calm etc.).
I do have the perfect life now, but it’s taking me a long time to get to this point. The first step to a perfect life is becoming debt free. I can only encourage you to make this your priority. The relief you feel when the debt has been lifted from your shoulders is amazing!! Good luck 😊
I dont really see how its feasible for anyone to literally sell us our higher desires like fulfillment, love, commitment, passion. Nice thought though, but those things aren't bought, but earned.
smashingpumpkin3 dont watch movies, rarely TV shows, I dont see billboards I live in a basement, I dont own a radio, soooo. Also there is a difference bettween seeing one ad in a video game, and living in it 24 hours a day like other people that dont live in the basement.
Quentin Crisp wrote, "Pornography is anything that promises that which it can not deliver." In that light, all advertising is at least vaguely pornographic, and we are complicit by believing that our salvation and fulfillment of our dreams lies in buying the "right" products.
This is to me a new perspective, and I studied product development at university. The trend right now is to teach engineers to adopt a more holistic perspective on product development, where the entire life-cycle of the product is considered from the start rather than being after thoughts. This includes marketing, production, assembly, storage, packaging, distribution, retail display, insurance, use, customer support, repair, recycling/disposal, etc. Traditionally, many of these functions have been performed in steps and often by separate departments with minimal communication. A lot of focus has been on how to design for manufacturing/assembly. Perhaps the next challenge is how to get engineers to collaborate more with marketing in the brain storming stage rather than asking them to market a product that is already conceived.
Those RUclips adds all want to sell you useless crap that you wouldn't want for free. Makes you think "Big data" is still far removed from what it's all hyped up to be.
i found your RUclips channel about a month and i love all of your Videos. I am from germany and i always avoided "deep" things in foreign languages because i thought i might would not get the point or wont get it at all. Your Videos changed the way i look at things, life and people. I hope you keep Up with your great work. Greetings from germany
I believe its noble for TSOL to give advertising a positive spin at the latter part of the video.... but the intent has always been to make our lives seem so lacking that we MUST buy said product or service. Constantly being reminded that our lives are missing so much is the only way one can be motivated to continually buy, to fill in that "void" that very rarely a product can fulfill. Hypothetically as well- if a product can satisfy a need it would end the product/service cycle and I cant imagine that being the end goal of any business in our present day system.
If people began to love themselves and pursue their own happiness first rather than praising altruism and living for others, then I belive it would do much good for this objective you're speaking of.
I call bullshit, people already love themselves too much. they praise altruism because it is seen as a virtue in our society but they don't act on it. in very few instances that they do it's to raise their social status ,nothing else.
Hello Wingborg! Himmmm. But may be it isn't that you have to choose one or the other. Of course you are right. We have to start with ourselves first. We have to be very loving and compassionate towards ourselves. But I think once you build a fulfilled life and feel content, the desire to do something for others comes naturally. Take the great Carl Sagan from your profile picture. He was already deeply familiar with so many wonders of the universe. What a privilege! He didn't have to take the trouble to make all those documentaries and to share his knowledge with us. But I am sure it was a great joy to him. He left such a treasure behind for the entire humanity. There is a TED Talk by Matthieu Ricard on Altruism. I still think you might like that. Give it a chance if you wish. Have a nice evening!
The Invisible Hand, as it's called in Sociology. But I think in an individualistic society, selfishness is all too common. I think a balance needs to be established between fulfilling our own desires and those of others. Golden mean, as Aristotle called it. :)
Though I have to point out, there are some societies which are "collectivistic, as Psychology calls it, where the needs of the many trump those of the individual. In such societies, catering to one's own requirements first would definitely be a virtue. I suppose it's relativistic. :) Check out my channel if ure into educational content. :)
***** Thank you for that really nice letter! But I believe there is a misunderstanding about what egoism really is. As it might seem counter intuitive at first, the definition of egoism is not the absence of care for others, it's simply the deed of prioritizing one's self interest. Remember, if you care for others, then it will lay within your self interest to make them happy. Altruism preaches that one should strive to benefit others whether you care for them or not, while never doing something for yourself. I say: pursue you own happines first, take care for the people you truly care for and no one else.
I have been watching this channel for a while now and must say it's one of the bright spots on RUclips! It's good how you guys produce thoughtful and respectful content.The segments about our greatest philosophers are a favorite of mine.Please,keep up the good work! Kind regards from the United States. :-)
I love ad's that are "just the facts" here's the new widget and this is what it does and why it's special. Niche, specialty magazines are usually better about this over mainstream ones and all TV is essentially the same.
The passion for money and all that money affords us. The problems arise in our personal priorities. We have to ask ourselves "Who am I?" "What do I really want my life to be like?" "Why am I willing to sacrifice my personal happiness for social status within group(s). We should be questioning every purchase we make. Questions that really affect our stability both personally and socially. For example: You want to look good for a job interview, but because we are currently unemployed we lack funds to purchase expensive clothing that will last for years that is designed plainly but well crafted to make the best look of our physical shape. But we look in our closets and all we see is trendy fashions that have changed from the year before and their craftsmanship was poor and the garment has faded, the fabric has lost its physical integrity (looks tattered). We are depressed and worried because we fear we will not get the job because we will not look good for the interview. This type of scenario is the current root of our unhappiness. We sacrifice quality for immediate gratification and the consequences play out in our future.
