from the if-you-hear-it-enough-it-must-be-true dept.
Some ads are straightforward: if you want really good quality for a reasonable price, buy Brand X. On TV, most are more indirect: evidently they're an appeal to our subconscious desires for status, love, sex, friendship, and recreation, or our fears of becoming a social outcast or a loser. Or maybe it's just "Mad Men" showing off their mad creative chops. Blogger Kevin Simler thinks there's something more subtle going on — his idea is that effective ads are designed to raise or maintain the social acceptability of the product, with the viewer thinking in terms of everyone in his or her peer group consuming the same ad. He dissects the Corona ad campaign feature an attractive young couple sitting in lounge chairs on a beach quaffing beer, first from the theory of a direct Pavlovian association of the product with love/sex/relaxation, and then from the alternative theory of establishing Corona as a 'good choice' for a brew at a club.
(Score: 2) by jasassin on Saturday September 20 2014, @10:02PM
Corona gives the worst hangovers.
jasassin@gmail.com GPG Key ID: 0xE6462C68A9A3DB5A
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Ethanol-fueled on Saturday September 20 2014, @10:39PM
I disagree. Trash American beers like Budweiser and Miller give the worst hangovers.
Kinda related to beer-drinking, one good situation for analyzing commercials is during (American) football games. Nowhere else is the bad stereotype of the big dumb American man portrayed in such a positive manner. Repeated commercials of Big Fucking Trucks hauling tons of lumber into the sunset, driven by burly men in hardhats, and narrated by gruff-voiced mens' men. If you don't drive our Big Ass Trucks, you're a fucking limp-wristed effeminate pussy. Microsoft products such as the Surface are also advertised during ball games, and again comes the stereotype of the big dumb provider who relishes the fact that he is just a man and needs the wife and kids to show him how to use his new toy. And just to show you that's normal, the man has a family and lots of friends to prove to you that he is successful at life and not a deviant chronically masturbating asocial weirdo like you all are.
Yes, I kinda said this already in another discussion, but it is also very relevant here.
(Score: 1) by Arik on Sunday September 21 2014, @02:53AM
Corona is just overpriced though. Which is exactly what you should expect the moment you see a commercial for it. Other Mexican breweries that do not advertise or at least advertise much less produce very similar beers, arguably better instances of the same type, and sell them for less. Sol and Pacifico come to mind in particular - most would be hard pressed to tell them from Corona in a taste test, and I bet most that *could* would not prefer Corona. But they have the big ad budget so they sell more bottles at a higher price.
If laughter is the best medicine, who are the best doctors?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 21 2014, @11:46AM
1 glass of water every second drink.
or perhaps drink something better.
(Score: 2, Interesting) by kaszz on Saturday September 20 2014, @10:46PM
And if you don't give a shit about peer approval and just evaluate stuff on plain facts of the object in question ?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 20 2014, @11:04PM
Then the ad will fail in your case. But humans are social animals. Do you have an Android phone? There are many good reasons you may have chosen it, but maybe one lurking in the background might've been that you wouldn't have to defend your choice to other techies as you might with Apple or Windows.
(Score: 2) by mhajicek on Saturday September 20 2014, @11:13PM
So what does it say about me that I have q Windows phone?
The spacelike surfaces of time foliations can have a cusp at the surface of discontinuity. - P. Hajicek
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 20 2014, @11:17PM
Are you a developer-developer-developer-developer-developer?
j/k no, that's kinda impressive, going against the grain. Really.
(Score: 2) by frojack on Sunday September 21 2014, @12:12AM
So what does it say about me that I have q Windows phone?
So YOU'RE the one!?
Seriously, it it wasn't for Microsoft's reputation and willingness to cooperate with spy agencies, I might have given it a go as well.
But I've been kicked in the head by Microsoft for 25 years. Not going down that road again.
No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by c0lo on Saturday September 20 2014, @11:54PM
Very few are pure homo economicus [wikipedia.org], actually the pressure is to make us the opposite (impulse buyers):
Isn't it peculiar the majority of cinemas are nowadays inside malls - they used to be separate buildings when I was a kid.
Second, even for homo economicus, the ads may work wonders:
The more "impressed" by the ad (even if only by repetition and maybe "cleverness"), the more likely you'll consider the advertised product/service first in the list of options and... suppose it's good enough for you, will you waste your time searching for another? Be "rational", your time is valuable!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 2) by frojack on Sunday September 21 2014, @12:24AM
Isn't it peculiar the majority of cinemas are nowadays inside malls - they used to be separate buildings when I was a kid.
