The Attraction We Love To Hate

At a significant level, advertising is the wind that keeps the economy moving. Even if the notion is little more than so much hype, few would disagree advertising is a powerful economic force. Given that reality, it’s odd advertising has such a negative image. It may be the wind that moves the economy; but it is mostly seen as an evil wind, indeed.

“Advertising may be described as the science of arresting the human intelligence long enough to get money from it.” (Stephen Butler Leacock) “Advertising is an environmental striptease for a world of abundance.” (Marshall McLuhan) “Advertising is the rattling of a stick inside a swill bucket.” (George Orwell) “Advertising is the art of making whole lies out of half truths.” (Edgar A. Shoaff)

Malcolm Muggeridge argued, “History will see advertising ‘as one of the real evil things of our time. It is stimulating people constantly to want things, want this, want that.’" Similarly, Printers' Ink reported in 1915, “When the historian of the Twentieth Century shall have finished his narrative, and comes searching for the subtitle which shall best express the spirit of the period, we think it not at all unlikely that he may select ‘The Age of Advertising’ for the purpose.”

Here, then, is the question of the day. If advertising has been getting trashed for nearly a hundred years, why haven’t the ad gurus been able to develop a powerful campaign to counteract the public’s negative perception and distrust of them and their work products?