It's a simple concept really. The idea is to sell what the product will do for you, rather than the product it's self, as the product alone has no intrinsic value. The problem is that the adverts often over promise, hence our expectations are not met when we get the product and realise it didn't do what the advert implied it would do. There's nothing wrong with selling the benefits of a product, it's just better if they are honest.
Love the video, as always, but I feel like I'm not understanding a part of this one. How can we ever hope to buy something which is, in itself, not an object, but a feeling? You say that advertisers "tease us with promises of love, friendship, calm and success - but then go on merely to sell us things we don’t particularly need". How could they ever actually sell real love, friendship, calm or success? There are businesses claim to enhance these things (like gyms, dating sites, yoga classes, business classes, etc), but I don't understand how we could ever get any closer to making things like these commercially available.
I look forward to the day when we can buy fully programmable robot spouses. That is something I want to observe...from a safe distance. Or maybe I would go for it and get completely addicted? An artificial partner who is exactly what you want AND need would make Schopenhauer salivate.
The School of Life I think you're completely right in discussing product which don't give us long term emotional fulfilment, it's always struck me that adverts are way too one sided, with current data they can have more information about us and what we get up to than ourselves and our loved ones, and yet for some reason we still see adverts for something we don't want. Surely it should become a two way thing where adverts become better quality than quantity in the digital age, I should be shown an advert and want to buy it, feel glad that I've been shown it rather than it being annoying to me and I not only don't click on it, but dislike the brand as a result. Just a thought about how adverts are being more and more bulk to sell for nothing when it could be so much more intimate advertising... (If that even makes sense) Bit ramble but I would love to hear your opinions on the matter :)
I think what's he's implied the marketers connect a product to an ideal or a feeling so when we see the product we are reminded of the feelings portrayed and more likely to purchase the product.
Up until a few years ago, tv commercials were more interesting than what they were sponsoring. Every product is unique, it's up to the ad agency to find it and bring it forward.
I think you should examine how Web advertising has changed this trend. I don't own a TV. The only video ads I see are on RUclips, and I skip them as soon as allowed (5 seconds). As for banner ads, I tune them out. Thus I don't really get exposed to these old-fashioned ads that try to tap some deep psychological need, except when I go to the cinema once every two months.
Like the cancer awareness by NFL teams that gives 0.005% of pink proceeds to charity then charges everyone $12 for their cancer causing bacon double cheeseburgers. Grotesque.
Very insightful, it seems like ads can teach us more about what we REALLY want. However, the idea of having companies driven by profits to enter my personal life and affect my relationships with the people closest to me is seriously frightening.
Each product the person buys meets some need- either directly or indirectly. As businesses, we need to understand the consumer psychology - the Maslow's need hierarchy and use it to tailor our messages. As consumers we need to be aware of our real needs and then make a choice.
Consumerism (which is what you are talking about here, not Capitalism) depends for its very existence, on making us feel unfulfilled, and lacking something, so they would have no interest in making products that actually fulfilled us, even if that were possible.
Can you imagine an advertisement that adjusts as you're watching it to compensate for aspects you don't like? I'm talking about a future where there is a reliable enough way to sense your emotions, and dynamically adjust the advertisement as you are watching it to be more favorable to you. Or perhaps, take a step down and consider the more fathomable dynamic billboard which recognizes that YOU are looking at it and presents its ad to you the way you want to based on your ad personality profile (for such a "mass" advert multiple people can look at simultaneously, I would imagine this could happen effectively through augmented reality - think contacts and glasses that are too convenient to give up just to rid ourselves of ads which are creepy until you get used to them.
The sad part is that people might always choose the fantastic hope that a nice pair of Nike shoes offers rather then the more rational choice of a good jump rope or treadmill, that will actually help them fulfill their desires. And, perhaps it's rational for them to choose the shoes anyways, as any seemingly-rational steps they take in fulfilling their desires will undoubtedly not make them any more happy anyways. Happiness has a tendency of always going back to it's regular state. The best you can do is give yourself a few moments of hopeful fantasies every once in a while before you're back to feeling exactly like you normally do.
I think the strongest ad trick is trends. If the majority of people talk about it, use it and feel superior using the product - that's more efficient than just ads. It creates a pressure upon us e.g. overpriced iPhones (selling superiority, not a phone).
That's a boss idea, but another idea sprang to mind with the realization that commercials were selling ideas. Commercials can be used to understand and guage what a person truly desires. Since it's entirely wish fulfillment; By understanding which fulfill you, then you can understand your, or anorher's, wishes.
indeed. however not all wishes are able to be fulfilled (indefinitely, without wrecking the planet anyway) Is it better to gauge what people 'truly desire', and then attempt to give them that (on a base level is probably sex, alcohol and power) or, through wisdom, guide people to desire better, more sustainable, healthier things?
Last sentence : "...what businesses should be able to sell us". Granted what's adertised today leaves a lot of room for improvement, but to think that happiness (or the other things ads use as a lever) could be product of mass consumption, it looks like the consumerist culture has sunk into us even deeper than I thought...
Great video as always. But do all our needs have to be filled by a business offering a solution ? It would be interesting to have a video talking about whether or not businesses should fill our needs and to what extent! Just food for thought :)
The purpose would be to make money. And many of them don't fill needs or solve real problems. They create false problems/"needs" and present themselves as solutions (particularly in the field of luxury goods).
communicating status isn't a need, its a want, and a very low-conscious want, that maybe if you had these goods that people would like you more and that you you could feel better about yourself; people think maybe that would make their life more fulfilled, but it wont...
