Millions of pounds are poured into the business of getting our attention with a huge variety of images being used as pulling power.
Every device available is cunningly employed to cajole, demand or try to persuade us that A, B, or C is the best, the most efficient, the must-have product
to ensure our happiness on the planet.
But, just how effective is all this hype, high-powered hog-wash and manipulative mumbo jumbo?
Of course, even the companies making their millions from this industry are aware that what may get one person's total attention will annoy, aggravate, or infuriate other people.
Does that matter? No of course it doesn't. Even if an ad' drives you mad that means it has gained your attention. What is death to advertising is indifference.
I do not claim to be in any way superior to, or cleverer than the vast mass of consumers, and of course I'm aware that there are ad's which irritate me to screaming pitch while there are just a tiny handful which are so appealing and beguiling that they make me smile, even thinking about them.
The odd thing is that unless the name of the product is hammered home a dozen times, what is being advertised fails completely to engage my attention, while the image stays with me indefinitely.
There is a horrible ad, with a greasy-haired, bulging eyed, green caped character whose mantra is "yer buy one, yer get one free", He is my pet hate, not only because of the appearance unappealing in the extreme, of this man, but because he yells at the top of his voice. What he is selling heaven only knows.
By the same token, there is a loo-paper ad which loudly proclaims that their product is recycled.
Recycled loo paper!!!! Help, what kind of mental picture does that dredge up?
On the other hand, for me there are the few really alluring ad's, the cats with thumbs, the lovely black grouse which appears strutting his stuff every Christmas, the lovely tabby playing first with snow, then big-eyed with the ornaments on the Christmas tree. What the products are remain a mystery to me.
What I am trying to say is that even the ad's I love and would be prepared to watch endlessly still fail in their most basic purpose, since for me the product is always sublimated to the image.
Anyone know where I can buy a meerkat?
;-) I don't watch TV anymore...so miss the one or two "good" ads. I remember the Energizer Bunny!!!
ReplyDeleteSmashing post Ray. I'm just the same. I can remember the images, bad or good, but not the product and I wouldn't be persuaded to buy it even if I could remember it. I don't watch a lot of TV but when the ads come, I just concentrate harder on my knitting. :-)
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your Christmas singing. I'm going to have to mouth the words of all the carols this year, as singing still makes me cough. Sigh....
Theanne and Perpetua, thanks both for your comments, and, I am serious (well sort of) I would quite like a Meerkat.
ReplyDelete