Assignment 7: due Monday, April 6, 2009 at 5pm via bSpace:

Use Klein and McKendrick to answer the question: Does adversising belong in a "History of Information" class?


Some exemplary responses:

Yes.  For at least two reasons: (1) information and information technologies have become entangled with the businesses that sell them; (2) advertising itself is an act of information dissemination.
With respect to reason one, how a business can sell a technology frequently determines the form the technology takes.  Cheapness of manufacturing materials (Nike shoes) or transportation methods (fragile pots don't travel) might dictate the technology's form.  On the other hand, Klein's explanation of branding as more important than function or price argues differently.  Advertising seems like a deliberate confrontation with social and technological determinism.  Somehow branding can change a product's image without changing its form, so that it fits into, or over comes the social and technological realities of a market.
With respect to reason two, from Wedgewood to present, advertising has been an experiment in broadcast messaging.  Wedgewood has communicated the same message, "pick me", in numerous ways.  Many of these methods are still in practice.  He used the celebrity of nobility and royalty the same way movie stars and athletes are presently paraded about.  He used high prices to differentiate his products the way high prices are used by Apple to sell computers and De Beers to sell diamonds. -David B.

    Before arguing whether or not the topic of advertising belongs in a class entitled “History of Information”, information needs to be defined. If information is the ability of individuals to transfer communication freely, and to have direct access to knowledge that would have previously have been difficult or impossible to find, then advertising belongs in the class. Klein state that “corporate obsession with brand identity is waging a war on public and individual space: on public institutions such as schools, on youthful identities, on the concept of nationality and on the possibilities for unmarketed space.” Advertising is ubiquitous; individuals are constantly bombarded with images from ads. Advertising, more so than anything else, is constant free transfer of communication, and the strategy of “branding” provides identities and knowledge of companies’ identities that, before advertising, had not been defined. For example, it is no accident that when an individual sees “Nike” they think star athlete or “pushing-the-envelope”, this is knowledge and the dissemination of it are what companies invest in heavily through the use of advertising. McKendrick’s article on Wedgwood and his pottery is an example of advertising making knowledge of what is fashionable in any given culture available to a mass audience – Wedgewood marketed his product to the leader of fashion in the belief that the rest of society would follow, and they did. -- Andrea

While the average advertisement may not be guaranteed to provide true information, advertising belongs in a History of Information class as much as the Greek alphabet. Like the alphabet, advertising allows for the conveyance of information and the creation of new ways of thinking. It promotes the product or service, informing the public about its why, where, and what. But more significantly, advertising’s invention is a prerequisite of brand commercialization, where people and business think in the term of brands rather than products. As Klein mentions, tennis shoes become Nikes and alcohol becomes Absolut. Advertising divides the general from the branded, suddenly making the branded the desirable. As McKendrick demonstrates in his chapter about Wedgwood, advertising can come in all different forms. From the standard hand-bill or bill board to celebrity endorsement from the Queen of England. Not only do people gain knowledge about products and services through advertisements, their perception is modified by them. Wedgwood’s pottery becomes popular not only because of their quality and style, but because of the “conceptual added value” that he builds through advertising. “Information” is closely related to perception, knowledge, and communication- the very three aims of advertising. -Elaine

The Klein and McKendrick readings show the paramount importance that advertising plays in the development and popularlization of techology throughout the twentith/twenty-first century. McKendrick's focus on the success of Wedgewood china is important because it is the first major example of brand equity. In the article McKendrick states, "it was never [Wedgwood's] practice nor his intention to sell cheaply. .. his selling policy relied on quality and above all fashionable appeal, and wedgewood believed that high prices had an integral part to play in such policy". By creating a brand dictated perceieved image rather than price, Wedgewood overcame his competition by becoming synonymous with 'the best'. Why buy cheap generic china when you could spend a bit more and get Wedgewood china. This brand equity has dictated the success of certain products and the demise of others in an economic setting where consumer availability is so great that price or quality alone is not enough to guarentee product success. While Klein is against the popularized use of advertising, her evidence shows that few companies in the twenty-first century have met real succuss without using such methods. As Klien notes, "Logos were tailored to evoke familiarity and folksiness, in an effort to counteract the new and unsettling anonymity of packaged goods." During the twentieth century, people shift away from buying goods to buying brands. People no longer buy tissue paper, but Kleenex. People no longer copy, they Xerox. In a History of Information setting, one cannot look at technology today without taking such notions into consideration. -Steven W.

Both of these articles are evidence for advertising being considered a form of information and important to the history of information. McKendrick discusses the commercialization of ceramics in his article, showing that advertising, niche marketing, and brand creation have been around since the 1700s. Wedgwood understood how to market his product to various groups of people for different purposes, and succeeded through securing initial patrons and supporters for his products. This is a clear example of modern product placement and sponsorship. The argument made in this piece is amusing in contrast to Klein's article as she claims the brand is a somewhat new phenomenon. McKendrick shows that brand ideologies have been around for centuries, and that, most likely, the brand will never die. I do agree that branding lends itself to the growth of corporations, and that the ease of sharing information in the 20th century allows these companies to transmit information to a larger audience with less work. It is important to look at advertising in the history of information because we can trace parallels like that of ceramics and brands today. -Sarah W.