Luxury goods are definitely not a need (hence the word "luxury" ("an *inessential*, desirable item...") and neither is the desire to 'communicate status'... And, incidentally, they aren't a particularly good measure of status anyway :)
Maybe we'll just realize our higher needs cannot be fulfilled by any product, instead of holding out the hope that one day some unimaginable magical product will actually fulfill us like you suggest.
for more on this and more I strongly recommend Alain de Botton's documentary Epicurus on Happiness (it's on RUclips). In fact the whole series is fascinating, along with his book Consolations of Philosophy, of course. Thanks for another awesome video, School of Life!
Since companies cannot truly fulfill our higher desires they just end up selling us the promise of having our desires fulfilled by the products they sell, which is why we're in an endless loop of buying stuff that we think will make us truly happy.
Advertisement, no matter how good, will always suck if it keeps interrupting the viewing, reading, listening, etc experience just to offer things we don't need or want!
They basically lure you with the fallacy of ad populum. They tend to use one of these forms of it: bandwagon argument (everybody else is doing it, so you should too), appeal to vanity (you can be as beautiful or respected as that girl/guy if you use our product), or appeal to snobbery (you can be part of an exclusive, elite group if you buy our product). Did a video on fallacies on my channel, if y'all want to check it out. Doesn't include ad populum, saving that for another video, but it does include other ways people try to fool you/take advantage of the debate/argument. :)
I'm ready to buy into good advertising because it makes using the product feel a lot better. Imo, a good advertising is such that gives the product a certain vibe that makes using the product more special, instead of giving you the false promise of a more successful life that dispels as soon as you buy into the ad. I'll choose a well-advertised (with this kind of good advertisement I described before) pair of jeans over other objectively identical pairs of jeans because I'll feel more confident and outgoing wearing them (and no, just showing me a confident and outgoing person wearing those jeans in the ad is not enough to do that, mb if it was my favorite character from a movie or smth like that...). I'm really driven by vibes, so I see no way you can call this kind of advertisement bad if it actually enhances your experience with the product. Edit: that being said, I could never afford to make impulsive purchases for anything more expensive than a high-end McDonald’s burger. So I guess this kind of mindset is based on not going savage and buying things the minute you saw an ad.
A well articulated video, as always! But I'm a bit disappointed with the note on which you ended the video. I was expecting that you would suggest some solutions to the issues with the advertising culture, as you usually do, than merely identifying them. The influence of ads on our consumption decisions mars to an extent, the possibility of the rise of products mainly on the basis of their quality, and thus leaving the free market crippled, atleast from the perspective of the consumer. Are there any ways to mitigate these shortcomings?
It feels like this video was an advertisement for School of Life merch, by saying that advertisements should sell things that fix people's lives. *looks at the "cards for self-exploration" *
So in other words, advertise more counseling services and manufacture more psychological drugs, right? XD In all seriousness, I have no idea how products -material things- will ever fully solve this problem. Very few material things beyond essentials hold any lifelong value. Products are not meant to be this way and advertising is manipulation to get people to buy things they don't need or persuade them from one necessity to another. I say this as a person who buys tons of useless crap and is taking advertising and business classes. I try to be a realist about anything I do. I think that one of the first keys to happiness is understanding this manipulation and finding the root of what makes you want a product. Ask yourself questions: Why does buying something make you happy? What void are you trying to fill? Do you NEED it? What are your habits about buying things? Are there emotions attached to certain purchases? Could you make other choices and be just as happy? Why did the ad stick with you? These questions have value, but not monetary value. Therefore, they cannot be advertised unless we count charity and self-help material. But why bother with that when you can Google self help for free? …Any wonder why Google is so damn rich?
That would be great! But something tells me we wouldn´t get the most interesting bits (Alan´s view of the universe as a drama) as Alain isn´t interested in the metaphysics very much.
Hey school of life. The lessons you share have been one of the most helpful i have received in my life. That said I've noticed any attempt to share such material is ignored or switfly forgotten. How can such ideas as philosophy and emotional well being be presented in a wayto engage and pique interest?
Advertising is part of the "marketing mix". The objective of advertising is to create "share of mind" not sales/ "share of market". Success means that my product (coffee, for example) will be name first when one is polled to name a brand of coffee. Much of what was done on Mad Men was marketing and not advertising.
I think the conclusion of the video is completely wrong. Capitalism shouldn't just be more ambitious in creating products to fulfill the needs advertisement promises us to satisfy; Capitalism as a system is unable to fulfill such needs and advertisement is covering it. A happily family or a satisfying sex life can't be offered as a product. We have to figure these things out our self and therefore need to stop thinking that some big company will solve our problems.
Love the sentiment, been mindful of it when I think about software, but (there has to be a but), it's all good to say we need to start delivering the "goods", but I don't see a business potential here. Maybe there should be more thought, brainstorming around what those business would do so that they can deliver, happiness, thankfulness, mindfulness, warmth in families , closeness and friendship and the other illusive emotions that humankind have always wrestled with, .. is that even possible with hard work an constant learning?
Can you guys make a Literature video about Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov? I'd love to see your insights on this highly influential and beautifully written book.
Here's another "trick" in advertising: if every product and service advertised as "quick, easy, and guaranteed", were to perform as advertised, and the advertising industry insisted that all products they advertise live up to that claim, there would be no need for any advertising gimmicks. People might actually not mind being bombarded with ads so much, if they knew that all products and services lived up to their advertising claims. But when people know that so many products and services don't live up to their advertising claims, it creates cultural cynicism. Add ad bombardment on top of the false claims, the cynicism is compounded! People instinctively know that not only do the manufacturers of products and services make false claims, but that also the ad industry actively aids and abets those false claims.
