Advertisements are a constant presence on every television channel. Even when you watch a culturally diverse program that shows the varying attitudes of many people, you cannot escape the repetitive drone of the commercials and their sometimes close-minded messages. Scott Coltrane, author of "Race and Gender Imagery in 1900s Television Advertising," observed the different stereotypes in television commercials. African American men were often aggressive while Caucasian males were the strong and resolute type. Ads portrayed women as irrelevant or as sex objects. These stereotypes may seem outdated, but you can still see mild examples in current media. For example, when you watch a commercial for a cleaning product, it usually stars a woman portraying the role of housekeeper.
Young, impressionable minds are susceptible to suggestion, which makes them a prime target for television advertisers. A child has the power to influence his parent's spending habits or make his own purchases using allowance money. This injects money into the economy and creates a job in markets with a demand. A child can also learn a valuable lesson about the value of money when a parent makes him use his own hard-earned cash to make an advertisement-fueled purchase. If the investment doesn't pay off, he will learn a lesson about investing his money wisely in future products.
Around election time, television ads assault viewers with the message of the candidates. Either this moves viewers to vote a certain way, or it can leave the audience feeling apathetic about the political process. According to the authors of "Going Negative," the constant drone of political commercials is having a desensitizing effect on young voters. The attack-based campaigns of many politicians left voters turning away from the polls, dropping the national voting average. Voters who already have a partisan in politics, though, were less likely to feel an effect from political advertisements.
It is a little difficult to find an advertisement in mainstream media about food that preaches the health benefits of fruit and vegetables. Instead, television viewers find themselves bombarded with advertisements for unhealthy fast food or high calorie meals from restaurants. These advertisements don't cause much harm on their own, but allowing yourself to give into temptation frequently can lead to obesity and a whole host of other health problems. With so many ads aimed at children, they are especially susceptible.