"Sales may lead to advertising as much as advertising leads to sales"
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Schudson’s line cuts against the most convenient fairy tale in capitalism: that advertising is the prime mover, the sleek engine that creates desire and pulls sales behind it. He flips the arrow of causality and, in doing so, exposes a quieter feedback loop. Big sales don’t just result from good ads; they also generate the conditions for more advertising. When a product starts moving, it attracts budget, retailer attention, shelf space, and media spend. Success becomes its own proof, and that proof gets purchased in the form of louder visibility.
The intent is methodological as much as cultural. As a sociologist, Schudson is warning against single-cause stories that flatter the industry (and our appetite for neat explanations). If you only look for advertising’s effects on consumers, you miss how organizations behave: how firms rationalize decisions, chase momentum, and retrofit narratives of persuasion onto what may be distribution advantages, price shifts, network effects, or simple trend contagion.
The subtext is slightly accusatory: advertising often functions less like a magician and more like a megaphone. It amplifies what’s already gaining traction and helps convert an early lead into dominance, which is why “effective” advertising can be indistinguishable from well-funded advertising. In the broader context of media and consumer culture debates, Schudson is urging skepticism toward claims that ads single-handedly “make” people buy. Sometimes they’re just documenting a win in real time, then charging interest on it.
The intent is methodological as much as cultural. As a sociologist, Schudson is warning against single-cause stories that flatter the industry (and our appetite for neat explanations). If you only look for advertising’s effects on consumers, you miss how organizations behave: how firms rationalize decisions, chase momentum, and retrofit narratives of persuasion onto what may be distribution advantages, price shifts, network effects, or simple trend contagion.
The subtext is slightly accusatory: advertising often functions less like a magician and more like a megaphone. It amplifies what’s already gaining traction and helps convert an early lead into dominance, which is why “effective” advertising can be indistinguishable from well-funded advertising. In the broader context of media and consumer culture debates, Schudson is urging skepticism toward claims that ads single-handedly “make” people buy. Sometimes they’re just documenting a win in real time, then charging interest on it.
Quote Details
| Topic | Sales |
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