I think this is overly analytical. Capitalism provides people with good products. We are bombarded with hundreds of ads every day, and no one thinks deeply about them. We buy products because we want them, and not because we think they will actually have profound effects on our relationships, etc.
did school of life just optimistically imply that soon businesses will be able to really sell us our true desire (friends ,relationships , purpose) . That sounds like a scary future for me
I'm afraid this video completely misses the point. The problem isn't that product development needs to somehow catch up to advertising. Rather, it is that the very emotions and needs that advertising play on *cannot* be solved through the consumption of products. Better relationships, feeling more connected, these are all things that can be achieved without spending a penny, through simply putting in the work and developing the skills needed for interpersonal relationships etc. The problem is that these things cannot be commodified and so cannot serve capitalism.
How many of us can quickly answer the question "What do I want?" Because nothing really comes to mind for me. Or at least nothing that is for sale right now.
No, it actually means the exact opposite. Ads suggest your life will be one step closer to happy if you buy their products, but of course it's not how it works, not how anything works and those making those ads know it. So, sorry, you won't find "Happy and fulfilled life" on eBay.
That's why increasing numbers of people are returning to find comfort in religions or new age spirituality. The thing is we humans never actually grew up. We are just big children breeding small ones.
Consider that the "public relations" firms that try to sell you sports cars and chocolate are the same people who try to sell you politicians and foreign interventions.
I haven't watched a TV show (and thus TV ads) in nearly a decade. Couldn't be happier.
Just binge-watched Mad Men. School of Life, your timing is impeccable.
These advertisements mesmerize us so much. They make us forget we have choices.
i study marketing and this describe marketing perfectly
I finished my degree in marketing a couple years ago, and yes, it does. Ads are less about the product than they are about how that product makes you feel, or the association with luxury and success. Also, I hope you have a better time finding a job when you're finished studying than I have. Going on 2 years since I finished and I've had no luck at all.
***** exactly!...i wish you the best of luck , but my main field is business management...i take extra class for marketing because i think it's so much fun! Anyways good luck!
Marketing isn't about selling you what you need, but creating desire for what you don't. Wanting moves a lot more product than needing. It also helps that the definition of "want" and "need" have been jumbled together, perhaps advertising's greatest success.
k3nny111 being broke and unable to live on your own really isn't all that fun, but your points about marketing have crossed my mind. The longer its been since I finished studying the more bs I see in the field. I like your line in the beginning " studying marketing is a bit like marketing itself. It promises big things and in the end you stand there with your student loan in one hand and your schlong in the other". I'm trying to get my own thing going, but I'm really not succeeding at the moment, but hey, at least I'm giving it a go :)
Its about the essentials. Many people end up living in greed and fantasizing about acquiring more and more often times just because they have money and marketing makes them feel like they need to buy something. thats when their purpose in life turns to materialism.We promote ourselves everyday, thats how we build relationships and connections. But when we lose sight of our time,health, and piece of mind, our purpose sways in favor of temporary satisfaction (materialism).
Not to do with this video but anyway, a year after following theschooloflife online and watching every video and ordering some books too, I finally went into the London branch( I am from London but was just being a lazy human I suppose) and I can't describe the feeling of seeing shelves filled with all this work I love so much. I had gone in alone and got so emotional, I told the lady by the tills about it. You guys have just made my life so much more happier and allowed me to weave some sort of path and also laugh about the absurd parts of this life with all the knowledge you have given us.( not to mention casually mentioning camus on first dates:) ) Thank you x
now THIS is more like the quality content that has been lacking for the past few videos. really good vid, keep it up
you know, it seems to me your topics are mostly about psychology.
When I was a child I often payed more attention to the adverts than the actual programme I was watching. Some classic adverts shown here, especially the Hovis advert, every time I hear the music to that ad I'm moved to tears, its beautiful
I have to admit, not watching TV and blanking out during ads helps me control my buying impulses. Yes they are strong but I am stronger and these companies will not control me or my life. Do I still fail, absolutely but I'm content knowing I can control it to a certain point.
I like how this video basically describes a means for capitalism to transcend itself without actually saying it.
At even the slightest hint of losing exponential growth, capitalism loves to go meta. Don't just advertise and sell the product, advertise and sell the derivatives of the produce (sex, happiness, calm etc.).
I do have the perfect life now, but it’s taking me a long time to get to this point. The first step to a perfect life is becoming debt free. I can only encourage you to make this your priority. The relief you feel when the debt has been lifted from your shoulders is amazing!! Good luck 😊
I dont really see how its feasible for anyone to literally sell us our higher desires like fulfillment, love, commitment, passion. Nice thought though, but those things aren't bought, but earned.
I dont own a TV, I use Adblock and Im a basement dweller. Checkmate advertisers.
They'll find a way to get you lol. Product/brand placement in video games, movies, tv shows, billboards, radio... its everywhere.
thanks for saving me typing this comment
Sponsored ads bro.
smashingpumpkin3 dont watch movies, rarely TV shows, I dont see billboards I live in a basement, I dont own a radio, soooo.
Also there is a difference bettween seeing one ad in a video game, and living in it 24 hours a day like other people that dont live in the basement.
