Cusm

I was watching tv this weekend and thought what a waste of money advertising seems for some companies. I am not talking about new products or special sales events, but standard well established brands.

When is the last time you were at the store and thought, gee I recently heard of this Coca Cola product, I think I might try that. Is there really any reason to advertise? Aren't most people a Pepsi/Coke drinker already? I hate Pepsi and no amount of advertising will get me to switch. Anyone know the reasoning for the huge pushes for such established companies? I guess beer companies have a new market to reach every year with 15, I mean 21 year olds.

Groucho

You ever wonder why the "standard well established brands" are so well established?

das Monkey

Maintenance. They want their product on the tip of your mind at all times. Instead of "I want a fast-food burger, let's get McDonald's," they want "I'm hungry, let's get McDonald's." They advertise to remind you that they're the kings of their industry, to keep the product out there and in our subconscious. If they stopped this steady stream, over time, they wouldn't be the dominant force they are today.

das

taa455

I never watch commercials, so they are wasted on me. When I do watch them (rarely) I find most of them obtrusive and annoying. In fact I have consciously boycotted many companies based on a dumb commercial.

Jadzia

I think the biggest waste of commercial ads is for feminine hygiene products. Most women buy those out of necessity, and what is on sale. Unless you are launching some new slant on the product like "Wings" most of the times those ads are just a waste.

I have never once said "Ooh, I am gonna get Playtex instead of Tampax."

resinrats

The reason I hate Old Navy so much!

Tracer Bullet

I'm exactly the same way. I mute the TV as soon as whatever I'm watching goes to commerical break and read until it comes back on.

One thing I have noticed from my time living in England is that American TV commercials seem to be singularly loud,obnoxious, and insulting to pretty much everyone's intelligence. My first couple of weeks back in the States, I had to get used to the fact that my TV was yelling at me (not in an insane way, of course).

TheMadMonk

I always mute or fast forward. (I'll occasionally back up to watch Victoria's Secret commercials, though).

I make it a point to mainly buy products that aren't overly advertised. I figure if some company has enough $$$ to buy commercial time, and another x million dollars to pay some celebrity or athlete to be in that commercial, then that company certainly doesn't need my money.

balancer

The most annoying commercials have to be almost every single car commercial produced. Why do they have to advertise like it's some big, loud intrusive carnival event? It never fails, I'm enjoying a show, and it cuts to commercial. Next thing you know, I'm scrambling for the remote to mute/turn it down, because the apartment is being invaded by some yackass yelling about a car!

edit to stay on topic: I'm not sure about car commercials, but I've often remarked how an entire spot was a complete waste for the advertiser, but it usually has to do more with demographics.

Charlie Goose

I find almost all commercials to be insulting. The more elaborate they are, the more ridiculous. That's why I try to avoid them all, or ignore them.

Honk!

tonyc3742

Car commercials do generally suck.
Others I detest are collect-calling company, Old Navy, and any reality-show commercial.

It's cheaper to keep a customer than to gain one from scratch, so like das Monkeyman said, even though they spend billions on the commercials, it's cheaper than not doing it, then suddenly [well, in a couple years] have to advertise and get their company/product on the forefront of our forebrains again.

I think commercials are turning into a waste precisely because they are so annoying/insulting/stupid/hotchickorguyfree.
I think TiVo and other dvr units are really going to light a fire under the commercial companies. I've had a DVR for about a year, and I can't imagine watching TV without it. Yes, I do forward through commercials, _but_ if the commercial shows a product I'm interested in, is an interesting or creative commercial, or catches my eye pleasingly, I'll make a point of rewinding and watching it, and thus remember the product/company more. [Like on the Glad commercials--that girl just does something to me.]
I also have not-bought products/company based on their commercial/s.

Demographics are certainly an interesting study--you have to know your market. In Atlanta a while back there was a restaurant who, for their radio commercial, made a little hip-hop song about it. As hip hop goes, it wasn't a bad song, and was kinda catchy. The only problem was, it was played on the oldies station. So you'd go from the Monkees or Pet Clark to 'Yo let's go to XXX Restaurant!'. Turned me off.
Not to mention, all the 'Bratz' and Barbie commercials during Spongebob and the Powerpuff Girls. I mean, adults watch those too, right? Right?

resinrats

Why do car commercias show dangerous driving? There is always some car sliding sideways in a commercial. Last time I checked, sliding sideways was a bad thing. Maybe it is a plot by the car companies to get retards to immitate it, wreck their car and have to buy another one.
Hmmm....

