Summery: The essay "What We Are to Advertisers" by James Twitchell is based on how advertisers see us as consumers. This essay can be found in Signs of life in the U.S.A. Twitchell tells us that advertisers split us up into 8 groups: actualizers, fulfilled, believers, achievers, strivers, experiencers, makers, and strugglers. Twitchell claims that advertisers label us to these categories so that they can pick and choose what type of consumers they want to advertise to. These categories are used to reach consumers of all ages male and female. Advertisers then position themselves and their ads to reach the right group of consumers.
Analysis; As I was reading this article, I could easily put a family member to each of the categories. I believe that each of the 8 categories are valid and will continue to be. It's interesting to see how advertisers split consumers up so they can target who they want. It is also beneficial to consumers to know these 8 categories. Knowing how advertisers think of us (consumers) can help weed out the trickery of commercials and help consumers make better choices when buying a product.