In considering the question of whether Advertising belongs in a History of Information course perhaps some initial objections crop up – for instance it may be said to be only corporate utilization of mediums already well studied in this type of class – however upon further thought it is clear to be an essential and unique phenomenon. To understand why, let us look at the modern corporate reality. Klein states that “ … today's best-known manufacturers no longer produce products and advertise them, but rather buy products and "brand" them … “ because “ … successful corporations must primarily produce brands, as opposed to products”. Advertising may utilize existing mediums, but its implementation has lead to a very new and powerful sort of information that has massive impact upon the current state humanity finds itself in. This information is brand, it is corporate identity (personality even) and the ethereal “value” of things predicated solely upon these now all important specters endlessly conjured by corporations big and small. The origins of this critical data developing in the public conscious is traced by the McKendrick and realized in the Klein, where we also perhaps find hints of the eminent death of the question this prompt poses in the entirely new information media advertising is spawning. This is the juniper scented theaters and other brand “performance art” that, as developed further by corporations, will surely result in undeniably unique and pertinent mediums for the study of the information scholar. Before that happens, though, perhaps we should not ignore the ever more relevant cries from Neil Postman's work in consideration of the new information upon us. -Andrew B.

As evidenced by Klein's quotation in No Logo of a Starbucks executive saying, "Consumers don't truly believe there's a huge difference between products," one could justifiably think that today's advertising has little to do with information. Goods and information about goods, from Wedgwood's creamware to Intel's Pentium processors, have—from a marketing perspective—gone the way of the dodo. Advertising has become a vehicle for product "fashion" rather than product "merit" (McKendrick). Creamware--an informational term--became Queensware, appealing to the aristocracy. Intel's Pentium processor ads feature the Blue Man Group, which says nothing about the chips--but it does convey that Intel is for contemporary, innovative people. And when companies do advertise the commodities themselves, like Old Navy does, it is in the name of fashion—it’s an appeal to the retro more than an appeal to a product’s quality. Advertising today is at its least offensive about stylizing information—creating narratives ("Starbucks Experience")—and at its worst it is the practice of selling you a lifestyle that has nothing to do with the product at all (Intel). But it wasn’t always like this, which is why advertising belongs in an information class. There is a history to read on the subduction of information under narrative and fashion, and both Klein and McKendrick give evidence that the history of advertising is a history of the transformation of business models based on information into business models based on images and narratives. -William B.

Without becoming bogged down in the definition of what information is or waxing philosophical, I believe advertising is necessary in a History of Information course. Whether one perceives advertising as a simple informative tool or demonizes it as an invasive marketing force which is now “waging war on... schools, on youthful identities, [and] on the concept of nationality” (Klein), it is irrefutable that the pervasiveness of advertising and the influence of branding in our everyday lives has a profound impact on the way we receive information.
The notion of branding and the importance of image has been apparent since the 18th century (McKendrick). However it was not until the mid-latter 20th century that we experienced a paradigm shift, where corporations began to project the image of their products rather than the articles themselves (Klein). With an ever-increasing demand for advertising outlets and brand presence spiraling upward (and out of control, as Klein notes), we are faced with more forms of ads everywhere we look. No longer confined to the canvas of billboards and screens of televisions, brand “philosophies” pervade our everyday life as companies attempt to interweave the idea of their products with our everyday experience. For good or bad, the flurry of advertising in today's world certainly affects the way we sort, prioritize, and process information we receive. - Mark D.

McKendrick's article seems more about the history of Wedgwood's pottery and advertising techniques, rather than something that is relevant to a history of information class. Similarly, Klein's article focuses on branding, which McKendrick talks about as well with Wedgwood's concept of “fashion”, and the ad campaigns that various companies have used to sell their products to the world. None of which seems relevant for a history of information class. I base relevance compared to other solid parts of information. Such as the telegraph, it fundamentally changed the transmission and reception of information, and caused a giant shift in the culture of the time. Advertising, branding, and marketing, however, while interesting to learn about seem to be irrelevant for a course on the history of information. Now one could argue that it was a way of communicating certain messages to the public, but at best it is a cultural log that future generations can look upon to learn something about what cultures were like at that time. In that way it is relevant. Advertising, branding, marketing could all serve to provide some sort of information about a certain time period. But the question is whether that is relevant, or important, enough to merit including it. It most certainly does not outweigh the telegraph, television, the Internet, even the postal system. All have more to contribute to a class on the history of information due to their importance to the world in terms of the change they have brought. -Pratik

I think unquestionably a history of information course should deal with the practice of advertising. The history of information is really a history of human expression and communication; that history would be as dull as a listing of annual temperatures if humans had not our tendency to lie, dissemble, and promote ourselves at every opportunity. Besides, advertising tends to motivate new forms of information technology and new methods of transmission - in Wedgwood's case, it necessitated "one of the most brilliant and sustained campaigns in the history of consumer exploitation, (104)" in which he targeted specific classes, issued placement instructions to shopkeepers, and set up showrooms across the country, among many other innovations. Naomi Klein's argument that corporate advertising is a plague of the senses and a culturally destructive force signifies only that it is important, and merits study. Whether or not branding and advertising lead to homogeneity of culture or artificially high prices or economic inequality is secondary to whether or not we should count them as informational practices. I say they are, and very important ones. That said, professors probably ought to reject offers of class sponsorship if they have the means to avoid it. -Ryan S.

