Advertisements are often, as Chanel explains in the advertising campaign for their perfume Allure: ‘Difficult to define. Impossible to resist’ (New Woman, March 1998), Sut Jhally argues that ‘..advertising is the most influential institution of socialization in modern society.’ (Jhally, 1987: 1). Advertisements are a common and accepted part of daily life, in print in magazines and newspapers, as well as in vision on television and cinema screens, and increasingly on the internet, as well as on radio. As Greg Myers explains in the introduction to his book: ‘Ads are common culture in a way that even the most popular movies or books are not.’ (Myers, 1994:8). The main reason behind commercial advertising is to increase familiarity and goodwill with the name and image of the company, rather than the actual product itself (Vestergaard & Schroder 1985, 1). A specific example of this is sportswear companies, the new Nike advert preceding the World Cup in France features the Brazilian football team kicking a ball around an airport, and Eric Cantona in a plane watching them. There is no one particular product being promoted in this instance, but rather Nike is linking itself to an image of quality and excellence, as well as fun and sport (Television, campaign beginningApriII998). It has joined, in the minds of the audience and
on screen, the best football team in the world to Nike, conveying the impression that Nike is
the best sportswear in the world, and the reason for Brazil’s success.