CHAPTER 18

ACCESSING INFORMATION
Advertising
The purpose of advertising is to sell some-thing.
It might be a product, a service, or an idea.
If you buy, the advertising was successful for the seller.
To use advertising to your own advantage,
be sure you understand its intent.

Information ads.
When you observe an advertisement, ask yourself what you learned.
An information ad includes many details about a product.
For a shirt, the style and fabric might be described,
as well as the sizes, price, fiber content, care, and brand name.
The ad might tell you where the shirt is sold. By reading several such ads,
you can decide what to buy without going from store to store.
SOURCES OF INFORMATION
People often talk about information overload.
That’s because information is everywhere in today’s world.
When you buy clothing and accessories, the primary sources
of information avail-able are advertising, catalogs, the Internet,
and create a mood to associate with the product. Fragrance and
cosmetic manufacturers frequently use such ads to stir your interest.

Advertising Medias
To spread their message to as many people as possible, advertisers use
different forms of mass communication. The print medias,
including magazines, newspapers, and billboards,
have been around for a long time.
Magazines
Some advertisers choose the full-page, glossy format
offered by magazines. Ads usually combine information
with a large photograph or illustration to create an image
for the product or brand.

Image ads
An effective image ad can make a pair of new white socks seem
like a dream come true. While this is an exaggeration,
that’s the basic aim. Image ads tempt you to buy items by
making you want them.
Newspapers
Except for the special ads in large Sunday editions, these ads are usually black-and-
white photos or drawings. Lacking the “flair” of magazines, they also tend to be more
informative. Since many newspapers are sold locally, their ads tell where products can
be found and what they cost.

Radio and television

Ads on radio and television, called commercials, are typically30 or 60 seconds long.
Some are as brief as 15seconds. These ads are short and splashy, designed to capture
your attention and fix the product’s name in your mind. Most are image ads that give
little information.
Promotional articles
Promotional articles often appear in newspapers and magazines. An article on
organizing your closet may suggest using the shoe bag mentioned in a store ad on the
same page. Although accurate, the information may also be slanted and incomplete.

Infomercials
Information commercials are lengthy television presentations about a product. Some
follow a talk-show format, complete with a celebrity host and an “expert guest” who
models or demonstrates the item’s use.

Advertorials
Advertisement editorials are designed to look like articles but are really paid ads. If
you look carefully, you’ll see the word“ advertisement” printed above or below the
article.
The Internet
Advertisers use eye-catching ads to attract the attention
of computer users. Animated figures appear on the top of a
Webpage; pop-up windows intrude over it. These quickly
link you to the seller’s Web site, where you may find a complete
catalog of products.

Product placement
Many designers pro-vide evening gowns and accessories for
celebrities to wear to award shows. In return, the designers'
names are mentioned on television and in magazines.
Catalogs
As you read in Chapter 17, catalogs are a buying option that
many people like. Catalogs can also be a useful information
resource, even when you’re not ready to make a purchase.

Billboards
Because they’re found along roads and highways, on buildings,
and on the sides of buses, these ads are seen for only a short time.
The messages are brief and bold.

Sales promotions
These subtle forms of advertising let consumers see products in use.
Fashion shows and demonstrations, such a show to accessorize with scarves,
are two popular examples from the fashion industry.
Advertising in Perspective
Because fashion is an industry, its main purpose is to stay
in business by selling more clothes and accessories. To do this,
fashions must change constantly. Every season ads describe the
newest and the latest. A new style may be introduced, last for
several years, and then fade away. The best shopping strategy is to
purchase a style that is near the beginning of its fashion life,
rather than at the end. Read, look, and listen carefully to what is said
about new fashions.

The Internet
The Internet is another information source to use before you shop. Many stores
and catalog companies have Web sites on which you can research styles, colors,
sizes, and prices before you shop.