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1) “If we believe what advertising agencies (and the companies they make advertisements and commercials for) tell us, we have to conclude that advertising works in strange and mysterious ways and that although nobody is sure precisely how it works, it does have an impact - though its power to shape any given individual’s behavior is (or seems to be) really quite minimal.

This passage speaks of people who believe most everything they are told. There are people who will believe anything they hear, see or read online, which is unfortunate because in the end, these specific people usually end up with false facts. Arthur Asa Berger is saying that if we as the consumers believe everything advertisers convey, then they will have a large influence over us.

2) One key point of this chapter is advertising through television commercials. Berger gives data of how much a thirty-second commercial can cost, and the cost is usually between $300,000 and $400,000. These costs show that advertising agencies and companies will go to extreme lengths to get their product out there and it also shows how effective commercial advertising is. Berger also discusses how television has actually shaped our culture, and how “television is the most powerful socializing and enculturating force in society.”

3) Psychological understanding is very important in the field of advertising. It is important because the designers of the advertisement need to understand how the human psyche operates to be able to manipulate customers. If the designers have no understand of what will influence people subconsciously the advertisements will be ineffective.