Wells Case Study: The Commodification of Human Relations and Experience

The subtleties between the denoted and the connoted messages embedded in advertisements as explained in "The Grammar of the Ad" section of the Wells reading renewed my distaste for advertising. The Telenor Mobile TV ad contains a meticulously constructed photograph that has visual elements so precisely chosen and placed that it replicates the appearance of a candid experience while massively glorifying the product. Like the line between documentary and theater, the difference between photography and advertising is obscured, and the more obscured it gets, the more successful it is at convincing the consumer that the product is not just what they want, but what they need. The advertisement is a false reality that revolves solely around the given product. The only way it can seem even remotely convincing is through a visual experience that mimics the appearance of reality in every other way.