There is a song I used to sing at church when I was a little boy; it was called “He Has the Whole World in His Hands.” “He” refers to the almighty God.

Down here on planet Earth, where wickedness and pollution might kill all humans one day, clothing companies, car companies and other businesses in America have us in the palms of their hands.

Sorry, God. No disrespect. I’m just keeping it real. In fact, I am guilty. Father, please forgive me, for I have consciously lusted after materialistic things and purchased these things because of who endorses them. In addition, almighty Father, please forgive this reader because he or she has consciously and unconsciously done the same thing at some point in his or her life.

During our lives, most of us have been persuaded, manipulated and conditioned into purchasing materialistic things because of the entertainer or athlete who promotes it. But we rarely – if ever – take a moment and ask ourselves: Does this person even drive the car he or she promotes? How often does this individual wear the shoes he or she endorses? How much money is the company paying this individual to persuade me to purchase an item because I enjoy his or her personality?

Marketers, advertisers and psychologists do a superior job of analyzing our behavior and buying habits and use the results to manipulate the messages in commercials and magazines to make us feel like we have to have what we are seeing.

I’ll be the first to admit the marketing of Nike has influenced me. I have committed to a lifetime contract to play basketball in Nike shoes because during a high school basketball game, I scored 48 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and had one assist – all while wearing my Air Jordans. I was not Mike – but I played like Mike.

Companies are willing to give athletes and entertainers millions of dollars in endorsement deals because they are aware that, in the long term, the investments will double the money they paid the athlete while attracting new athletes and new markets to advertise and appeal to. Companies also know the athlete’s success provides more of an incentive to market to fans. In addition, once people wear the clothes or the shoes, drive the car or drink the Gatorade, others like them can see how someone similar looks wearing the celebrity-endorsed fashions or driving the celebrity-endorsed cars.

This is direct marketing and free word-of-mouth marketing and advertising for companies. It’s like networking: One individual catches a glimpse of an advertisement for a shirt, shoes, car or other source and then passes the information on to a friend in casual conversation. Add in the possibilities of e-mail and phone communication, and these brands can be viewed and discussed more times in one day than a single TV commercial could ever hope to garner. And better yet for the companies, it is free – no charge.

I am not hating on the individuals who endorse products for companies. I am suggesting only that we educate ourselves about the real people behind the ones we admire on TV, the ones whose on-screen personalities are enough to convince us to wear what they wear or drive what they drive. They’re getting paid to wear it or drive it. We don’t – we’re the ones who pay.

Columns reflect the opinion of the author and not necessarily that of the Northern Star staff.