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New Zealanders have not been exposed to much advertising until recent years. Now, a simple walk down to the local corner store to purchase a newspaper or bottle of milk can expose someone to huge amounts of advertising
Even in a small suburban shopping centre people are bombarded with a variety of commercial messages persuading them to purchase goods.
Take Masters Avenue Shopping Centre in the North Island town of Hamilton, for example.
First, a post box is used as an advertising opportunity for New Zealand Post.
Then onwards to the local Hillcrest Library. The logos of Hamilton City Council and Hamilton City Libraries are very clear for the public to see. So is the creative Hillcrest Library logo.
The next store is the local general corner store. The front window is fully plastered in advertisements. The store is secured with security company Concord, and this is treated as a suitable opportunity to to advertise. Magazine covers are displayed outside for North and South, K-Zone, Netguide, New Zealand Women's Weekly, Listener, New Idea, That's Life and Woman's Day. The other publications advertised are Best Bets, NZ Truth TV, Waikato Times, New Zealand Herald, Sunday Star Times, Friday Flash, TV Guide and Trade and Exchange Magazine. A second security company, Select Alarms, has also secured the store and has also advertised. Powerade and Griffins products are advertised on a blackboard outside. I also notice Telcome PhoneCards, Juicies, Cookie Time and Weekend Herald posters. On either side of the doors Vodafone Prepay and (Telstra)Clear Talk Plus flags fly. The advertisements for Coca-cola and Streets are printed on the window. Then yet more posters for Freedom Phone Cards, Pepsi, SuperSour, KitKat, Hamilton Taekwondo, Smart Link Phone Cards, Kiwi Phone Cards, Tip Top, Oxford Pies, Mars and Chi-Tel calling cards. A Telecom stand outside the superette reminds us the dairy also sells Telcom More Mobile cards, Boost Mobile cards, Telecom Yabba cards and Telecom Phone Cards.
Next up a small pharmacy. The window reads 'Masters Ave Pharmacy'. There are posters and displays along the window for Naturo Pharm, Kordels, Kodak processing, Breast Screen Aeteoroa, Asthma New Zealand, Zyrtec and Levonelle. Security companies Cactus Security and Signature Security Systems advertise.
A small takeaway outlet occupies the next shop. 'Jim Wing Takeaway', reads the sign printed on the window. The shop window is almost entirely clean of advertising, but Chefade and Eftpos posters are plastered on the empty window. Armourguard, the chosen security company, advertises with a sticker on the window.
The final business is Michael Tuck Motors. Anchor, State Insurance and MTA are the only obvious advertisements here.
This increased advertising exposure may be nothing on a world scale, but by comparison to what New Zealanders have been used to in the past, it is a huge change.
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