Made In Media

With the development of the communication professionalism, media supply and demand are drifting apart. The growing media technology and diluting attention have driven the society into a "simulation" era, as pointed out by Jean Baudrillard. In this era, symbolic rather than pragmatic values of commodities become the primary reasons for the mass consumption, and the advertisements are the main source of this "simulation". A new type of company with the main features of IMC has emerged. They redefine the traditional market and media, trying to make ads more convincing. Throughout this process, markets and consumers are re-segmented. Customized information is pushed to specific groups of people through different channels, which is likely to give rise to intended consumer behavior and thus to affect production, distribution and other aspects of the society. This tangible and non-trivial influence is fostering a new culture.This thesis focuses on the case of a Shanghai real estate agency, trying to illustrate the whole picture of this emerging culture. Based on concrete information, the author portrayed the relationship of market, media and social culture; and clarified the disguised links between these constructed symbols and people's real life. After the focused case study, the author finally offered some comments and criticisms on the birth and growth of this new type companies in terms of socio-cultural significance.