In 2019, some French cities tried to ban outdoor advertising.
Why? Let's get into it.
You're scrolling Instagram and you are repeatedly exposed to an advertisement for tights that won't tear. You don't even wear tights. But the ad is slick, and you tell yourself they're not that expensive.
Your child is watching YouTube videos and learns about a new toy they didn't know existed, but that they need. NOW. In fact they may not be able to live without it.
Billboards, bus shelters and public screens around town bombard your brain with new products and services you didn't know about before.
This is Advertising. This is how people sell things to you. Just try to live your life without seeing an advertisement. Unless you're living off-grid in a mountain cabin far from other people, it's impossible.
The problem is that Advertising trades in dissatisfaction. And where it can't find dissatisfaction, it will create a new one tailored right to your deepest vulnerabilities. The more advertising we are exposed to, the more dissatisfied we can become with our own lives. After all, look at how happy and fulfilled everyone in the ads is! The implicit corollary is that if you don't buy into the product or service they're selling that you can't reach that nirvana yourself.
Even without knowing it, you are being fed the capitalist lie that happiness can be purchased, day in and day out. But here, we are all about happiness. So let's find some together.
There are several strategies you can use to remove the burden of advertising on you psyche. First, remember that ad is not targeting you. In actuality it might be targeting you, but let's pretend for the moment that all ads you see are for chia pets (go look it up my young friends). You do not need a chia pet. You can now look at the ad and notice the cute chia pet, but know that, unfortunately, the advertiser didn't want to sell it to you. They wanted to sell it to all the other people on the street. This chia pet is not for you. *poof* like magic, no ads actually apply to you and you can get on with your day. If you need to, I give you permission to put your fingers in your ears and say "lalalalalalala" during ads on TV or the internet.
Step two: get your financial house in order. Baby steps, right? Seriously, if you want to live a happier life, you need to live it on purpose (more on this in another post), and in this case it means being intentional with your money and with your purchases. Not for you the impulse purchase! No, no. From henceforth you shall keep a list on your phone or in your notebook of (discretionary*) purchases big and small that you would like to make, you will research the best option, and you will make the right decision.
But hold up now. What's that in your side-ads in the news? You just were looking at winter boots online and now there are winter boot ads in every site on the web? Advertising, I see you there, sneaking into my news feed. Step three: you need to ignore that sneaky cookie monster, and still make the best decision you can on your intentional winter boot purchase.
Four: upselling is not your friend. Whether online or in stores many retailers will attempt to sway you into buying additional items at a discount when you make a purchase. Believe me, you do not need that throw rug from the bookstore for ONLY $29.99 WITH $150 IN PURCHASES! Remember your intention. Buy what you came for and leave. Yes you will see some darling clever mugs and a box set of collector's fountain pens, but these are also not on your list. Leave them in the store. If you get home and think, actually I did need a clever mug, put it on your list and wait a month. If you still want it, you can go get it (if it's in your budget!).
Have you ever gotten to the checkout at a retail store and had the cashier ask for your email address? This is often not framed as optional. I am here to tell you IT IS optional! Its only purpose is to provide the retailer with an opportunity to spam you with advertising. Step five: Just say no, and avoid the hassle of this extra junk email. If you are looking for a special discount on yoga pants, you will do your research, find the ones you want and look for discount codes online. You will not base your purchases on the sales the retailers are offering you! You will determine how and when you purchase.
Lastly memberships. This is a little off-piste of this topic, but about half of the retailers I frequent have membership programs. Some are free, but many are for pay, sometimes in a tiered system which starts off free, but only pays dividends once you pay. Many of these seem like a good deal, and you will likely realize a true discount, but it is likely to be small enough to make you wonder if it is worth the upkeep and mental burden of remembering you have a membership in the first place. It will often force minimum purchases on you when you didn't have the intention to. It's a side-around form of advertising, and is insidious. I personally say no when such memberships are offered, and I think you should too.
So there you go. You may now rid yourself of the scourge of influence of corporations and business. You are once again your own independent thinking person and you can go into the world and live life on purpose, happy and free.
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