How does Advertising and Promotion Influence You?

[Brian Henderson]

I would never do that. If I'm looking for something, I will go out and look for it. I don't want advertising coming to me, I'll go looking for it.

[Kev Williams]

What about things you might want you didn't even know you could buy or even existed?

[Roger Nair]

As far as I am concerned, Google searches prompt a considerable number of pop up ads that are relevant to my needs and a considerable number represent past purchases or curiosities. So that form maybe useful to a limited extent. I bought a safety razor, a new brush, blades and soap in July. I now have a supply that could last 2 to 3 years so all the pervasive shaving ads will not hook into more purchases unless of course I wake up a rampant consumerist because the variety of goods is so large and want of something better or at least different compels a different buying outlook. Italian pro barber bristle brushes are replacing the tired old badgers, serious improvement.

[Perry Hilbert Jr]

One thing that frosts me is the high cost of advertising spent by some companies that really do not need to advertise. My insurance company rarely advertises, and I have checked several times, I can't find anything cheaper for the coverage. Another insurance company spends close to 20% of it's annual budget advertising. A law firm here paid $30,000 a month for phone book advertising and almost a half million a year on billboards and television ads. There were only five attorneys there. That meant each attorney had to bring in almost $200,000 a year before they made any profit to pay the rent, heat light, help and themselves. Of course they are now out of business. I find some advertising very entertaining, from the standpoint, of how does it draw the public in? does it do so effectively? Does it convince people to buy the product? Does it cause people to talk, or mimic the ad? "Where's the beef" There are very few good ads in that respect.

[Carlos Alvarez]

One thing that frosts me is the high cost of advertising spent by some companies that really do not need to advertise. My insurance company rarely advertises, and I have checked several times, I can't find anything cheaper for the coverage. Another insurance company spends close to 20% of it's annual budget advertising. A law firm here paid $30,000 a month for phone book advertising and almost a half million a year on billboards and television ads. There were only five attorneys there. That meant each attorney had to bring in almost $200,000 a year before they made any profit to pay the rent, heat light, help and themselves. Of course they are now out of business. I find some advertising very entertaining, from the standpoint, of how does it draw the public in? does it do so effectively? Does it convince people to buy the product? Does it cause people to talk, or mimic the ad? "Where's the beef" There are very few good ads in that respect.

And that's why ads anger me, and I do my best to choose companies that don't advertise much. That said, I'm guessing progressive spends a ton on ads, but they came up cheapest for my motorcycle and motorhome, by far. American Family is our primary for everything else though. I've never seen an ad for American Family but everyone knows them so I assume they have a lot of ads too. We used to have an unheard of company for some insurance, but they boned us hard on a claim so they had to go.

[Brian Henderson]

And that's why ads anger me, and I do my best to choose companies that don't advertise much. That said, I'm guessing progressive spends a ton on ads, but they came up cheapest for my motorcycle and motorhome, by far. American Family is our primary for everything else though. I've never seen an ad for American Family but everyone knows them so I assume they have a lot of ads too. We used to have an unheard of company for some insurance, but they boned us hard on a claim so they had to go.

They also don't pay out. A couple of years ago, my mother got hit in her brand new car by someone with Progressive and even though they were clearly in the wrong, Progressive refused to pay out and she wound up suing the driver for compensation. If they don't do what they're supposed to do, of course they don't have to charge much. I'd rather be with a company that I know is going to do their job even if I pay a little more.

[Carlos Alvarez]

They also don't pay out. A couple of years ago, my mother got hit in her brand new car by someone with Progressive and even though they were clearly in the wrong, Progressive refused to pay out and she wound up suing the driver for compensation. If they don't do what they're supposed to do, of course they don't have to charge much. I'd rather be with a company that I know is going to do their job even if I pay a little more.

I was rear-ended by someone with Progressive. They sent a van to meet me right on the side of the road because she called them. They offered to arrange a tow and/or a loaner car on the spot (I didn't actually need it). They did some of the paperwork right there. The only thing I had to do was get a statement from a store/repair center about a broken tablet that flew off the dash, and an invoice/estimate for repair/replacement. They had a check to me in a week. Oh, and they asked if $500 extra for "inconvenience and time lost" was sufficient, which it certainly was.

[Ron Citerone]

The question for me is not whether it convinces people to buy a particular product, but if the constant bombardment of ads leads to a "gotta have" "things make me happy" mentality. I fish, I appreciate a nice rod or reel, but after some point, the increase in performance cannot justify the crazy increase in price. Also, having the greatest block plane only matters if you have put in the time it takes to learn to sharpen............................the greatest set of clubs in the hands of an occasional golfer may not make that much difference.

