In Ways of Seeing episode 4, John Berger exhibits how publicity makes an impact on consumers with images. People are surrounded by advertisements, and inevitably our subconscious is manipulated. As consumers we think of those images, and it leads to desire for things. It is significant as we desire the life shown in glamorous images. There is no end to accumulating enough to live up to the perfect life they depict. These advertisements try to convince consumers to buy more to be rich when the fact is it can only make them poorer by spending money to chase the lifestyle that is out of touch with reality. 

Berger’s argument about these differences is important as oil paints were made for the person who is depicted, it shows his real lifestyles, the art manifested his wealth and possessions. Whereas in publicity pictures, it’s more of an illusion. It encourages people to buy stuff and have more possessions to change their life. To acquire those possessions people worked hard to make money only to buy things under the pretense that it makes their life glamorous. Publicity uses people’s insecurity and fear to sell products with the promise of making them desirable. Advertisements take inspiration from oil paintings, depicting wealth, and produce illusory images of utopia to sell the idea to people. As Berger flips through the pages of a magazine, it reveals how publicity is disconnected with reality when the images show extreme contrast of the two worlds between pages (the world of poverty and the other world of abundance of supply). The publicity images overpower the images of reality that “appeal to the public conscience.” Unfortunately, the world of advertising maneuvers its consumers towards the direction of unlimited consumption of stuff and yet still far away from the perfect world they promise. 

A dream could be “Do you want to experience the feeling of royalty? Get royal treatment at our Hotel XYZ.” The imagery might display a red carpet at the entrance of a hotel, staff waiting in line to be at your service, a picture of room in Victorian era style, silver tea set on the coffee table with fine China cups, bathtub filled with water decorated with fresh rose petals. 

According to Berger, the act of “publicity” or advertising is the essentially trying to get consumers to imagine an alternative way of life to influence them, that we can change ourselves and our lives by buying something more. This is significant because it leads consumers to believe they are in some way richer, even though they are getting poorer.

Berger argues that though oil paintings and photography are similar, oil paintings are an act of art while publicity photography is an act of commerce. Oil paintings “showed what the owner was already enjoying among his possessions and way of life;” “it enhanced his view of himself as he already was.”  Publicity on the other hand, “appeal to a way of life that we aspire to or think we aspire to.” These differences are important, oil paintings enhanced the subjects view of themselves because it showed facts of their life. Publicity photography suggests that if we buy whatever it is offering, our lives would be different from what it currently is, but it can only be achieved if we have the money.

One of the dreams he offers is the dream of later tonight. The images used in the advertisements manipulate consumers by allowing the consumer to hold onto the promise that with money you too can be surrounded by the greatest pleasures. The images depict groups of people smiling and laughing, all very well dressed, with drinks in their hands. It brings about the illusion that money and happiness are one and the same. 

According to Berger, “publicity” what we would call advertising images influences consumers to buy products or portray a lifestyle they wish to have. Businesses have strategies to promote their products by having attractive models, or you might see a car, a house, expensive jewelry as the background to persuade consumers into buying, making them feel glamorous but in reality just selling them a dream. The importance in the differences Berger expressed about oil paintings and publicity pictures are dreams vs. reality. Oil paintings display the artist’s worth and see life within the painting showing authenticity. Publicity is advertising; if we buy a particular product, the better life would be but, in reality, just wasting money and making you poor and the rich richer. The production of images for publicity reveals to us how every day we are influenced by society. If you have the money you put yourself at a higher social class and control. One of the dreams Berger offers is “The dream of later tonight” where he shows a group of well-dressed people laughing and having a good time in an upscale restaurant. The image advertising that money can buy happiness and puts you in a better position in life, but money doesn’t buy happiness in reality.