We Must Remove...

The gulliable segments of the population.

So I'm poking around at Slashdot again, and there is an article about focused advertising via cable TV. In other words, a profile is kept of each house, and each house receives a taylored set of ads. You get different ads then your neighbor.

Well, I think to myself, have ads ever affected my buying? Yes, but with limited success. The only ads that affect me are the ones that tell me something I didn't know. Like there is a Cook-Out opening in my neighborhood (which wasn't advertised, I just drove by it). Or there is a sale at the only store that sells comfortable pants.

Ads for Cars, mattresses, soft-drinks, ebusinesses, banks, ads for the TV station I'm watching, ads for Cable channels I don't get, ads for the sensationalized 10 o'clock news, these things don't make a difference to me. Just because I see ads for Lowe's Foods doesn't mean I'll start shopping there. I tried it once when it opened, and I didn't like it. What good is an ad going to do?

When I need to buy something (like a car) I'll look into what car I can afford that does what I need and will keep doing it for the next twenty years. The ad that tries to sell a lifestyle with some little car isn't going to change my mind in the slightest. Yes, I love the Audi TT. I've loved it since I came across an article about it in a trade mag, long before I saw an ad. But guess what, I will never own a two seater. I will always own a wagon (now if I could get an Impreza Outback Sport with a turbo, or a Diamante V-6 with a turbo, then we are in business). But ads won't affect anything.

Anyway... ads must affect someone somewhere, or else they wouldn't run them. So I say we need to find that guy who is so impressionable and get rid of him so the rest of us can not be bothered by ads.

I often wondered who bought something because they saw an ad.....then I had children. When they were younger they would see something on an ad and then drive me nuts wanting it. I, being the meanest Mommy in the world, didn't buy it for them just because the ad worked on them but I imagine other parents bought the stuff for their children just to shut them up!

I will try a new product once if it sounds appealing in the ad but if it's no good I won't buy it again....but they still "talked" me into buying it that one time. If I liked it I would continue to buy it and the ad would pay off for the company....

I don't think you're being honest with yourself if you are saying that they have no effect on you.....but that's just a guess.

the subaru WRX ad was impressionable on me:p

Well, true. If there is some new product out there, then that falls under the "There's a Cook-Out in my neighborhood." Those ads make sense. They get the word out about a product. It may be a product that I needed that no one made. Or all of the competitors sucked (like Sonic).

But why advertise for Coke or Pepsi? I drink Dr Pepper. I don't care how many ads I see... I like Dr Pepper. It tastes better.

There are some ads that I like, which have an affect on me that I'm sure the company likes. For example, the New Beetle ads from Folkswagon. I loved the "Reverse engineered from UFO" ad. But... I will never buy a car that small. Its cute, I'm glad the company has a sense of humor, but the car does me no good.

Another favorite ad that comes to mind is Vicky Secret. They have the "Semi Annual Bra Sale." Yeah, I'm sure I'm the target audience, but... it isn't going to make me shop there any more often.

Hmmm... I just got to thinking... perhaps the ad is not the ad, but triggers the response in me that is the ad. If that makes any sense. Anyway... now that I'm getting married, I am being programmed to not have a response, so there again is an ad that fails.

*shrug*

I'm sure there are more ads out there that I like, I just can't think of any right now. And I can't think of any that have actually affected me.

You may be right about the kids thing though. That is a very disheartening thing to look forward to. And I think that when I was a kid, toy commercials were no more effective than me actually going to the store. But I guess that is the point, bring the store to the kids on those early mornings when the parents are still asleep.

Maybe someone could explain a Tommy Hilfiger/Polo/Gap commercial. They don't even try to sell a product, just the mindset that we are cooler than everyone else because we spend money on X. Never mind that X is actually your run of the mill crap with some stupid billboard plastered on the side of it.

"Its a Tommy Shirt"

"No, its a $25 white, cotton t-shirt with a big stupid logo on the front. At least my $10 t-shirts with logos have cool logos for things that I can understand and get behind (Tux, North Carolina, my car, the PuzzleHunt I manned this weekend, yadda yadda)."

I'm ranting a lot now.

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Originally posted by MPrestonf12
the subaru WRX ad was impressionable on me:p

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Was it more than letting you know about a new product?

Mind you, it had no "affect" on me since I already knew it was coming, and new that it was going to be 40+ horses weaker than the Japan/UK/Australian model. It did make me psyched that we were getting them, but I won't ever buy one. My Impreza OS is a '97, so I will have it at least until 2015. Car commercials don't affect me since I'm not shopping.

You brought up several points and please bear in mind that I am a friend and not attacking you....just responding to your post....


You have already made up your mind about liking Dr. Pepper...good for you...I like it too but.......a lot of parents (like me) didn't let their kids drink soda except on special occaissions in limited amounts....they saw the ads long before they were allowed to drink the stuff. That is who the ad is targeted at!

If you are sitting with your wife watching the bra commercials and she sees that a certain type of lingerie makes you "stand up" and take notice...she'll want to have the same effect on you and possible try the same type of lingerie....again the ad was not aimed at you.


The Tommy Hilfiger ads/Gap/Old Navy etc. are aimed at the kids who want to look cool and fit in.

It is our jobs, as consumers in a capitalistic society, to make good decisions and teach our kids to do the same.

The ads are annoying but they only hurt us if we let them!!!

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Originally posted by barrk
I often wondered who bought something because they saw an ad.....then I had children. When they were younger they would see something on an ad and then drive me nuts wanting it. I, being the meanest Mommy in the world, didn't buy it for them just because the ad worked on them but I imagine other parents bought the stuff for their children just to shut them up!

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Hey did you keep in contact with my mum. She would never buy the cool things on TV either.

I like the adds where they have some mental retard screaming at the top of his lungs about a product. Never buy that product;)

Am a fool for point of sale advertising though. Just got to have what they are selling
"Hey honey we have to buy this cat food. It has all these neato ingrediants in it that cats would love"

"Er...we don't havea cat"

"Ok, but we could buy a cat"

*slap*

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Originally posted by Jethro


Hey did you keep in contact with my mum. She would never buy the cool things on TV either.

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No...it's just a global conspiracy to make sure our kids never get as cool as we are.....:rolleyes:

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Originally posted by barrk


No...it's just a global conspiracy to make sure our kids never get as cool as we are.....:rolleyes:

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The sisterhood strike again:eek: Females in every country where there are males.............hmmm......coincidence, l think not:rolleyes:

Makes you wonder, doesn't it....with all this talk about Big Brother maybe you should be more worried about Big Sister! :eek:

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Originally posted by barrk
Makes you wonder, doesn't it....with all this talk about Big Brother maybe you should be more worried about Big Sister! :eek:

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That would be the one with the rolling pin?