I have really been scratching my head over those ads for PDF files. WTF?

Last time I checked, Acrobat Reader was a free program or pre-loaded on most computers. Why do they need to advertise PDF files?

Ohh, that's what I was going to post!

In my pre-TiVo days, I actually enjoyed those commercials. Then I could turn to my wife and say "Let's make a mental note not to buy that 4x4. Appearantly if you do any off road driving in it, you'll loose control and start to slide sideways through the mud. " Personally, I like to stay away from cars that can't go in the direction the wheel is pointing. What I want is one of those cars that they show driving across a lake because, hey, you never know...

I actually used to enjoy finding the lies in commercials. "Part of your complete breakfast!" The same can be said for rat poison, but it doesn't mean it should be part of your complete breakfast or that your breakfast is incomplete without it. Anyway, while that was a fun diversion while waiting for the show to come back on, it's even more fun with the TiVo hit the 30 second skip button!

Back on topic, while Hollywood does some pretty stupid things from time to time, I can't honestly believe that they spend billions every year on advertising for no good reason. They might spend poorly on crappy advertising that doesn't help much, but I believe advertising, in general, does work. To think that they're wasting their money on advertising is just absurd. It may not work on you, but do you honestly think you represent the average American? I certainly hope I don't! As for McDonald's, I think their advertising is primarily aimed at children, and if you do have children, you'll know it works amazingly well. The lack of a smilie here is quite intentional.

If you have any left over doubts that advertising doesn't work, you should have been around the day we dropped cable and subscribed to DirecTV. My six year old was very upset. He spent the whole day trying to convince me that we were making a big mistake. He kept telling me that it wasn't very good and we couldn't watch TV if it rained. I laughed for days, but he was totally convinced we were making the biggest mistake of our lives.

I've also heard stories (and personally expierienced) moronic store clerks refusing to take real money such as two dollar bills, Susan B Anthony coins, Kennedy half dollars, currency from the 1960's and 50's and even earlier, and the sort. What they don't need is to blow my tax paying money on dancing money that wiggles into your pocket. What they need is to educate these morons when they have them in school as to what our currency looks like. Sorry, but that was like a first grade course for me. I have no idea what they are teaching these kids when I go into a store and the moron at the register has to ask their manager if the fifty cent piece I just handed them is real. Spend more money on public education? Hell, why should we do that when we have to blow our wads on CGI twenties wiggling around on some dumb asses arm? Sure didn't get those morons at the store to take the bill, did it? Perhaps if they were educated on what to look for on real genuine currency, taking a bill from 2003 or 1903 wouldn't be a problem either way.

Yes, he had a point, but then again, the point I want to make is that it has more to do with location than anything else. If you put up a Taco John in a small town and the town folk are exposed to nothing but Taco Bell advertising, and they are driving around in their small town hungry for a taco, where are they going to go? Fifty miles to the nearest city with a Taco Bell? No, they are driving around the corner to their Taco John. The same thing can be said for any community, rural or metro. McDonald's is on quite a few street corners, and that sure helps get people to go there and eat more than advertising alone. Sure, the advertising may keep McDonald's on the mind, but if I didn't watch TV at all (and I don't watch much of it as it is, and when I do, I channel surf during the commercials) and McDonald's was the only thing nearest to where I live or work and I was hungry for something fast, I am going to McDonald's, whether or not I know they want to make me smile or not.

And with national brands of pop such as Pepsi and Coke, those have built in core consumers that are not suddenly going to be buying IGA pop if they were to stop advertising. What gets them sold in the stores are advertised prices in the store's ads more than the advertisments on TV.

Stupid ad's! thanks for the free tv programing!

I was going to say something about the new $20s until calhoun's post reminded me of when I was managing a McDonald's and one of the teenies asked me to check some guys money. It was a $2 bill which I quickly traded and put right into my money collection.
So I could see the point of some ads for a new look for money, though I haven't seen any for the new $20 so I don't know if they're a waste.

I don't know about where you live, but up here Canadiana, its actually illegal to provide information on what the drug actually does. It makes for a weird juxtaposition if you are watching a US channel, and this new 'Drug X' cures cancer, but causes anal bleeding, and then you switch to the Canadian station, and 'Drug X' is wonderful and happy, but you don't know anything about it.

only one problem how do you train the people out of school that are working there when they change the look of the bills? btw who the hell carries those types of currency anymore? In 24 years I have only seen a two dollar bill twice. I have never seen a kennedy half dollar or any thing other then pennies older then mid 70's.

I personally get more pissed that the stinken post office spends tons to advertise the rate hikes.

They still make 2 dollar bills, AFAIK... but not very many.

I can't imagine what I'd do without a currency peice fo 2 dollars (be it coins or bills) I imagine stores have a hell of a time keeping ones.

What's a commercial?

(I have Tivo)

-k
###

According to The Onion, the ads for the new $20 bill were successful:

I think the Enzyte commercials are the worst (and creepiest).

Perhaps, but he seems to be missing a key point. And he’s obviously not alone.

Advertising is an industry. Why are there commercials? Because they are the product of the advertising industry. McDonalds has paid somebody to produce commercials. Why? Because they are convinced that without commercials, they will not make money. Who convinces them of this/provides them with figures proving commercials are making them money? The ad industry.

I wonder, if McDs cancelled all ad campaigns, how much would revenues actually decrease? Would the decrease in revenues be offset by the money they weren’t spending on Madison Avenue?

I have never seen a commercial for Krispy Kream donuts, yet I would gladly give oral gratification to the guy who invented them.

No, I was right.

das

Well, of course you were.




About what?

Pretty much everything, but in this case, I was refering to my original post on the topic.

das

Daddy?!?

Yeah, but doctors get all kinds of kick-back from the drug companys for 'recommending' their product. Trips, cars, phat money - it's just like the Radio industry of the 50's and 60's.

I'll say this about pharmaceutical kickbacks to Drs, I've had them load me up on a month's supply of stuff; nasal sprays, decongestants, anti-depressants (legally!). I think some of the like taking advantage of the big pharms to give their patients free stuff. I once had an allergist give me three different sprays and told me to try them all and let him know which one I liked. I'm sure there's bad ones, but not one's I've met.




And this is been bothering me for awhile, but my nurses are the_hot! Glad to get that off my chest.