Media in the Chi

Moving to Chicago from Iowa, I have seen so many changes. Not only in the people, but most especially in the ways companies and organizations advertise. Everywhere you go, there is an ad for the newest Jag, or Gucci's newest line. As a fashionista, I greatly appreciate these ads; however, do they really grab the reader's attention? More so than an ad on TV? I feel that though TV ads speak to people, we just stare at them and don't really comprehend what we're watching. However, for me, when I see an ad when I'm walking around downtown, I stop and say, "OOOH, I WANT that bag!" or "How gorgeous is that car?!" I feel I pay much more attention to billboards than commercials. I feel that through out time, especially since the TV was invented, advertisers have come so far in creating different ways to appeal to people, and though I fear technology will someday take over, technology is what brings the college girl into a boutique or a fresh graduate making that six figure job in the city scoot on in to the car dealership.
In my Communications class, I have learned so many different forms of communication, and I must say that advertising, especially through the means of television and radio have a huge impact on today's society. Think about it: how would we know what the latest iPod is, or the newest computer if we didn't have these means of technology? I'm not trying to be superficial by saying the only advertisements I notice are designer things, but besides sex in TV, designers get out the most to the public- whether or not the average joe can afford it. This may sound bad to most people, but its those labels that make an effort to appeal to the general public, and that is what the people want.