Mall Post - Nate Buteyn

        Growing up in Grand Rapids just down the street from Calvin College, I have been to Woodland Mall quite a lot. However, giving the recent topics that we have discussed the last couple days in class I saw the mall a little differently this time.  We entered the mall through the food court, a wide open space that was complete with statues and fake trees.  This provided a sense of outdoors, and nature, something that we usually don't experience in a mall.  In my opinion this allows people to be more comfortable buying from the fast food stores that line the place.  Another thing I noticed was how every ad tried to use emotions to help me relate to the store or brand and further persuade me into buying their merchandise.  The used worlds like love, success, 100%, and prestige and showed pictures of happy people laughing together and others of the sorts to reach my emotions.  

         I realize that all of these emotions and images that were presented in these ads were there to stir my emotions and convince me that I needed to buy this or that to become like the happy people in those ads.  The amount of subconscious manipulation that each ad employs had never registered with me before, but after watching the film The Persuaders I realized just how far the companies will go for my money.  It is a sad reflection on our society that we must buy and spend money to gain satisfaction and a sense of self worth.