Good Morning.
I do not like the great majority of television commercials. I either mute the channel or use the time to get something from the kitchen or take out the dog. It doesn't do any good to switch to another channel because they all air their ads at the same time. The deal is to get consumers to watch at least something that's being peddled and not find another show to distract them.
Companies run the same ad until I'm ready to throw a shoe at the TV. The strategy here is to brainwash the viewer into stumbling into a store and purchasing the product without thinking about it. People who work in laboratories with mice call this a controlled response. Companies also use the same spokesperson again and again so you'll regard the person as a friend who tells you to buy something and you feel a warm, fuzzy feeling that you should do it. I hate to disappoint but Flo drives me nuts to the point that I will never buy her insurance and the same is true for the gal, standing in the shadow of the Statue of Liberty, who named her car Brad and the woman who accuses her brother-in-law of wearing her robe. I feel better about the company with the bouncy slogan tune that everyone can now sing, including the presenter at the Academy Awards a couple of years ago when J.K. Simmons won an Oscar. I also like the two goofballs in the cranberry bog and almost any ad featuring animals because they're funnier than humans and commercials work for me if they're funny.
Wayfair does not have what I need because at my age I don't need anything except time, hopefully several years of it. My generation is not inclined to be impressed with the ads for laxatives and heartburn medications that seemed to be aired, to my distress if I didn't have it before, during the dinner hour. Old people, some of us anyway, still have a few thoughts about good taste, a concept that has all but disappeared from the American landscape. I'm okay with Blythe Danner and her high risk for fracture because she's classy and I appreciate that.
Targeted marketing goes after certain age groups. Shows watched by seniors, like reruns of westerns and sitcoms, advertise products like home health services or stair lifts that are more affordable than moving. Shows watched by adolescents, and forgive me but I can't think of one at the moment, feature acne creams and smart phones. Targeted marketing also concentrates on items that might appeal to a certain part of the country. Pickups with extended cabs sell better, for example, in Gillette, Wyoming than Greenwich, Connecticut.
In my area an item is currently being advertised that I find particularly annoying. The item is called a Trumpy Bear, a take-off on the original stuffed animal named for Teddy Roosevelt who happens to have a spot on Mount Rushmore. Trumpy Bear has a shock of orange/blond hair between his ears and wears a plain red tie. Inside Trumpy is an American flag because people who buy him are apparently more inclined to uphold American values. The problem is that we disagree these days on exactly what they are.
Best regards,
Elisabeth
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