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Animals In Our Society Essay

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“Much as we might want to understand animals at a level deeper than pop culture, we can only understand them in terms of our own experiences, language and emotions, and interpreted within our social, historical and cultural contexts. The only way we have of understanding animals is to recognize that ‘when we gaze at animals we hold up a mirror to ourselves’ (Corbett, 176). Animal messages are brought to us by the pop culture industry, whose job it is to create, disseminate, and sell meaning. In most cases, they aren’t selling you a moose, but what a moose means to you for example – the characteristics and qualities that you and most people associate with the species. Based on common meanings presented to us from an early age, animals are …show more content…

Television advertising has basically become a “virtual zoo” that features a very wide variety of what humans might call ‘corporate spokesanimals’ or ‘spokescreatures’ so to speak. If you think about some of the most famous ‘spokescreatures’ that you see on TV what comes to your mind? I’ll tell you what comes to my mind: The Energizer Bunny that just keeps on going; the GEICO gecko that promises to save you 15 percent on your car insurance; the AFLAC duck that never can get anyone’s attention; the Planters’ Peanut, looking as sophisticated as ever with his top hat, spectacles and cane; Tony the Tiger emphasizing – THEY’REEEE GREATTT! There is something very clever to be said about a corporation that uses an animal to talk to its prospects, but are we really sure what that is? Are we sure what to say about a society that listens, and responds to spokescreatures?. Perhaps we find them more credible than spokespersons. Advertisers have long used animals to symbolize certain qualities in their products and services. And as we have learned in this class, the newest trend, particularly in television advertising, animals are being given certain “personalities” that use humor to sell goods outside the realm of say just pet products. One of the reasons for this, in my opinion, is for the simple fact that people can turn people off, but who wouldn’t pay attention to an adorable mutt or a monkey? A lot of times, animals (I feel) are a subtle

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