Says more about the desperation of malls than the viability of movies theaters. Malls have enormous vacancy rates. They are Dying in large numbers [businessinsider.com], often being dragged down by the brands they serve [thedeal.com]. Getting bodies into the building has become the first priority. They will virtually GIVE floor space to anyone that can drag in 300 wallets long enough for them to get hungry.
No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.
(Score: 1) by pnkwarhall on Sunday September 21 2014, @06:18PM
What will eventually replace these ghost malls are community colleges, business offices, and health care facilities
...hmm, so spaces with a creative usefulness other than selling people shite!
I can't believe the state of the business real estate market of the US -- the number of abandoned buildings is astounding. I know that there are serious issues with creating a successful business in a converted space that was originally constructed specifically for another (especially chain stores -- I think most people could agree that eating even really good ethnic food in what clearly used to be a Taco Bell hurts the experience somewhat!), and all the abandonment is a clear sign of the economic context. But I can't help thinking that the reason the space is empty is because the rent is just "too damn high", and if they lowered it they might be able to attract a paying tenant. Obviously there are issues with zoning laws and probably a lot more that I have no idea about, just saying that the first thing that comes to mind for me when I see the abandonment is that the land owner has too high of expectations for who's/what's next.
Lift Yr Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven
(Score: 2) by frojack on Sunday September 21 2014, @07:50PM
I think most people could agree that eating even really good ethnic food in what clearly used to be a Taco Bell hurts the experience somewhat!), and all the abandonment is a clear sign of the economic context
There is some level of building-to-signature that forever dooms a building once the original occupant moves out. These buildings should probably be given a fresh coat of bulldozer before any other use.
On the other hand, we like to drive a lot, and see small towns. We find old 50s and 60s car dealerships, firehalls, banks, churches and such being converted to restaurants, biestros and bars in many of these towns.
Oddly, that type of conversion lends a great deal of charm. And it doesn't take a massive investment unlike some of THESE [thrillist.com] to pull this off. The most successful of these try to retain something of the building's past into their motif.
I've eaten in a Packard dealership, several different Firehalls, churches, and a couple of banks. These are usually right downtown and quite delightful places.
No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.
(Score: 1) by pnkwarhall on Sunday September 21 2014, @08:57PM
"fresh coat of bulldozer" :)
Lift Yr Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven
(Score: 1) by Arik on Sunday September 21 2014, @01:37AM
The more "impressed" by the ad (even if only by repetition and maybe "cleverness"), the more likely you'll consider the advertised product/service first in the list of options and... suppose it's good enough for you, will you waste your time searching for another? Be "rational", your time is valuable!"
Actually I wont. I will see the ads, realize that a large part of the price is being spent on marketing, and look for some sort of competitor or even an alternative good rather than fund something so disgusting.
"some subliminal messages on the line of "Expensive ad campaign, solid financial status, stability on long term more likely"."
And THAT is the only rational gain I can see out of an ad campaign. Intimidating potential competitors out of the market, which is obviously not a good for me as a consumer, but I can see how that is positive for the advertiser.
But in terms of convincing me to buy anything at all? Showing me an ad for your product will make me reluctant to buy it. Completely counterproductive.
If laughter is the best medicine, who are the best doctors?
(Score: 2) by hankwang on Sunday September 21 2014, @12:58PM
To some extent, I share your thoughts - especially for things where I have an idea what the ratio of production costs versus marketing is -- my wife's cosmetics and perfumes come to mind -- or where it is easy to judge the quality, such as with food products. But with things like smartphones, tablets, household appliances, I cannot judge the quality without buying it first and using it for a few weeks. There are plenty of obscure brands for those things, without coverage on review websites. The lack of coverage is because they are obscure; they are obscure because they are not advertised. That's why I prefer to stick with well known (i.e., well advertised) brands, which have a vested interest in keeping up their reputation.
I buy cheap no-name stuff as well. Sometimes, I'm lucky and it's just as good as the brand-name equivalent, but when you go out to buy a second one, it turns out to be discontinued. Sometimes it turns out to be utter crap. No way of telling in advance.
Avantslash: SoylentNews for mobile [avantslash.org]
(Score: 2) by kaszz on Sunday September 21 2014, @01:54AM
Watching ads to find something I find useful is a complete waste of time. First you would have to wade through a lot of spam, which it really is and thus time-2-benefit factor is too low. Second most ads will only try to associate a certain lifestyle or status with the product. Well I can make that without the product. So the product has to make its case on its own merits. And without the presentation of those merits all the contents of the ad will be mentally discarded.
