EOC: Week 10 Art Serving Capitalism

In advertising, art is always going to be involved in the idea of making money, in addition to selling a product. How does one define art? In Dictionary.com the first definition states "the quality, production, expression, or realm, according to aesthetic principles, of what is beautiful, appealing, or of more than ordinary significance." The key words involved with are in advertising in this definition are "the expression according to the aesthetic principles of what is more than ordinary significance."

When we create an ad campaign there should always be reason of why we chose to do something and pick something out. For a lot of effective ad campaigns it is to create an emotion or engage in the viewer of the ad, the consumer. This is what makes money. Most people spend their money on something based on their emotions. One great example that we talked about in class is McDonald's. In comparison to Burger King, McDonald's doesn't sell the better tasting food, but they do sell more customers. The other day I was deciding on what to eat for breakfast on my way to work. I opted for a McDonald's pancakes and sausage. Why? It was the emotion and nostalgic feeling I get when I eat at McDonald's. It's what my mom bought Saturday mornings when she didn't feel like cooking. It's what they have instilled in me through the simple art of their ad campaigns. "I'm loving it."

Art is not just the images you conjure up on a billboard or a one-page spread. It's the collaboration of the images, the copy (words), and the emotion it gives the viewer. Creating art should be fun or at least enjoyable. All of it in advertising serves to make you and/or the client money: "Art Serving Capitalism." That is the beauty of advertising.