Influence: a word the media have perfected and adapted to an extent that is almost manipulative. After last week's article, I started to think about just how much of an effect the media really has over what we wear. As in any competition, the major players need tools. In the case of clothing companies that are competing for your business and your dollar, the main tool is a little something called advertising. It's amazing the influence these ads have over what we choose to purchase and wear. With a low involvement item like clothing, the advertiser must be able to attract the viewer's eye and capture his or her interest during the moment of exposure. Advertisers know to play into our everyday influences: seasons, romance and celebrities, to name a few. Men and women alike are subject to these powers and are drastically more influenced than they even realize. We might be influenced to buy something from Victoria's Secret if we see how good it looks on Adriana Lima, and look how much publicity and profit the Air Jordan brought in for Nike. Regardless of the product, if the advertising is strong enough, companies can sell almost anything. The latest attraction in advertising for summer is the idea of "green" clothing. I can't complain — I think it's great that companies are getting the word out and using the power of advertising to sell organic styles. It is very interesting to see how they went about it, though. For example, Levi's just created a line of eco-friendly jeans whose ad depicts a man and a woman wrapped around each other, casting a shadow of a tree. It seems even in the case of saving the planet, sex still sells. The second ad I came across was from Roxy, and it pictures a girl splashing in the ocean wearing only bikini bottoms and a shirt that reads, "Clean Your Beach." We all secretly want to be activists, environmentalists, and want to be inspirational in our own way, and this summer's styles are giving us the chance to be just that — or at least project the image that we are — and advertisers are milking it for all it's worth. In fact, the most successful ads of the season touch on this idea of raw, natural beauty. We all strive to be effortlessly beautiful, independent, strong and conscientious, and we want to dress in a way that expresses those qualities. Advertisers are well aware of this, and through studying our psychographics, they can successfully pinpoint almost exactly the image we're trying to portray. And even if you weren't trying to embody those ideals, chances are after seeing that Roxy ad, you'll think about wanting to represent them. A successful ad has the power to not only target its audience, but also to convert those who weren't part of the originally targeted audience. If you flip through a magazine, you'll realize that as summer approaches, more and more ads will start to appear depicting exactly what you imagine ideal summer situations to be, and those ads will appear right next to articles about those same situations. Complementary copy is hard at work. A Cover Girl mineral makeup ad depicting a "weightless, effortless complexion," will appear right next to an article about "ideal make-up choices for summer" — mineral make-up appearing at the top of the list. Similarly, an ad featuring Rip Curl board shorts will appear next to a magazine image of Mick Fanning charging the waves of Australia. Ads might not be able to change our ideals, morals or personal style; they do, however, have the power to influence our subconscious mind and play off of our already established beliefs and choices. Normally, I would prefer to present this advertising plan in a negative way, since it is obvious that personal style that has not been trend or media influenced is best; however, in the case of saving our planet, I think it's great that they are using advertising tools for good rather than evil. Advertisers might know that we all want the stereotypical summer full of warm nights, cookouts, ocean breezes and sizzling styles, but this summer they know we want something more. We want to help save the environment — and that, is something worthy of being influenced. Sydney Burdick is a freshman intending to major in fashion journalism. Are summertime ads your friends or foes? Let Sydney know. Direct your fashion questions or comments to [email protected].