Is TV advertising really effective?
Do television commercials actually work or are they a big waste of money?
Granted, there are some commercials which are very entertaining, making themselves part of pop culture. On the opposite end of the spectrum, there are commercials where I turn to whomever is listening to me at the time and ponder aloud, ?somebody probably got paid a million bucks for this dribble,? in amazement how such a commercial ever makes it on television.
I thoroughly hate the Snickers commercials nowadays. As a matter of fact, I find them quite disturbing. I?m not sure who they?re targeting with their campaign, but whoever it is may need therapy. Come on, some guy wearing Snickers on his bald head and another where hunters are throwing candy at a deer? This is just a waste of money.
Then you have the catchy commercials where the makers forget to really bring out the name of the product. For instance, call me backward, but I can?t tell you right now which wireless network does the ?can you hear me now? commercials. They are very pop culture, yet, in the mass of wireless networks, I can?t recall if it?s Verizon or Cingular or one of the others.
So, what are some effective commercials? Well, the ingenious Geico commercials are great. Whether it is the little talking lizard with a similarly spelled name, the Cavemen who are insulted or the guys saying, ?I just saved a ton on my insurance,? these ad campaigns are just plain gold. Not only are they funny but they also put the name of the product deep in your brain. And, I would say, for people who are in the market for insurance, they likely do have an impact.
The new Subway commercials are catchy too, with Jon Lovitz doing the ?Eat Fresh? commercials, hopefully replacing the somewhat condescending former fat guy who made me feel guilty for eating unhealthy foods. I don?t want to feel bad after watching a commercial, I want to feel better. A commercial should be gently prodding, not insulting or condescending. And, definitely not disturbing.
With all this said, do television commercials influence me? Not really. Unless there?s some backwards masking or subliminal messaging I don?t know about, the fact Jon Lovitz is representing a brand or a talking lizard is urging me to buy insurance has no impact on me. By the same token, a bad commercial doesn?t run me off either. If I?m hungry enough, I?ll eat a Snickers off the bald guy?s head.
I think it all comes down to timing. If I?m looking for insurance and I happen to laugh at one of the Caveman commercials, I may call Geico. It?s all about meeting a demand when it the demand arises. However, even more influential to me is reputation. If a friend has had a good relationship with a product or company or if a company has a good reputation for satisfying a need, that is much more influential in my book than the greatest commercial.
So, it comes down to satisfying the customer. You can blow millions, even billions on advertising, but if you don?t satisfy the need, the money may as well be dumped down a hole.
Duane Sherrill is a reporter for the Standard. He can be reached at 473-2191 or by e-mail at news@southernstandard.com.