Thus the instant an ad is detected it will be blocked out by the brain.
Aha, the product sucks so bad they need to revert to ads. Must be worthless to know about. And if I need to buy one the competitors perhaps will have a lower price because they didn't pay the ads.
Sorry for being cynical about ads. It's just mental spam and needs to be dealt with that way.
(Score: 2) by frojack on Sunday September 21 2014, @12:05AM
I tend to agree that the analysis is pretty simplistic. Love, sex, friendship, and recreation? Not so much.
The ad industry divides its market up a lot less subtly than TFA would suggest.
Banks are all full of sappy music and "family" talk, Trucks are all about doing "Man" stuff that nobody ever does. Repetitive, copy-cat motifs with little originality.
Its like the ad writers have a permanent cartoon running in their head about the gullible consumer.
Oh, we have to sell trucks today? Get some ridiculous load, drive on a beatup road, man talk, Done.
No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.
(Score: 2) by fadrian on Sunday September 21 2014, @08:55PM
Well, if you decide which technologies to train yourself in on a purely technological basis, you're likely to become unemployed fairly soon. Sorry, but network efects matter in today's technology. You don't need to be any way "social" to understand this, but you ignore these effects at your own peril.
That is all.
(Score: 2) by kaszz on Sunday September 21 2014, @09:45PM
Well then I decide on peer benefits. Not spammed advertising..
Besides to get ahead of the crowd one has to do the scary independent thought thing and execute it.
(Score: 2, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 20 2014, @10:53PM
Somewhat offtopic - the Russian company Oasis bought Pabst Blue Ribbon, a fashionably retro choice among younger beer drinkers (I think they may overlap the Ron Paul crowd, but that's just a guess).
The Russians will be getting almost a comprehensive list of the old-line, 19th-century midwestern US brands [wikipedia.org] that were blue collar and college keg party favorites until most of them fizzled during the '70s or so:
- Pabst
- Old Milwaukee
- Schlitz
- Schaeffer
- Stroh's
- Schmidt's
(Score: 3, Insightful) by mhajicek on Saturday September 20 2014, @11:20PM
I consider most advertisements to be psychological economic warfare.
The spacelike surfaces of time foliations can have a cusp at the surface of discontinuity. - P. Hajicek
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Sunday September 21 2014, @12:00AM
(yes, the terrain will influence the outcome of the battle, this is why sometimes one will dig trenches into it)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 21 2014, @12:12AM
Perhaps you've heard of Ries and Trout [amazon.com] [BUY IT NOW!], two ad guys who wrote a series of pop-business books explaining their view of how consumer marketing works.
If not, I think you'll like it.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 20 2014, @11:25PM
"This will get you laid."
I listen mostly to college radio stations (no TeeVee for years and years).
I always found commercials to be insulting, but 1 of the few that doesn't have me switching stations is the The Most Interesting Man In The World thing.
I listen to see just how silly those have gotten.
(I don't drink beer.)
-- gewg_
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Sunday September 21 2014, @12:02AM
Lemme guess: you don't eat crispy bacon either.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 21 2014, @01:31AM
I like it, but last I looked it was $4/lb.
With my arteries, it's just as well.
-- gewg_
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Sunday September 21 2014, @02:19AM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 2) by gringer on Sunday September 21 2014, @05:02AM
(I don't drink beer.)
But when you do, you drink.... Damn. It's been too long since I've listened to a radio or watched a TV.
Ask me about Sequencing DNA in front of Linus Torvalds [youtube.com]
(Score: 2) by Snotnose on Saturday September 20 2014, @11:32PM
CSB
In the 80's my girlfriend and I went to Cancun and Cozumel for 2 weeks. This was when Corona was just starting their push. As we went in the middle of a semester and I had a Linear Algebra test the day after we got back, we parodied the Corona ad of the couple on the beach. We're in swimsuits, with Coronas by our sides, I'm reading a Linear Algebra textbook, and she's giving me the finger.
/CSB
BTW, I failed that test. Hard. So hard it brought my semester grade of A down to a B.
When the dust settled America realized it was saved by a porn star.
(Score: 1) by Ethanol-fueled on Sunday September 21 2014, @12:39AM
Wow, that's cause enough for your parents to disown you -- if you're Asian.
