Do You Detest Most TV Commercials?
from the well,-at-least-they-bring-out-strong-feelings dept
Just last week we were mentioning that advertisers were finally trying to make commercials that were good entertainment instead of being annoying and intrusive. So far, it sounds like they need to do some more work. Up in Seattle, a “reader survey” of TV commercials determined that people hate most TV commercials. With a passion. Quite a lot of passion, actually. Of course, since hatred makes people a lot more likely to respond, I’d imagine the results are a bit skewed. However, the article also reports that the one commercial people are big fans of is the one with the AFLAC duck – which is, perhaps, the commercial I find to be the most annoying. Seriously. It’s one of a very few commercials that makes me quickly want to change the channel to avoid hearing the damn duck quack. So, clearly, tastes in TV commercials are a bit subjective.
Comments on “Do You Detest Most TV Commercials?”
No Subject Given
The point of a commercial is to make you remember the company. You mentioned AFLAC. They won.
Haven’t you noticed that just about every radio ad has some really annoying audio trick? Siren noise, scratchy noise, hillbilly accent, Tom & Jerry sound effects, anything… ANYTHING to make you listen. And if you’re just barely in earshot range of a radio, fixing your roof, you’ll remember that accident lawyer ad just from the sound of that scream/crash noise you’ve heard thirty times that week.
OK, maybe I'm different, but...
Just getting me to remember the name of a company isn’t the same as getting me to purchase a product. In fact I’ve noticed a real trend in marketing that seems bent on making me not want certain products or services.
It happens so often, my friends and I have made up a word for it: “Invertising”. The opposite of advertising!
Seriously, I’ve been in stores, looked at products on the shelf and thought “Eww, that’s the outfit with the commercial that has the two idiots bumping into a window at night trying to get to a soda machine. Don’t want any of that.” I can’t think of worse use of marketing money than to persuade me NOT to buy something you’re trying to sell.
No Subject Given
“However, the article also reports that the one commercial people are big fans of is the one with the AFLAC duck…”
This is assuming that you don’t mind watching a commercial. No matter how much I might like the AFLAC duck, given a choice I would not watch any commercial. I think this point is being obscured.
No Subject Given
The commercials are about the only thing worth watching on TV these days. And like main stream TV, it will be good and bad and will also depend on user taste.
Course they’re going to screw these up to by doing ‘reality Commercials’. Heinkein (least I think it’s them, it’s some beer) is already doing the camera thing in a 7-11 showing people going out of their way to grab a six pack/case/whatever of their beer versus another.
God I miss Joe Isuzu !!!
–RJD–
why
One of the ways advertising works is that it intentionally tweaks people’s insecurities. While they are feeling a little age regressed, vernerable and open to suggestion it presents the sponsor’s product/service as the solution to the discomfort they induced.
In order to get noticed, it has to be intrusive, loud and aggressive. Then once they have your attention they lay in with a passive-aggressive assault on people’s psychic security. Is it any wonder people resent it?
Wake up sheeple! That AFLAC duck is nibbling you to death.
Necessary eveil
Advertising anymore is a necessary evil. I am offended when an advertisement is so poor as to insult my intelligence. Which, considering the apparent level of intelligence of the public at large, is – often, sad, and disturbing. Do they dumb down to their audience, or are they [advertisers] simple that stupid as well?
Re: Necessary eveil
Sorry, last sentence should read “…simply that stupid as well?” – Lest, I, appear stoopid. 😉
Re: Re: It's Also the Volume
Before I had a Tivo, I didn’t mind sitting through a FEW commercials to watch “commercial television.” After all, that’s how they make money, pays for the content I’m watching, and commercials are a window on society, both good and bad.
The problem is getting BLUDGEONED with commercial after commercial after commercial. The commercial cable channels are the worst. They start a movie non-stop for about 20 minutes to suck you in, then they start on a 5 minute commercial break for every 5 more minutes of the movie (I actually timed it once where the commercial break was longer than the time they showed the movie between breaks). The major networks are not as bad, but if you read the statistics, the amount of commercials per hour have steadily climbed over the past decade.
It was because of the volume – not the quality – that I got a Tivo. I now don’t watch ANY commercials except for the occasional show (usually sports) that I watch live. I highly recommend it for anyone who is annoyed by either the volume or quality of commercials. It is well worth the investment.
Re: Re: Re: It's Also the Volume
Even better…ever see them put in the exact SAME commercial twice in a row?? (I mean in the same commercial spot one after the other)
Around here they do it every damn summer with these friggin Marineland commercials (the jingle is annoying and insipid and now everyone does NOT love Marineland let me tell ya)
The record was 3 in a row…but I saw 1 spot with 4 commercials, same product, 2 different commercials, each repeated twice…
And they wonder why we don’t want to watch…
No Subject Given
What commercials? I have Tivo.
ads
ARGH! im in yr 9 and i got to do public speaking tomorrow and i decided to do it on stupid tv commercials only thing is it has to go for 5 mins and i don no what else to writ! anybody got any ideas that would be a big help! thanx “)
ads
ARGH! im in yr 9 and i got to do public speaking tomorrow and i decided to do it on stupid tv commercials only thing is it has to go for 5 mins and i don no what else to writ! anybody got any ideas that would be a big help! thanx “)