Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by thrwaeasddsaf 1862 days ago
I don't really understand the point about dreams. Do they sell you dreams? What kind of dreams? I see ads for products and services, most of which do not resonate with me at all. I have my own dreams, and I don't see them having anything to do with marketing.
2 comments
wolfpack_mick 1862 days ago
With selling dreams they mean selling the scene in which your insecurity has been relieved.

People feel pinned down in their life, so a common dream sold is to be free. Think of Mac and their proposition of enabling your creativity (a creative person is unconstrained). A lot of car and motorbike companies also show their products as liberating in different ways.

Beer ads often show popularity and unselfconscious social interaction, which is a big deal for young guys.

For course there's dreams of beauty, success, feeling accepted.

link
thrwaeasddsaf 1861 days ago
Alright. Maybe I just have a hard time seeing past the product, or the marketing is too obtuse for me.

Car ads for example are a complete blur in my head. The only thing that I distinctly remember is when everyone had ads with their cars driving in shallow sea water, which I found absurd. Do they still do that?

I certainly do feel pinned down in life, but I also don't remember seeing ads that offer a concrete solution (and I'm not even convinced its solvable). I don't think I need to be sold the dream to be free, because that is already something I desire very much. I just see products. Ones that will not fulfill that dream.

link
thomasjbevan 1862 days ago
They say the devils greatest trick was making humanity believe he didn’t exists.

And advertisers greatest trick is making you think that ads don’t work on you.

We like to think we are above it all (I know I do) but why do I drink one brand of vodka as opposed to another. Objectively they are all identical. Clearly at some point some piece of branding breached my defences, you know?

link
thrwaeasddsaf 1862 days ago
That's beside the point, I think. What's the dream?

Yes, I might prefer pepsi to coca cola or vice versa and maybe that's a product of marketing, but both are just drinks to me. Just another product. Which I might buy once in a while, but it's really got nothing to do with my dreams.

link
MonsterBurger 1861 days ago
Some ads will come across as obvious if you aren't their intended audience the ones made for you will barely feel like ads at all.
link