Does TV Advertisements work on you?

$464 Billion dollars was spent on ads last year, was that money wasted?  Does TV advertisements work on you? Do you watch QVC or infomercials. Do You buy things after seeing them advertised? Are you a consumer than is influenced by advertisements?

 

We are bombarded by advertisements in every medium. From billboards, to newsprint to ads on websites. In 2011, There was $464 Billion dollars spent on advertising total in the United States, according to Publicis’ ZenithOptimedia. Imagine that number. Try to wrap your mind around that and the amount of ad campaigns it takes to spend that amount. Each year the Super Bowl commands a price exceeding $8 million dollars per advertising minute. The TV ads at Super Bowl are almost as important as the game itself. 37% of the 100 million people who watched the Super Bowl did so to see the advertisements according to Adweek's article, Ads Trump Football in Super Bowl Survey.


Does Advertising work?

Well sometimes, an old adage on Madison Avenue attributed to Henry Ford. He once said, “Half of every dollar I spend on advertising is wasted. I just don't know which half.”


Basic Principle of advertising regardless of medium

All ads are created using 4 principles to get the consumer to act. They are Attention, Interest, Desire, and Action. The ad game is this simple. Let's explore each word, it's purpose and importance.


“May I have Your Attention!

The trumpets sound, the new hot tune from Madonna comes on the TV. That's the way the ad gets you to refocus your attention back to the TV. The volume is higher than the program you were watching and they are setting the table to stop you dead in your tracks to watch their message. You are now watching, back in your favorite chair and they have your attention.


Are You Interested?

Now that they have your attention, it is their job to keep it focused on their message, to build interest. They need to first entertain you by having a Gecko driving a Ferrari, or a Bay Watch Babe popping a refreshing can of Pepsi, or maybe even a camel walking through an office asking the workers if they know what day it is? We are all familiar with the above and that's a guarantee. Ever see the Burger King Whopper being advertised, every onion in it's proper place, the cheese melting so perfectly. Everything is perfect and they have your interest and we all know the photo on the TV doesn't reflect reality at all. But they have your interest don't they?


Don't You want me Baby?

This is the desire stage. They set you up to drool over that Whopper sandwich and you can taste it. Now they hit you will the tag line. For a limited time, you can have Two for $5. Wow, really, I can have two? Might as well appeal to your gluttony at this point and sell you a half dozen, wouldn't matter to you at all. You WANT that Whopper. You DESIRE IT.


I WANT IT NOW!

The Action phase. The TV commercial for the Whopper just ended and you just can't seem to get it out of your mind..2 for $5. “Man, That looked good” you think to yourself. You look outside, its 11PM and a fresh blanket of snow has fallen and its 20 degrees outside. You are in your pajamas and wearing your favorite slippers. Doesn't matter, they hooked you and you want what you want and when you want it. So, you go upstairs quietly not to wake anyone. You change into a pair of pants, just throw a jacket on, no shirt and put on your boots. You trudge out to the car and scrape the windows, You are getting closer to the promised land. The car is warm and you slowly drive to your goal, Burger King, Home of the Whopper.


You are so close

The building dressed in the orange, which by the way is a color that promotes appetite so you don't digress from your mission and weave into Taco Bell by mistake, makes us tremble with excitement. You pull behind the other cars occupied with people who saw the same commercial as you and you wait patiently reading the menu. You are salivating, it won't be long. You order and the minutes feel like hours, and then the moment of victory. The bag of food is handed through the window and you are enroute back to your home and you can't wait. The bag is so warm between your legs that you want to reach in and grab a fry since you ordered two large but you are a patient man and drive on. Reaching home, you park the car, shedding you shoes and coat and settle back into your favorite recliner for a picnic in the living room. Ha, You made it! You open the bag and pull out the treasure and Damn, one large fry was forgotten, They always screw you in the drive thru. That's ok, You have the Whoppers. You rip open the packaging and there it is a hunk of Yuck on two soggy buns. Burger King won, Madison Avenue won and you lost AGAIN! That's the power of advertising. Lights Camera, Action.


Next time you see a commercial on TV, see if you can specifically see where they are attempting each phase of the seduction. Now, you know what to look out for, it makes watching ads a sport in itself.