La publicidad como industria cultural

Abstract

Researchers on Cultural Industries, whatever the field of study (Economy, Sociology, Anthropology or Semiotics) omit Advertising as an object on an equal footing with cinema, recorded music, radio, TV, press and so on. This paper aims to demonstrate that this omission is not reasonable. Indeed, pioneers of the concept «Cultural Industry» sixty years ago were painfully aware of self-advertising dimension of cultural and creative products, and, in similar degree, (pseudo)cultural purposes of advertising. Nowadays, due to the assumed ambivalence of cultural production (standardization but innovation too, surrender to commodification and market but contest or rejection of mere economical determinism) and the growing relevance of Advertising, it’s more than ever necessary to consider both Advertising as a Cultural Industry and the advertising shape of all cultural production.