Sounds like a confined life.
Quentin Crisp wrote, "Pornography is anything that promises that which it can not deliver." In that light, all advertising is at least vaguely pornographic, and we are complicit by believing that our salvation and fulfillment of our dreams lies in buying the "right" products.
Also that toy commercials promise friends, being popular if you have that toy, you'll play with it forever, etc., etc.
As a product design student this is one of the most interesting things I have seen about products and the industry in my studies
This is to me a new perspective, and I studied product development at university. The trend right now is to teach engineers to adopt a more holistic perspective on product development, where the entire life-cycle of the product is considered from the start rather than being after thoughts. This includes marketing, production, assembly, storage, packaging, distribution, retail display, insurance, use, customer support, repair, recycling/disposal, etc. Traditionally, many of these functions have been performed in steps and often by separate departments with minimal communication. A lot of focus has been on how to design for manufacturing/assembly. Perhaps the next challenge is how to get engineers to collaborate more with marketing in the brain storming stage rather than asking them to market a product that is already conceived.
when an ad comes on RUclips, I mute the volume and turn the screen away haha.
Those RUclips adds all want to sell you useless crap that you wouldn't want for free. Makes you think "Big data" is still far removed from what it's all hyped up to be.
I don't think I can get ad block on my phone
+joe Costello What phone do you have? Chances are you can...
i have some lower end samsung phone
Lol I Guess so but by lower end I mean not their most popular and advanced galaxy or whatever
i found your RUclips channel about a month and i love all of your Videos. I am from germany and i always avoided "deep" things in foreign languages because i thought i might would not get the point or wont get it at all.
Your Videos changed the way i look at things, life and people. I hope you keep Up with your great work.
Greetings from germany
I believe its noble for TSOL to give advertising a positive spin at the latter part of the video.... but the intent has always been to make our lives seem so lacking that we MUST buy said product or service. Constantly being reminded that our lives are missing so much is the only way one can be motivated to continually buy, to fill in that "void" that very rarely a product can fulfill. Hypothetically as well- if a product can satisfy a need it would end the product/service cycle and I cant imagine that being the end goal of any business in our present day system.
If people began to love themselves and pursue their own happiness first rather than praising altruism and living for others, then I belive it would do much good for this objective you're speaking of.
I call bullshit, people already love themselves too much. they praise altruism because it is seen as a virtue in our society but they don't act on it. in very few instances that they do it's to raise their social status ,nothing else.
Hello Wingborg! Himmmm. But may be it isn't that you have to
choose one or the other. Of course you are right. We have to start with
ourselves first. We have to be very loving and compassionate towards
ourselves. But I think once you build a fulfilled life and feel content,
the desire to do something for others comes naturally.
Take the great Carl Sagan from your profile picture. He was already deeply
familiar with so many wonders of the universe. What a privilege! He
didn't have to take the trouble to make all those documentaries and to
share his knowledge with us. But I am sure it was a great joy to him. He
left such a treasure behind for the entire humanity.
There is a TED Talk by Matthieu Ricard on Altruism. I still think you might like
that. Give it a chance if you wish. Have a nice evening!
The Invisible Hand, as it's called in Sociology. But I think in an individualistic society, selfishness is all too common. I think a balance needs to be established between fulfilling our own desires and those of others. Golden mean, as Aristotle called it. :)
Though I have to point out, there are some societies which are "collectivistic, as Psychology calls it, where the needs of the many trump those of the individual. In such societies, catering to one's own requirements first would definitely be a virtue. I suppose it's relativistic. :) Check out my channel if ure into educational content. :)
***** Thank you for that really nice letter! But I believe there is a misunderstanding about what egoism really is. As it might seem counter intuitive at first, the definition of egoism is not the absence of care for others, it's simply the deed of prioritizing one's self interest. Remember, if you care for others, then it will lay within your self interest to make them happy. Altruism preaches that one should strive to benefit others whether you care for them or not, while never doing something for yourself. I say: pursue you own happines first, take care for the people you truly care for and no one else.
Thanks for raising awareness!
I have been watching this channel for a while now and must say it's one of the bright spots on RUclips! It's good how you guys produce thoughtful and respectful content.The segments about our greatest philosophers are a favorite of mine.Please,keep up the good work! Kind regards from the United States. :-)
The best exaggerated illustration of this is the South Park liquor commercial. Funniest commercial ever! 😂😂😂
I love ad's that are "just the facts" here's the new widget and this is what it does and why it's special. Niche, specialty magazines are usually better about this over mainstream ones and all TV is essentially the same.
The passion for money and all that money affords us. The problems arise in our personal priorities. We have to ask ourselves "Who am I?" "What do I really want my life to be like?" "Why am I willing to sacrifice my personal happiness for social status within group(s). We should be questioning every purchase we make. Questions that really affect our stability both personally and socially. For example: You want to look good for a job interview, but because we are currently unemployed we lack funds to purchase expensive clothing that will last for years that is designed plainly but well crafted to make the best look of our physical shape. But we look in our closets and all we see is trendy fashions that have changed from the year before and their craftsmanship was poor and the garment has faded, the fabric has lost its physical integrity (looks tattered). We are depressed and worried because we fear we will not get the job because we will not look good for the interview. This type of scenario is the current root of our unhappiness. We sacrifice quality for immediate gratification and the consequences play out in our future.
These videos are like the products I wish I could buy every time I make a purchase. I know I can come back to them, and gain something new.
