Advertising. Buy It Now!

Advertising rules our world. Social media adverts, google adverts, tv adverts, radio adverts, press adverts, billboard adverts, bus stop adverts, leaflets, brochures, banner adverts…on the plane, on the train, with millions of companies (and charities/not for profits) to sell us a product or an idea whether it is good for us or not! They lie, cajole, manipulate, influence, tease, tempt, badger, guilt trip…. anything to get us to part with our hard earned money.. I am even guilty of it myself! But you should give me your money as I’m worth it!

How many advertising slogans do you remember? You’re worth it, just do it, live the dream, I’m mc lovin’ it? The list of catchy slogans is huge!

The Ariana Project’s catchy slogan is “Creating a better world together, one thought at a time”, definitely not catchy! You see I don’t actually want to sell you something tangible… If selling better thinking was a product I would not be up there with companies like Nike and Coca Cola…because trying to help people to think better is not sexy! You can’t brand it like a sugar drink, a tastleless burger, or a pair of plastic shoes made by an impoverished worker thousands of miles away…Weird Eh?

Selling better thinking isn’t cool, selling better thinking isn’t fashionable, and being a better thinker isn’t going to get you more likes on Instagram, or make your friends like you more, whereas a rolex and a flash car just might…

Face it, we like to be liked, we like to be admired, we like to show off, and who could blame us? Life is hard, they say, and the purchase of consumer products makes us feel good. I know the feeling!

Four years ago I bought a Porsche.. It was very sexy! I felt like a million dollars driving it, people admired the car, and by association were admiring me too… All good for the male ego! Until I realised that I was just showing off… I sold it a year later at a considerable loss, cursing myself for being so stupid. Here was I, a thoughtful individual, buying into the hype! I don’t know if I thought it would get me a better looking girlfriend, or be more admired, but it had the opposite effect. People thought I was having a mid life crisis..!! Never again. No longer could I park where I wanted, stay in hotels where I wanted, I had to protect my Porsche in case anyone stole it or damaged it! The Porsche was changing my life, changing the places I visited, or the hotels I stayed in. I had to live up to the Porsche! A car was changing my life, and not in a good way! Soon friends started to become jealous and I had to then change the people I associated with (other people with swanky cars). I felt like a fraud. I was not this person. All because I bought into the Advertising.

Although, if you want a Porsche you should buy one. The same goes for a Rolex, or a diamond bracelet. You only realise you don’t need it until you have one. Don’t tell a poor farmer in India that he doesn’t need a Porsche. If he wants one and can afford it, he or she must have it, and drive it until their hearts content!

If you would like to explore this topic more Click Here to read “Advertising” from The Natural Mind – Waking Up. If you like it, you can buy the book!!! No advertising here, just friendly advice!