(Score: 2) by Snotnose on Sunday September 21 2014, @05:17AM
Wonder bread white, thank $diety :)
When the dust settled America realized it was saved by a porn star.
(Score: 4, Interesting) by Phoenix666 on Sunday September 21 2014, @12:15AM
Was the one of the best things I ever did. 8 years ago now and we have saved thousands of dollars in cable bills. We find we don't crave unhealthy foods late at night (no more food commercials to get us thinking about eating). My general aggravation level has gone way done due to not having my time wasted by people blathering on about shit I don't care about and would never under any circumstances buy. My general satisfaction with myself, my own creativity and productivity, has gone way up because now instead of wasting endless hours on passive entertainment, I build things, code more for fun, and participate in my community. If I really want to watch a show, which is rare, I have Netflix streaming. Cheap, and it scratches the itch. Once they have killed off traditional cable, jack up their prices, and start interrupting me with commercials, I'll drop them in a heartbeat.
So it's funny. The only advertising I really get exposed to any more is word-of-mouth and out-of-home (billboards, bus shelters, and the like). If my contact with advertising is widely shared by others, or becomes so, it will mean huge, radical shifts in an advertising industry where TV is still king.
Washington DC delenda est.
(Score: 2) by redneckmother on Sunday September 21 2014, @04:08AM
The thing that strikes me as -SAD- is that Corona (etal) have been able to get people to believe that their product(s) are, somehow, "superior" or "special".
"Back in the day", US kids crossed the US - Mexico border and drank Corona for -nearly- free - they avoided the US age laws, and Corona was CHEAP (one gets what one pays for).
I have restricted financial resources, and must resign myself to some truly crap US beer, but I prefer to purchase (when I am able) better crafted libations.
My current (truthfully, for several decades) accessible libation is Dos Equis (Ambar - none of that green bottle sh*t for me - unfuckyouverymuch). It is a fairly consistent and decent lager, and is available locally (albeit at an exorbitant price).
I purchase a few XX and a large quantity of US dreck. I like to have a couple of XX, then finish the evening with the dreck. After the Equis, my taste buds are happy, so I am less apt to be critical.
Unfuck the marketroids! Explore and "taste" for yourselves.
ps - Whenever the XX commercial actor talks about good beer and holds up a green bottle, I'm totally disgusted - usually, there's a perfectly good (nay, much better) Ambar bottle in front of him.
/rant
Mas cerveza por favor.
(Score: 2) by Snotnose on Sunday September 21 2014, @05:15AM
Not TV, I'm on an Android. Plague Inc specifically, which I just discovered a couple days ago (hugely addictive). I've spent 2 hours getting to 6.4 bln infected and nobody has noticed yet. NFL is running an ad with the "click to learn more". Um, took me 2 hours to get to this point. What happens if I click? Infect 10% more people? Prolly not. Take me to a website with crap I don't care about, tossing my 2 hour investment in my game? More likely than not.
Whatever, 2 hours into a game I'm not likely to fall for a "click here for more".
When the dust settled America realized it was saved by a porn star.
(Score: 2) by PizzaRollPlinkett on Sunday September 21 2014, @03:35PM
This is news? I know I heard exactly the same thing back in the 1980s.
If you want to understand what advertising is doing, read Tony Robbins' book "Awaken The Giant Within" - he talks very clearly about what ads are doing by putting people into a positive state and then hammering home the product. He gives examples of everything from cigarettes to soda. That's why these companies pay big dollars for old songs, and have celebrities as endorsers.
Uh, oh. I just recommended Tony Robbins. A grue is going to eat me. Wait, here comes one now -- gaaaak!
(E-mail me if you want a pizza roll!)
(Score: 2) by TheLink on Sunday September 21 2014, @05:43PM
I doubt it meets his standard of "good" but I like many of the Thai ads (even though I'm not Thai nor live in Thailand).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYpThnZjWaw [youtube.com]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbc4grjOA-o [youtube.com] (noodle commercial part 1)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGmJVpYtIUA [youtube.com] (noodle commercial part 2)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJFHYA0v87o [youtube.com]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckwo2l8BpUg [youtube.com]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMU3Mfc04g4 [youtube.com]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rS_EqmoRvns [youtube.com] (3 min, 6 min longer version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89aowrlN--k [youtube.com] )
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZGghmwUcbQ [youtube.com] (3 min)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jU4oA3kkAWU [youtube.com] (5 min)
Many others, but youtube search is bad and google search isn't so good nowadays (or my google fu is lacking)...