It's a simple concept really. The idea is to sell what the product will do for you, rather than the product it's self, as the product alone has no intrinsic value. The problem is that the adverts often over promise, hence our expectations are not met when we get the product and realise it didn't do what the advert implied it would do.
There's nothing wrong with selling the benefits of a product, it's just better if they are honest.
Really enjoyed the visual spectacle of this video. The depth-based movement of layers made it seem like a deep subject.
Isn't it?
Love the video, as always, but I feel like I'm not understanding a part of this one. How can we ever hope to buy something which is, in itself, not an object, but a feeling? You say that advertisers "tease us with promises of love, friendship, calm and success - but then go on merely to sell us things we don’t particularly need".
How could they ever actually sell real love, friendship, calm or success? There are businesses claim to enhance these things (like gyms, dating sites, yoga classes, business classes, etc), but I don't understand how we could ever get any closer to making things like these commercially available.
The things that really matter in life- are not for sale.
A product doesn't have to be an object. Trips and trainings are non material products that can help some people discover themselves.
I look forward to the day when we can buy fully programmable robot spouses. That is something I want to observe...from a safe distance. Or maybe I would go for it and get completely addicted? An artificial partner who is exactly what you want AND need would make Schopenhauer salivate.
The School of Life I think you're completely right in discussing product which don't give us long term emotional fulfilment, it's always struck me that adverts are way too one sided, with current data they can have more information about us and what we get up to than ourselves and our loved ones, and yet for some reason we still see adverts for something we don't want. Surely it should become a two way thing where adverts become better quality than quantity in the digital age, I should be shown an advert and want to buy it, feel glad that I've been shown it rather than it being annoying to me and I not only don't click on it, but dislike the brand as a result. Just a thought about how adverts are being more and more bulk to sell for nothing when it could be so much more intimate advertising... (If that even makes sense) Bit ramble but I would love to hear your opinions on the matter :)
I think what's he's implied the marketers connect a product to an ideal or a feeling so when we see the product we are reminded of the feelings portrayed and more likely to purchase the product.
Up until a few years ago, tv commercials were more interesting than what they were sponsoring. Every product is unique, it's up to the ad agency to find it and bring it forward.
I'm so glad I'm not the only one who sees these "subliminal messages" in ads.
I think you should examine how Web advertising has changed this trend. I don't own a TV. The only video ads I see are on RUclips, and I skip them as soon as allowed (5 seconds). As for banner ads, I tune them out. Thus I don't really get exposed to these old-fashioned ads that try to tap some deep psychological need, except when I go to the cinema once every two months.
The smart money seeks _customers for life_ by providing treatment, not cures.
Like the cancer awareness by NFL teams that gives 0.005% of pink proceeds to charity then charges everyone $12 for their cancer causing bacon double cheeseburgers. Grotesque.
Very insightful, it seems like ads can teach us more about what we REALLY want.
However, the idea of having companies driven by profits to enter my personal life and affect my relationships with the people closest to me is seriously frightening.
Each product the person buys meets some need- either directly or indirectly. As businesses, we need to understand the consumer psychology - the Maslow's need hierarchy and use it to tailor our messages. As consumers we need to be aware of our real needs and then make a choice.
Consumerism (which is what you are talking about here, not Capitalism) depends for its very existence, on making us feel unfulfilled, and lacking something, so they would have no interest in making products that actually fulfilled us, even if that were possible.
Can you imagine an advertisement that adjusts as you're watching it to compensate for aspects you don't like? I'm talking about a future where there is a reliable enough way to sense your emotions, and dynamically adjust the advertisement as you are watching it to be more favorable to you. Or perhaps, take a step down and consider the more fathomable dynamic billboard which recognizes that YOU are looking at it and presents its ad to you the way you want to based on your ad personality profile (for such a "mass" advert multiple people can look at simultaneously, I would imagine this could happen effectively through augmented reality - think contacts and glasses that are too convenient to give up just to rid ourselves of ads which are creepy until you get used to them.
Get to work on that dude. You'll be swimming in cash like Scrooge McDuck!
The sad part is that people might always choose the fantastic hope that a nice pair of Nike shoes offers rather then the more rational choice of a good jump rope or treadmill, that will actually help them fulfill their desires. And, perhaps it's rational for them to choose the shoes anyways, as any seemingly-rational steps they take in fulfilling their desires will undoubtedly not make them any more happy anyways. Happiness has a tendency of always going back to it's regular state. The best you can do is give yourself a few moments of hopeful fantasies every once in a while before you're back to feeling exactly like you normally do.
ads are things that make us feel imperfect
I think the strongest ad trick is trends. If the majority of people talk about it, use it and feel superior using the product - that's more efficient than just ads. It creates a pressure upon us e.g. overpriced iPhones (selling superiority, not a phone).
That's a boss idea, but another idea sprang to mind with the realization that commercials were selling ideas. Commercials can be used to understand and guage what a person truly desires. Since it's entirely wish fulfillment; By understanding which fulfill you, then you can understand your, or anorher's, wishes.
indeed. however not all wishes are able to be fulfilled (indefinitely, without wrecking the planet anyway) Is it better to gauge what people 'truly desire', and then attempt to give them that (on a base level is probably sex, alcohol and power) or, through wisdom, guide people to desire better, more sustainable, healthier things?
Last sentence : "...what businesses should be able to sell us".
Granted what's adertised today leaves a lot of room for improvement, but to think that happiness (or the other things ads use as a lever) could be product of mass consumption, it looks like the consumerist culture has sunk into us even deeper than I thought...
