Decoding advertising on the social sphere ; Decodificando la publicidad en la esfera social
Advertising is often seen as a muse that deceives and urges us to consume through its magnetizing narratives. The purpose of this article is clear: to look at advertising as capable of being more than an ally of consumerist drift and recognize in it other attributes, even immaterial aspirations. It is assumed that advertising often translates dominant societal values in a persuasive version. Is it even considered a "star product" in a trading system of extreme complexity. But advertising can aim to be more in an era of ideological disbeliefs and loss of trust in institutions. Its persuasive nature, inherited from Aristotelian rhetoric, makes it capable of inducing values and catalysing conducts. How? By informing, educating, preventing, revealing and empowering citizens to better deal with social and environmental issues. Advertising is also the discourse that brings citizens closer to science, to health or to politics, as well as to other issues beyond consumption. This is an utopia for many of us: behavioural advertising, seeking for awareness and mobilization instead of sales. However, studies evidences that a significant diversity of organizations are developing social advertising campaigns – belonging to the third sector, to public institutions or to the private sector. We then face the dilemma: advertising is held hostage to its capitalist genesis. However, institutions seem to recognize its contribution for social awareness and even for social change. To know the phenomenon of advertising in the social sphere, either through mapping or through the systematization of its uses by the various sectors of society, is the purpose of this article. Also seek to contribute to a conceptual clarification of this complex area. Ultimately, we are interested in debating the role of advertising in society. It is about reconfiguring its social role, in particular regarding its contribution from a perspective of citizenship. More than the broadening of its sphere of action, which already seems to be in progress, it is a ...