Does constant exposure to advertising make people want more and more?

Ron

[Roger Nair]

The question for me is not whether it convinces people to buy a particular product, but if the constant bombardment of ads leads to a "gotta have" "things make me happy" mentality. I fish, I appreciate a nice rod or reel, but after some point, the increase in performance cannot justify the crazy increase in price. Also, having the greatest block plane only matters if you have put in the time it takes to learn to sharpen............................the greatest set of clubs in the hands of an occasional golfer may not make that much difference.

Does constant exposure to advertising make people want more and more?

Ron

Ron in answer to your question I would refer you to my post #93. I believe focused adverts, targeting specific expressed interest can absolutely increase interest in new, different or up-dated products. Google has found methods of tweaking interest in niche markets ignored by mass marketers. It can present a useful service. Mass market promotions occupy the entire channel one is turned to for a brief time per ad ad nauseum ad infinitum.

[Doug Garson]

The ads that I object to are the celebrity athlete or actor promotions. When someone making millions of dollars a year is paid to promote a product I refuse to buy that product unless the athlete contributes 100% of what they are paid to a worthy cause. I would rather by a pair of shorts where $2 of every sale goes to support homeless shelters than a multi millionaire spokesperson.

On the other hand, for those who seem to object to all commercials, how do you propose a company should promote their products if not thru advertisements? I agree some ads are annoying and some are deceptive but you can selectively chose not to buy those products and even skip the ads on Youtube videos or recorded TV. I often skip the ads on Youtube but occasionally I learn something from them about a new product.

[Kev Williams]

Interesting tidbit I just found:

top ten TV advertisers this week by $$ spent:

Geico, 26.9 mil
Progressive, 21.6 mil
Verizon, 21.3 mil
Universal Pictures, 18.7 mil
Toyota, 15.7 mil
McDonalds, 14.6 mil
Samung mobile, 14.3 mil
CapitalOne, 13.5 mil
State Farm, 13.1 mil

- I woulda thunk more car companies would be on this list.
Instead, the list is dominated by car INSURERS...

[Ron Citerone]

My question is not whether advertising will make you buy a particular product, but if the constant exposure to advertising makes us get a bad case of the "wants." As much as I appreciate a high end fishing rod, when is enough enough? Is an $800 rod really gonna make me a better fisherman if you don't spend a lot of time on the water? Is a super high dollar set of golf clubs gonna improve the game of a casual golfer compared to just a decent set? Will a $375 block plane make you a better woodworker if you haven't spent the time to learn sharpening skills?

[Kev Williams]

What about things you might want you didn't even know you could buy or even existed?

So one of my laser engravers went south on me, 16 days ago, getting the CPU back first of next week finally-

meanwhile I didn't realize how much I NEED and USE the thing, until it was gone! I have work backing up that my other lasers can't keep up with..

SO, I'm looking at getting another laser, as it seems not only do I need another backup but it may help shorten my work day a bit!

--This leads me to looking at ADVERTISING, and videos of machines. Lo and behold, one of the 5 second pre-video ads is for this simple thing:
dcs.jpg
--it's a vacuum dust-sucker attachment, which just a re-designed crevice tool using a bunch of small diameter tubes so the dirt gets sucked up but not everything else nearby... In my back room work room where the tool grinders and belt sander resides, the tables they're sitting on are literally covered in sanding dust, and the reason I don't just vacuum it up, is because the table is also covered with small nuts, washers, screws an other assorted items I don't want to retrieve from the wet-dry vac, or spend 1/2 hour picking up just so they don't get sucked up--

--this nozzle is perfect! I can vacuum all the sanding dust off the table, and THEN I can sweep all the small stuff into a container without a pound of dirt too, to cleanly sort out later!

Something I've needed, didn't know existed, and I ordered one.

[Lee DeRaud]

Interesting tidbit I just found:

top ten TV advertisers this week by $$ spent:

Geico, 26.9 mil
Progressive, 21.6 mil
Verizon, 21.3 mil
Universal Pictures, 18.7 mil
Toyota, 15.7 mil
McDonalds, 14.6 mil
Samung mobile, 14.3 mil
CapitalOne, 13.5 mil
State Farm, 13.1 mil

- I woulda thunk more car companies would be on this list.
Instead, the list is dominated by car INSURERS...

I'm a bit surprised by the total lack of pharmaceutical companies on that list.

[Bill Dufour]

I like the lawyer ads about a medicine or procedure. They you if you are dead to contact the lawyer to get in on a class action lawsuit.
Bill D.