"This episode of 'The School of Life' brought to you by... "
That is why Mad Men is one of the most philosophical TV show in actuality
Great video as always. But do all our needs have to be filled by a business offering a solution ? It would be interesting to have a video talking about whether or not businesses should fill our needs and to what extent! Just food for thought :)
What's the purpose of a business that doesn't solve a problem / fill a need?
The purpose would be to make money. And many of them don't fill needs or solve real problems. They create false problems/"needs" and present themselves as solutions (particularly in the field of luxury goods).
niidiimii luxury goods communicate status - that is a need
communicating status isn't a need, its a want, and a very low-conscious want, that maybe if you had these goods that people would like you more and that you you could feel better about yourself; people think maybe that would make their life more fulfilled, but it wont...
Luxury goods are definitely not a need (hence the word "luxury" ("an *inessential*, desirable item...") and neither is the desire to 'communicate status'... And, incidentally, they aren't a particularly good measure of status anyway :)
Great video...
the business of making people live a happy and fulfilled life, will be the new booming market for the next 100years...
you gotta turn that volume up, it's too quiet and has been like that forever. maybe it's just my cheap speakers, gonna buy some new ones soon
nah, I like his voice, sometimes when I read I use his voice instead of mine (internally of course)
no, it was also quiet for me too. lolz idk
Gustavo Arias I do the same thing hahah
i find commercials who use gimmicks to draw me in patronizing
I know where they are heading strAIght to our dreams !!
I like it. As it is also a subtle advert for your books and videos. Very clever.
Maybe we'll just realize our higher needs cannot be fulfilled by any product, instead of holding out the hope that one day some unimaginable magical product will actually fulfill us like you suggest.
for more on this and more I strongly recommend Alain de Botton's documentary Epicurus on Happiness (it's on RUclips). In fact the whole series is fascinating, along with his book Consolations of Philosophy, of course. Thanks for another awesome video, School of Life!
Such smart ideas! Always a pleasure!
Since companies cannot truly fulfill our higher desires they just end up selling us the promise of having our desires fulfilled by the products they sell, which is why we're in an endless loop of buying stuff that we think will make us truly happy.
great one, this channel has really evolved my life philosophy
Advertising, like fishing, is the art of tricking lower lifeforms into swallowing a hook.
*uploads video of the ways commercialism taints our subconscious; puts ads at the end of video*
Just kidding. brilliant as usual :)
Advertisement, no matter how good, will always suck if it keeps interrupting the viewing, reading, listening, etc experience just to offer things we don't need or want!
Do a video on how to absorb more culture and meet more cultural please.
Go to the library. Watch some old movies. See an opera. Et voila, you are cultural!
you are saying that old people are cultural?
No one said that.
this is what old people do
You clearly don't understand basic litracy skills , I never claimed that culture ie for the old , please read things before you comment
I love this channel so much
Are you really not going to mention Edward Bernays?
Bearnaise makes a good sauce.
'The Century of the Self' should be required viewing for understanding the more insidious side of advertising.
*****
I havnt read much of what he as written as much as I am well aware of his work in advertising.
They basically lure you with the fallacy of ad populum. They tend to use one of these forms of it: bandwagon argument (everybody else is doing it, so you should too), appeal to vanity (you can be as beautiful or respected as that girl/guy if you use our product), or appeal to snobbery (you can be part of an exclusive, elite group if you buy our product). Did a video on fallacies on my channel, if y'all want to check it out. Doesn't include ad populum, saving that for another video, but it does include other ways people try to fool you/take advantage of the debate/argument. :)
I wonder how many of the viewers watching this video, other than myself, were greated to this video with an advert?
I'm ready to buy into good advertising because it makes using the product feel a lot better. Imo, a good advertising is such that gives the product a certain vibe that makes using the product more special, instead of giving you the false promise of a more successful life that dispels as soon as you buy into the ad. I'll choose a well-advertised (with this kind of good advertisement I described before) pair of jeans over other objectively identical pairs of jeans because I'll feel more confident and outgoing wearing them (and no, just showing me a confident and outgoing person wearing those jeans in the ad is not enough to do that, mb if it was my favorite character from a movie or smth like that...). I'm really driven by vibes, so I see no way you can call this kind of advertisement bad if it actually enhances your experience with the product. Edit: that being said, I could never afford to make impulsive purchases for anything more expensive than a high-end McDonald’s burger. So I guess this kind of mindset is based on not going savage and buying things the minute you saw an ad.
A well articulated video, as always! But I'm a bit disappointed with the note on which you ended the video. I was expecting that you would suggest some solutions to the issues with the advertising culture, as you usually do, than merely identifying them. The influence of ads on our consumption decisions mars to an extent, the possibility of the rise of products mainly on the basis of their quality, and thus leaving the free market crippled, atleast from the perspective of the consumer.
Are there any ways to mitigate these shortcomings?
Begbie advertising whisky. Brilliant.
It feels like this video was an advertisement for School of Life merch, by saying that advertisements should sell things that fix people's lives.
*looks at the "cards for self-exploration" *
a good book about what humains really want
It looks like the video makes it harder to stay focused on the main subject :)
Brilliant. Thanks for the share!
There are advertisers that promise something said to fulfill emotional and deeper needs. They are called missionaries...