Since advertising influences how information is spread and the type of information that is communicated, it certainly does belong in a “History of Information” class. McKendrick described how Wedgewood’s aggressive business strategy of utilizing high-society associations improved the “fashion” of his wares. His marketing techniques caused his business to become notorious; information about his achievements and new products spread through all classes of society and across national borders. One of his advertising strategies was to make publicly available a copy of a traditionally hidden Barberini vase. “His reproduction of the vase caught the imagination of the whole continent. Every detail of the mythology behind the case was eagerly discussed and Wedgewood’s name circulated through every European court.”(114) Wedgewood also controlled the method of information distribution; “certain forms of advertisement he would never countenance. He banned his showrooms from using handbills,”(123-123) while encouraging the use of “personal introduction in the shape of traveling salesmen.”(126) In her article, Klein goes beyond mentioning new methods of information distribution (billboards) to discuss a new type of information storage – branding and logos. Having started as a marketing strategy component, a brand or a logo now communicates to a consumer an incredible amount of information about the personality of the company and the quality of the product. It is interesting to see that brands convey so much information that “Philip Morris purchased Kraft for $12.6 billion - six times what the company was worth on paper” (Klein) because they perceived the brand name to be worth so much. Advertising, like other social forces, shapes the development of information in many ways. -Frances

Advertising and the production of brand names falls into the umbrella of "information" as they, at the core, deal with communication and distribution of information. The idea of associating messages with and the power of brand images is similar to the use of ideograms to represent and convey ideas. In Klein's paper, she notes how advertising is often referred to as "experimental communication", which shows ties of advertising to communication and information technologies. She also refers to the "brand identity" and "corporate consciousness", which has influences on "commercial culture" and the public sphere.  McKendrick's description of the commercialization of pottery shows the effect that advertising have on the public sphere. McKendrick points out that Wedgwood's products are "considerably more expensive" and have high production costs. He argues that Wedgwood's success centers on market strategies and "capturing the world of fashion". Using the prestige of royal patrons, Wedgwood was able to convey a sense of nobility to his wares, and was able to sustain the "costly enthusiasms" of the pottery craze.  The dissemination of information, i.e. communication, the power of the public, and the importance of ideas, i.e. those imbodied in brands, are all keep themes in the history of information. Advertising is an excellent example of the interaction between these ideas, and should therefore be examined in a study of the history of information. - Yiding

Advertising does belong in a history of information class. While Klein focuses on the ‘brand’ and the aggressive marketing strategy pursued by advertisers as only one ‘part’ of a complex culture, the fact that advertising itself saturates the culture enough to call “sponsored life a truism” makes it worthy of being called information – although it is irritating, useless, information that attempts to influence consumers into buying often non-existent products using “ingenious gimmicks”.   McKendrick takes a more society-centered role in his article, showing how the new affordability and potential acquisition of pottery caused society’s crazed appetite for Wedgewood pottery, and how Josiah Wedgewood himself skillfully exploited the masses, changing attitudes from the “pursuit of ceramic luxury by the rich into the pursuit of useful…pottery for the many” (Pg. 103) through not only noble advertising, as evidenced by Louis XV and cream-colored ‘Queenware’, but also by choosing to pursue a fashion, not a single product or product line. Innovation and quality alone were not enough to corner the market, due to cheap imitations, but with intelligent advertising behind him, Wedgewood could – and did – become a common household name, with the sales to prove it.  Therefore, advertising does belong in a history of information class. - Diane

Advertising belongs in a history of information class because information plays a critical role in the consumption of products and the creation of a market for a product. For example, McKendrick indicates how Wedgewood pottery became reknowned through the circulation of information. Wedgewood pottery, though higher priced than many competitors, used "proper and noble introduction" by arbiters of taste to become an aspirational brand. Even if people could not afford the more costly Wedgewood products, the association with nobility raised the status of more humble products created by the company. In addition, information played a role in the design of products, with Wedgewood creating pottery inspired by historical events and cultural tastes. Klein's description of the rise of branding, which shifted the focus from the product produced to the image of the brand, also shows how information plays a role in advertising. The creation of a successful brand is primarily a matter of spreading information, about the way that a product can contribute to a person's lifestyle, and by associating the brand with an aspect of personal identity or a desired experience. - Jessica M.