Can advertising add value to a product? I think it can, if our perception of the value of the product is changed by the advertising, then it has added value, and this is the assertion of Rory Sutherland, a self-described “Ad Man”.
Ted.com comes up with yet another interesting video interlude with Rory Sutherland: Confessions of an Ad Man.
Advertising adds value to a product by changing our perception, rather than the product itself. Rory Sutherland makes the daring assertion that a change in perceived value can be just as satisfying as what we consider “real†value — and his conclusion has interesting consequences for how we look at life.
I think this is dead right, since many things have pretty much the same technical value, but why is it that iPods are so valued, when most other MP3 players can do most of the same things? Why do folks buy Pepsi instead of Coke (and vice versa)?