So in other words, advertise more counseling services and manufacture more psychological drugs, right? XD
In all seriousness, I have no idea how products -material things- will ever fully solve this problem. Very few material things beyond essentials hold any lifelong value. Products are not meant to be this way and advertising is manipulation to get people to buy things they don't need or persuade them from one necessity to another. I say this as a person who buys tons of useless crap and is taking advertising and business classes. I try to be a realist about anything I do.
I think that one of the first keys to happiness is understanding this manipulation and finding the root of what makes you want a product. Ask yourself questions: Why does buying something make you happy? What void are you trying to fill? Do you NEED it? What are your habits about buying things? Are there emotions attached to certain purchases? Could you make other choices and be just as happy? Why did the ad stick with you?
These questions have value, but not monetary value. Therefore, they cannot be advertised unless we count charity and self-help material. But why bother with that when you can Google self help for free? …Any wonder why Google is so damn rich?
Showerthought: This whole video is an elaborate advertisement for The School of Life...
Do a video about Alan Watts please
That would be great! But something tells me we wouldn´t get the most interesting bits (Alan´s view of the universe as a drama) as Alain isn´t interested in the metaphysics very much.
Hey school of life. The lessons you share have been one of the most helpful i have received in my life. That said I've noticed any attempt to share such material is ignored or switfly forgotten. How can such ideas as philosophy and emotional well being be presented in a wayto engage and pique interest?
Advertising is part of the "marketing mix". The objective of advertising is to create "share of mind" not sales/ "share of market". Success means that my product (coffee, for example) will be name first when one is polled to name a brand of coffee. Much of what was done on Mad Men was marketing and not advertising.
I think the conclusion of the video is completely wrong.
Capitalism shouldn't just be more ambitious in creating products to fulfill the needs advertisement promises us to satisfy; Capitalism as a system is unable to fulfill such needs and advertisement is covering it. A happily family or a satisfying sex life can't be offered as a product. We have to figure these things out our self and therefore need to stop thinking that some big company will solve our problems.
Ways of Seeing by John Berger. Everyone with a sub to TSOL should probably read the book/ watch the series.
There was advertising of this school far before the Madison Avenue days
Awesome video.
Love the sentiment, been mindful of it when I think about software, but (there has to be a but), it's all good to say we need to start delivering the "goods", but I don't see a business potential here. Maybe there should be more thought, brainstorming around what those business would do so that they can deliver, happiness, thankfulness, mindfulness, warmth in families , closeness and friendship and the other illusive emotions that humankind have always wrestled with, .. is that even possible with hard work an constant learning?
Great video!
im turning the sound of for any ad
we need is the school of life :)
Thank you for this
Can you guys make a Literature video about Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov? I'd love to see your insights on this highly influential and beautifully written book.
Thank You
Unhappy people buy more stuff to try and help them feel better. Mystery solved. For profit private enterprise causes this contradiction.
Nintendo is learning the hard way that showing smiling and happy people in there ads does not make gamers want their crap.
Here's another "trick" in advertising: if every product and service advertised as "quick, easy, and guaranteed", were to perform as advertised, and the advertising industry insisted that all products they advertise live up to that claim, there would be no need for any advertising gimmicks.
People might actually not mind being bombarded with ads so much, if they knew that all products and services lived up to their advertising claims. But when people know that so many products and services don't live up to their advertising claims, it creates cultural cynicism. Add ad bombardment on top of the false claims, the cynicism is compounded! People instinctively know that not only do the manufacturers of products and services make false claims, but that also the ad industry actively aids and abets those false claims.
Not counting things like movie trailers, commercials have never made me buy anything.
Hi guys, I love what you do with your videos. Your project is amazing, have you guys think about translating you videos to other languages?
I think this is overly analytical. Capitalism provides people with good products. We are bombarded with hundreds of ads every day, and no one thinks deeply about them. We buy products because we want them, and not because we think they will actually have profound effects on our relationships, etc.
did school of life just optimistically imply that soon businesses will be able to really sell us our true desire (friends ,relationships , purpose) . That sounds like a scary future for me
I would love to see Truth in advertising. Would Madison Ave. go bust ? would prices on products go down ?
I'm afraid this video completely misses the point. The problem isn't that product development needs to somehow catch up to advertising. Rather, it is that the very emotions and needs that advertising play on *cannot* be solved through the consumption of products. Better relationships, feeling more connected, these are all things that can be achieved without spending a penny, through simply putting in the work and developing the skills needed for interpersonal relationships etc.
The problem is that these things cannot be commodified and so cannot serve capitalism.
How many of us can quickly answer the question "What do I want?" Because nothing really comes to mind for me. Or at least nothing that is for sale right now.
I can. But it aint a product!
so dose that mean in 20 or so years I could potentially directly or indirectly buy a happy relationship?
No, it actually means the exact opposite. Ads suggest your life will be one step closer to happy if you buy their products, but of course it's not how it works, not how anything works and those making those ads know it.
So, sorry, you won't find "Happy and fulfilled life" on eBay.
Damn I thought eBay was the answer to a fulfilling life.
smashingpumpkin3 We all thought that.
That's why increasing numbers of people are returning to find comfort in religions or new age spirituality. The thing is we humans never actually grew up. We are just big children breeding small ones.
I've never bought anything because of an ad.
That's what advertisers want you to think! :)
I'm always buying the cheapest or what I like...never bought anything just because of an ad...
Consider that the "public relations" firms that try to sell you sports cars and chocolate are the same people who try to sell you politicians and foreign interventions.