The State of TV Ads

[sneekula]

In the US most TV programs are supported by advertisements commonly called ads. If you don't want to fork over hard earned money for paid TV, you simply learn to live with those ads. At times they are better then the program anyway.

Later in the Chistmas season, after most electronic gadgets had been sold out in stores, I noticed the huge amount of ads for stinky perfumes this year. Am I missing the news about an impending water shortage, when folks have to cover up body odors with these silly fragrances?

Now with the New Year resolutions soon in effect, the TV ads have switched to the usual exercise contraptions that might help you replace brain matter with muscle matter.

The ads I am looking for are the beer ads, heating up for the much hyped Super Bowl football game. Many of them are down right funny.

What do you think of TV ads? Do you have them in your country?

[scru]

Yes. Most of them are of half-naked girls gyrating on poles to sell totally unrelated products.

[briansmall]

Or worse.

[sneekula]

Some of the many underwear commercials aren't too bad. At list they stick to the subject.

Mild reference to sexyness seems to sell well, at least here.

[Ancient Dragon]

The most offensive TV ads are about ED. I don't know what happened but just a few years ago those ads would not have been allowed on TV.

Then there are the ads that leave me wondering what it was they were advertising. I watched the entire ad and never did figure it out.

Finally the quantity of ads. During commercial breaks I've counted as many as 20 consecutive ads. I don't know why they bother with so many -- I've read research that indicated people can only tolerate a couple ads before tuning them out altogether -- in otherwords the advertising companies are just tossing their money to the wind for showing all those ads at one time.

[scru]

OMG AD, have you seen those Enzyme ones? I didn't get it until one day I bolted up with my mouth agape. If you were to watch those enzyme ones, the announcer keeps stressing certains words throughout them, that you wouldn't otherwise get until you know what they're talking about.

[Salem]

I no longer watch broadcast TV 'live', but instead record everything I want to watch on a PVR. Man, gotta love the 30x fast forward feature to blast over all the boring bits.

Efficient too, I can get 2 hours of broadcast time down to just over 90 mins of viewing time without having to wade through the ads, intros, credits.

Another tip is to check whether the program you're interested in has a late night repeat. Over here at least, these often have less ad breaks. A usual 40min program being broadcast in a 50 min timeslot rather than the full hour, because less folk are willing to spend their ad money out of prime time.

[vegaseat]

The most offensive TV ads are about ED. I don't know what happened but just a few years ago those ads would not have been allowed on TV.
...

Not so many years ago ED wasn't treatable. I am amazed how many folks have troubles with it. Maybe it's because of the tight fitting clothes some males are wearing, or all the food additives and plasticizers that mimic estrogen.

Of course now we have to put up with an ever increasing amount of irritating and mud slinging political ads. I think I like the underwear ads better.

[briansmall]

Pretty much, all ads had, well, content, when I was growing up. Even if it was visually absurd and emotionally manipulative, still, they gave reasons why you should purchase the product, based on it's qualities. They told you what it would do for you, and to some degree, they were believable.

I have to wonder, who is driving the ad campaigns, buyers or marketing? Where are they getting the idea that these zany / absurd, and for that matter, insane, ads are actually selling their product more effectively than would the imparting of useful data?

Do we really make purchase decisions because we've been influenced by them? Or do we just buy product in spite of the psychotic pap that passes for (some) ads?

[EnderX]

I have to wonder, who is driving the ad campaigns, buyers or marketing? Where are they getting the idea that these zany / absurd, and for that matter, insane, ads are actually selling their product more effectively than would the imparting of useful data?

That would depend on the 'useful data' in question, wouldn't it? What if, for example, the 'useful data' on a particular brand name of, oh, minivan showed that it was solidly in the middle of the pack as far as performance, while a competitor's was at the peak? You're not going to want buyers to see that; it'd act as a negative influence in their decision making.

[briansmall]

That would depend on the 'useful data' in question, wouldn't it? What if, for example, the 'useful data' on a particular brand name of, oh, minivan showed that it was solidly in the middle of the pack as far as performance, while a competitor's was at the peak? You're not going to want buyers to see that; it'd act as a negative influence in their decision making.

So instead, we have bobbing heads, irrelevant activity, flashes of skin and highly improbable - ludricrous scenarious played out ... all with the idea of somehow creating a bond between the viewer and the brand while avoiding the fact that your product isn't really what they'd choose if they were truly informed.

If it is working, it's insanity in consumerism. So the question remains, is it working?

[MidiMagic]

Many of the ads are too stupid to believe. Of course, since the ad is stupid, I remember the stupid part, and forget who the ad was supposed to remind me of.

[Serunson]

I think most adverts are pointless. Instead of making me interested in the product, they make me bored, unless it is a really well put together ad, like the Sony Bravia ones, the one's where they covered buildings in different coloured paint. Otherwise most adverts make me change channels! :D

[sneekula]

I think most adverts are pointless. ~~~

They have one major point, they sell the product and they work very well doing so. Associate a product with a catching tune, and you can sell sandpaper for toilet paper.

[Serunson]

Some people are lured in to the namby pamby universe of advertising, and i'm proud to say NO to adverts! I have never impulsed bought something, not to my knowledge anyways...