The Power of Media

  This topic has been analyized many times, typical I know, but I feel like this would not be a consumer behavior blog if I didn't discuss the effects of media on consumers.  Starting out as children we do not nesesarily understand the idea of purchasing certain items, we just see something we like and ask our parents for it.  We grow older and see things that our peers have and want them.  The idea of something being special like an expensieve brand that someone famous also has makes the item more desired by consumers.  The funny thing about media and consumers is that the famous person who also has the item may not even be someone we admire.  For instance, if we see Britney Spears with Tiffany jewlery, we as consumers may see it and want it.  I am not at all saying that it does not matter who the celebrity is that advertises because I do believe that someone highly admired would have a better effect on the target market than a celebrity that is not.  I do think that the association of someone rich and famous does increase the social status of the item to a consumer intrested in that certain type of market.  Just the other day we talked about the Kardashians credit card, another example of three people who are not particularly admire or in the spotlight for something good.  Having these three young, attractive, and famous women on the front of a credit card will attract the young and impressionable audience that the company is hoping to target.  Although this is not always true, I do believe that as we grow older we do grow wiser in our purchases.  When we do buy something that costs more we tend to buy for quality.  There are people that still buy because of image but they are realistic about it and choose to partake in this.  In the end it is the consumers decision to physically go to a store and purchase something (whether it was in the media or not), but media does play a role in the determining process of a consumer.