Who thinks this stuff up, anyway? Do they honestly think they’re being clever?
I’m sure you know the answers to both of your questions, but for those who don’t–
Marketing companies “think this stuff up” and they are very VERY well paid for their ad campaigns, and even better-paid when an ad campaign is effective.
MUCH advance work and study goes into marketing, including surveys of user groups across the country. People are actually paid for taking these surveys; my friend (who just turned 65!) takes these surveys whenever she has the opportunity and earns around $10 per survey.
One of the most fascinating and useful classes I took in college was an advertising class. We learned all about “commercials”, print ads, radio ads, etc. and what makes them effective and what doesn’t fly. It’s interesting that some of the things we think would be most effective are actually not effective at all, while some of the things that are criticized in this thread are highly-effective. We learned to dissect ads and talk back to them so that we wouldn’t be one of the millions who rush out and buy whatever the ad is pitching.
One example of what we learned was “Sex sells.” Yes, it does. Even products that have nothing to do with sex/relationships will utilize various techniques and actors to utilize “sex appeal” in order to sell more product.
In that class, we were divided into groups and had to create a product (a nightclub/bar) and three different campaigns to “sell” that product. I’m still happy to say that our group won by a landslide! My husband was in the same class a semester later, and his group also won by a landslide!
A lot of study goes into creating a commercial campaign, and even if we are immune to the lures of the campaign (or at least, we think we are immune), the ads are generally highly effective in gaining more customers for the product. People like “Flo” and “Gecko” and “Mayhem” become well-paid icons.
Does anyone remember the “Where’s The Beef?” campaign–it put Wendy’s on the map. And how about the “puppies” ad by Pepsi? A little boy playing with a half-dozen puppies–NOTHING to do with Pepsi or soda!–and yet the sales for Pepsi SOARED!
I love ads. I love what they do to us and I love talking back to them when I know I don’t need what they are pitching!
:roll_of_toilet_paper:
