ABSTRACT
Advertising is such a significant part of our culture that many scholars regard it as an institution in society-one that expresses American cultural ideology in a unique way and encourages people to pursue the American dream. Advertising has earned its place among institutions in society not only by regulating the distribution of wealth but by assisting corporations in their efforts to expand and become more powerful entities within the economic system. Furthermore, advertising orders relationships by teaching members of the culture to be consumers. As we shift our thinking about advertising from a macro-to micro-level perspective, we focus on advertising’s ability to promote products and services to consumers, help citizens to decide which political candidate to vote for, persuade them to take a particular stance on various causes (e.g., pro-life versus pro-choice), and provide information beneficial to their health and safety. Advertising for health-related issues is the focus of this chapter, particularly the messages sent to receivers (see Figure 1.1 in Chapter 1). Essentially, this chapter examines advertising’s role in three highly visible areas of health communication: modifying unhealthy behavior, solving health problems through products, and positioning a wide variety of products as means to a healthy lifestyle.
