Admass

/ˈædmæs/ noun

Definition

The combined mass audience reached by advertising and marketing; the general public as consumers targeted by commercial messages.

Etymology

Compound of ad (advertisement) + mass, coined in the 1950s-60s to describe the emergence of mass-market advertising targeting entire populations.

Kelly Says

British critic Richard Hoggart coined 'admass' to describe how advertising was creating a homogenized mass culture—it captures a moment of anxiety about whether marketing was destroying authentic regional cultures.

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