Abstract

Abstract:

Key Concepts in Advertising articles provide short lectures on important concepts to help understand advertising's place in society, culture, history, and the economy. This article focuses on the concept of dramaticrealism, which is defined and applied extensively in historian Roland Marchand's book Advertising the American Dream. A series of short videos provide background information about Marchand's book, define dramatic realism, and encourage viewers to apply the concept in their own creation and analysis of advertisements. In the end, viewers learn that dramatic realism reveals how ads represent everyday life and its problems. It draws attention to how advertisements can underscore the usefulness of a product or service by relying on anxieties and fears, as well as human wishes to be liked, included, and seen as desirable. A recommended reading list provides other sources to learn more about the concept and its associated topics.

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