Personally, I don’t really get the gambling thing… but I suppose people would say that’s because I didn’t win. But I digress.Now, I don’t want to get into politics on this blog (that means you, commentators) but the point is… I’m tired of hearing about it. I’m tired of hearing about the presidential election (which is still a long way off), the propositions and all the drugs I need to be taking but aren’t (do you wake up tired in the morning? oh my gosh, that’s me!). Yes, I added drug commercials in with the political stuff because it seems that nearly every ad I see these days is either for some bizarre medical condition or ballot proposition (sometimes equally bizarre).
Though I recognize advertising as an incredibly capitalistic endeavor (free market and all, he who has the most money gets his message out) I have to wonder if it even works. You’d have to think so, since they keep spending so much money on it (I found this quote online credited to John Wanamaker: “I know that half of my advertising money is wasted, I just don’t know which half”). I just can’t remember the last time I bought something because I saw a commercial for it. I’ve purchased more due to the efforts of CostCo sample people than any TV or radio ad. Although I suppose the early iPhone commercials made me want one… but I just wasn’t able to justify spending that much dough. And food commercials often make me hungry, but not enough to go out and buy the food being advertised, just enough to go to the fridge.
Anyway, back to the point of this post. I would think accurate statistics on the issue would be hard to come by, given that people would have to self-report whether they bought an item (or voted a certain way) due to an ad… which really only represents the segment of the population who is bored enough take the time to volunteer this information (like me… I always answer phone surveys, but anyway…). Has a commercial ever convinced you to buy something? Do you feel commercials are effective in persuading you to vote a certain way?
6 comments:
Commercials have made me aware of things of which I was not previously aware. For example, I had never heard of Ruth's Chris Steakhouse until I heard an ad on the radio. Now, as far as I'm concerned, they have the best steak there is and I'm glad for the ad. I also saw an add for a Star Trek convention in Long Beach, which I plan to go to. All these years of being a nerdy Trek fan, but I've never been to a convention, so another "first" for me due to an add.
I would also add that movie trailors convince me to buy something.
Now I am as tired as everyone else of the drug ads. They seem to cure diseases that didn't exist before the drug came out...and the drugs seem to have side effects that are worse than the condition they are targeted to cure. Two words: "anal leakage." Enough said.
For politics, I make my decisions based on watching the debates, especially the ones that allow them to address/attack each other. That set of circumstances allows us to see the "real" candidate, in all their petty, bickering glory. I would also try to hold them up againt Martin Sheen's character from The West Wing, but oh how short they would fall!
In the end, I totally agree that election years bombard us with messages. However, exit polls show that they have an impact on many people's choice, and thus they continue.
Just quit watching TV. Tivo, I am told, works well for those not wanting to go cold turkey. I've become a rather boring but far more placid person since swearing off of television last year.
Both Jessica and Scott had good points. I would have to say that surprising to us Gail and I started watching more TV over the last 2 seasons then in previous years. There were just a series of TV shows that started up that interested us. We have a DVR so we skip a lot of commercials which I am thankful for as I hate most of them. But back to the effect that the advertising that I have watched has had on me.
I would say that I consider myself an informed shopper. Before I buy in most cases I have researched it on the internet, read reviews by other customers and determined how 'much' I want something. You mention the iPhone, I bought 2, and you know what they are the best phones I have ever purchased. That wasn't necessarily from the commercials though. I read a lot of technology blogs so I mainly got my 'advertising' from word of mouth.
I would say what TV commercials do to influence me most is introduce/remind me of genres of items that I might want. Oh that is a pretty awesome looking vacuum, I need a vacuum, alright lets hit up amazon and read some reviews!
You didn't want it to get political, but I have to say that casinos I believe are exploitations of the Indian reservations. Maybe they are done with the complete willingness of all of the Indians left on the reservation. And maybe they do get a significant portion of the profits for their people. But I have a feeling it isn't that great of a deal for the Indians. And the concept that casinos will help our Californian economy is a joke. Lets have all the people who live here and are struggling to pay our inflated mortgages go out and gamble all of our disposable and some of our non-disposable income away at a casino... Thankfully I don't enjoy gambling so it doesn't affect me personally.
Somehow I knew someone would bring up that I could just not watch the commercials. Steve and I even have a ReplyTV (like a Tivo)... and we do use it. I see most of my ads on the evening news while we are prepping & eating dinner. We mute them sometimes, but often we just leave them un-muted because there are actually some funny commercials in the world that we enjoy. But, in the end, I probably just enjoy be antagonized and annoyed. It's a hobby.
"I probably just enjoy being antagonized and annoyed. It's a hobby." Gee, not that I am actually trying to get you to have kids, but again you seem to have the right qualifications...
I like being antagonized and annoyed... not exhausted and poor. ;-)
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