Cusm

Okay, McDonalds uses gimmicks to get customers, be it a Disney tie in, or Best Buy dollars. Hell I ate at McDs for the first time in a couple of years for BB dollars. But Coke, Pepsi, Dr. Pepper do not use gimmicks for customers. The colas, seem to me, people have their choice, I have not encountered fence sitters. If Coke stopped advertising today(in America, other countries will vary), I do not see Pepsi taking the majority of Coke drinkers.

It seems that Dr. Pepper had years of little to no advertising - between Be a Pepper to the current Be You ads - I can recall very few, if any DP ads. But in that same time frame Dr. Pepper was my exclusive soft drink of choice.

I understand the whole concept of maintnance and keeping your name out there, but some of it just seems to be a waste.

tonyc3742

You didn't read the fine print!
'Professional drive on closed course. Do not attempt.'
In mice type, for a split second.

I love the 'warnings' on some commercials:

Scene: Family frolicing through the forest.
Voiceover: Take RedPill for your heartburn/allergies/fallingouthair and you won't believe the results.
Fine print: Results not typical. RedPill has some side effects, including sneezing, diarrhea, stress, high blood pressure, heart attacks, asthma, mutations, budding, schizophrenia, and death. Ask your doctor if RedPill's right for you.

Wow, you had me at diarrhea!

Cusm

I like the drug ads that give you no info, except the drug name. I might be interested in your product, if I knew what the HELL it did!! Did these clowns miss the marketing class that tells you to state what your product is? I know they think it will get people to ask about their product, but many won't becasue it could be for anal leakage or sore throat, who wants to make that mistake.
Also is pharmaceuticals not best left to your physician to what may be best for you, not some Madison ave ad agency? Who is suppose to be better trained, your Dr or you who can not turn the channel during a damn redpill commercial?

resinrats

Doctors must hate all the ads that say "Consult your doctor". I'm sure doctors don't spend all their free time researching every single pill that gets released (especially if it is not in their area).
If I was a doctor, I'd recommend against whatever ad was on TV. Play up the whole negative side-effects aspect. "Sure it might cure arthritis but your balls will fall off right before you die bleeding from the ass"

wendersfan

I've always thought this. Can you imagine the look on your face if someone came up to you and said, "I just tried this beer I'd never heard of before until I saw an ad for it. It's called Budweiser!"

Who do these companies think they're marketing to, former monks and immigrants that just learned the language?

Phil L.

I love commercials!

They provide me with the perfect opportunity to go get another beer from the fridge, and to take a whiz.

Geofferson

they sure are with the invention of Tivo's and DVR's.

calhoun07

I don't understand why they have to advertise milk and new $20.00 bills. Now, to me, that's just a waste of money. Same with cheese and eggs. The staples of society that people will just buy do not need to be advertised.

mllefoo

What is this "milk" of which you speak?

I have never heard of it before. When was it advertised, so I might learn more about it? I might want to try it, you know.

Some commercials are okay. When a marketing campaign is really good, I will actually pay attention to the commercials - especially the funny ones.

There's a commercial (no idea what it's selling because I just don't care) where a guy flies off a cliff on his bike and slams into the ground below. It's pretty funny.

I also liked some of the old Lee Jeans commercials way back when.

RoyalTea

I never drank Miller Lite (well not "never," but quite seldom) until I saw the Miller Lite Catfight ad, where the two sexy girls fight each other in the fountain.

I drink a lot more Miller Lite now.

tonyc3742

Milk, at least, usually has competing brands. And the Got Milk? commercials, I assume, are bought 'on behalf of' a consortium of milk companies. Like the Beef Council ones. It's not so much to get you to buy milk [except for Got Milk], but to get you to by Brand X milk.
But, yeah, the 20. WTF?! What else am I going to use? WHen I cash my paycheck, can I say, No thanks, I don't want the 20.00 bill, I want a Fleen or scrip or pesos or something. It's not like there's really [legal] competition for it.

resinrats: Don't worry, there's a pill for that too.
The sad thing is, I'd bet most doctors, at least in the related practices, get tons of freebies from the heavily advertised drugs so they can give out 'samples' to the patient.

DodgingCars

Did anyone read Das's post? He seemed to explain the reasoning for it quite well.

RoyalTea

you must have missed the reports of store owners and business refusing to accept the new twenty when it first came out, because they though it was "monopoly money."

if anything, they needed MORE advertising.