I BUY, SO I AM - THE HOMO OECONOMICUS AND THE WORLD OF ADVERTISING, USING THE EXAMPLE OF GEWISTA

Abstract

Business and economy use advertising to promote their products and to increase their profits. Political parties also try to win votes with the help of commercial propaganda. Every step of the way we are accompanied by advertising, our everyday life and our culture are shaped by it.This article asks how the permanent confrontation with advertising affects the recipients. What consequences does propaganda and manipulation have for people who are exposed to this constant influence? The phenomenon of the homo oeconomicus is also examined in this context. The Homo economicus is primarily a person who consumes and subconsciously identifies with his or her consumption. He's addicted to consumption. Advertising determines the life of the Homo oeconomicus. The psychologist Erich Fromm already dealt with the phenomenon of exuberant materialism in his book „To have or to be" in the 20th century. This book in particular and his work in general are also presented in this article. Fromm propagated a "rational" consumption that focuses on the real needs of people. A separate chapter is dedicated to Edward Bernays, the nephew of Sigmund Freud, a pioneer of public relations, whose work "Propaganda" - his famous book from 1928, which is still surprisingly current - is presented. Gewista is an Austrian advertising company. This company is in the focus of this article because we can find its out-of-home commercials also in places that were previously free of advertising. That's why the story of Gewista is told and its product range will be presented.Using the example of Gewista there will be asked for the self-image and the foreign attributions of advertising companies. These companies offer a service they describe themselves as a form of communication. Therefore, the article also analyzes whether advertising can really be seen as a topic of communication theories.