[Joan.of.the.Arch]

My eyes were opened regarding the effectiveness of advertising when my eighth grade current events teacher asked the class if anyone had bought something because of advertising they had seen. I remember thinking "Who in the world would buy something just because of advertising?" But hands shot up in the air and the teacher began asking the students what they had bought. Again and again, the kids named a certain brand of toothpaste. About 2/3 of the class had bought this toothpaste, consciously aware that it was because of a television ad. But then they admitted with humor that the toothpaste had not made them more beautiful people with lots of adoring boy/girlfriends as the commerciall seemed to promise.