Partying Ads

           

           Partying is a common activity among the schedules of college students. Although being studious during the day, these scholars can often be found chugging down life-threatening amounts of alcohol at night. Their reputation as voracious party animals has been etched in our society. As a college student myself, I must say that this reputation is well-deserved. Even I, a nerd, would sometimes cast aside my backpack and stride onto a dance floor. How could I resist when the advertisements for the parties are so convincing?

            For example, the upcoming Halloween party, "Liq or Treat," is being advertised on a colorful poster. The most eye-catching part of this poster is a picture of the renowned pop star, Miley Cyrus, striking her signature pose. Although the event coordinators know Miley Cyrus will not be at the party, they were clever to depict her in the advertisement anyway, especially after the release of her new hit single, "Wrecking Ball." That is because when Miley Cyrus fanatics see the poster, they will feel excitement and interpret this feeling as a desire to attend the party. Even if the audience is not comprised of many Miley Cyrus fans, they may still get excited after seeing a picture of such an attractive maiden sprawled across the poster. Either way, a mere image of such a famous celebrity will often allure more customers than an image of the average Joe. 
            I feel that the Halloween theme of the poster was meant to exploit my childhood memories. This is because although I am considered too old to go trick-or-treating to gorge on junk food, none of my classmates will make fun of me if I go to Liq or Treat to play beer pong. Thus, I might attend because I feel that I should celebrate the holiday for tradition's sake. I imagine that many other college students feel the same way. Hosting a party on the national night of thrills is an effective way to make money off a Halloween lovers such as myself.
           Besides employing colorful ads, event coordinators take advantage of social media networks, which can act as a highly profitable medium for advertising, in order to promote their parties. They will often share their advertisements with all their so-called friends and followers. When they do, those advertisements will spread like wildfire. For example, when I received an invitation for "Liq or Treat" last night on Facebook, it had only ten confirmed guests. Today, it has over 500 confirmed guests. Since these guests are being encouraged to invite everyone on their buddy lists, I would not be surprised if the number continues to skyrocket. After all, people would be more inclined to attend if all their friends plan on going. It seems that advertisements such as this one tend to initiate chain reactions.