Well, they have to drive revenue somehow. It's just a delicate balance, because if things get too obtrusive people will just tune out.

 

Truth is, an awful lot of people use TimeShifting now to watch TV. That has got to be killing ad revenues. I watch all my primetime TV via DVR, and I skip past ALL commercials, however, I do back up to watch something that catches my eye.
Rare, but I do do it.

 

If it's too obtrusive then I'll do something else. I have plenty of things to do. I've watched TV twice in the past month for example and it feels kind of free actually.

Plus the fact that teenagers and other young people today just don't watch TV anymore. Everything is online to them.

 

I've watched TV twice in the past month

:nono2: Slacker.

:lol:

 

Even before the dvr, I never paid attention to commercials. Commercials were times to get a snack, flip channels, take a bathroom break or maybe take care of some quick household chore.

 

Even before the dvr, I never paid attention to commercials. Commercials were times to get a snack, flip channels, take a bathroom break or maybe take care of some quick household chore.

yeah, but it used to be they didn't know you were skipping the commercials

 

David Letterman already does "commercials" in his show - sometimes it sneaks up on you and you don't realize until it's too late that he's pitching something, but I enjoy it for the fact he's so bitter and contemptuous or just plain silly when he does the plugs. I know for certain I will not buy the products simply because I didn't skip the "commercial", and I doubt my spending habits will change if more programs started following suit.

 

yeah, but it used to be they didn't know you were skipping the commercials

Oh, they knew. Even back in the 60's they already knew we were going to the kitchen for a snack during commercials. That's why commercials have always been louder than the tv shows.

btw, advertisers, I will absolutely NOT buy any product that uses a doofy, balding, unkempt, clueless white guy for "comedic effect". EVER!

 

Oh, they knew. Even back in the 60's they already knew we were going to the kitchen for a snack during commercials. That's why commercials have always been louder than the tv shows.

EVER!

You don't beleive the TV stations and advertisers when they say that commercials are not louder?

 

Generally, it is not the stations that make the commercials louder, but the fact that the commercial's audio is processed in order to provide a much higher average level. This is done by the production company that produced the spot, not the station.

I'm not saying no stations have ever done what you say, but it is usually the commercial's audio processing that makes it stand out.

Of course, when we FF thru a commerical, we don't hear it, even if we do see some of it.

 

Oh great, more networks/channels doing more of the TNT type obnoxious advertising that just doesn't go away and nearly totally obliterates the material on the screen?

Just that much more reason to buy disc based content and ignore 'broadcast' content or content provided via traditional means.

Later, ratings dry up or never exist, and what could have, would have, should have been (like say Firefly) just disappears and we get stuck with more crappola that I won't care to watch and I'll be left looking at any of a hundred different movies or TV series that I'll have collected on disc.

Keep going Hollywood, keep going. I'll be happy to ignore your crap.

 

Truth is, an awful lot of people use TimeShifting now to watch TV. That has got to be killing ad revenues. I watch all my primetime TV via DVR, and I skip past ALL commercials, however, I do back up to watch something that catches my eye.
Rare, but I do do it.

How does skipping ads affect ad revenues? Nobody watches commercials anyway, whether they just get up and go to the bathroom, or press fast-forward. And even when you do see a commercial, it's not like it's an online banner that you click and they get 1 cent for that.

 

Commercials are cool and all to help pay for our programming to offset some of the costs... but I honestly have never understood a lot of commercials.

I've long argued that the wrong companies are doing the bulk of the advertising.

I find it hard to believe, for example, that 99% of the TV-watching USA does not know about Pepsi, Coke, Budweiser, etc.

This summer advertising the new "Undercover Orange" flavor of Sierra Mist with the "Get Smart" tie-in makes sense as it advertises a new product... but I know full well regular Pepsi is on the shelf and where to get it. A regular-flavor Pepsi commercial is really a waste of good money that the company could be spending elsewhere.

Think about bread... you really don't see a lot of bread commercials on the air even though there are competing companies making bread products. Sure there are some commercials, but you can go days and weeks, maybe even months, before seeing one unless the company is also advertising a cake/pastry/donut or some other product as well.

 

Commercials are cool and all to help pay for our programming to offset some of the costs... but I honestly have never understood a lot of commercials.

I've long argued that the wrong companies are doing the bulk of the advertising.

I find it hard to believe, for example, that 99% of the TV-watching USA does not know about Pepsi, Coke, Budweiser, etc.

This summer advertising the new "Undercover Orange" flavor of Sierra Mist with the "Get Smart" tie-in makes sense as it advertises a new product... but I know full well regular Pepsi is on the shelf and where to get it. A regular-flavor Pepsi commercial is really a waste of good money that the company could be spending elsewhere.

Think about bread... you really don't see a lot of bread commercials on the air even though there are competing companies making bread products. Sure there are some commercials, but you can go days and weeks, maybe even months, before seeing one unless the company is also advertising a cake/pastry/donut or some other product as well.

And then there are those commercials for companies we couldn't buy products from if we wanted to, like DuPont. "We don't make the sled. We make the sled go faster".

 

Commercials are cool and all to help pay for our programming to offset some of the costs... but I honestly have never understood a lot of commercials.

I've long argued that the wrong companies are doing the bulk of the advertising.

I find it hard to believe, for example, that 99% of the TV-watching USA does not know about Pepsi, Coke, Budweiser, etc.

Right, America knows about these products...but for how long? There is much, much more to adverising than letting you know the producst exists.

How will Pepsi remain cool without its commercials to retain its cool image? How could it even have an image in the mind of the consumer, without advertising? It would become just another drink on the shelf.

Before long, people would be asking, "Whatever happened to Pepsi? I never hear about them."

One of the basic pillars of advertising is that the biggest-selling brands have to keep pounding and pounding. That's how they stay big.

 

I think longer and longer commerical breaks over the years is much of what drove users to cable and DVRs. Product placement is a smart idea but I am sure that will get out of hand as well. Soon I am afraid we will see commercial "bugs", (like the little cable network logos) displayed all through the shows. Eventially I believe the networks will demand a bigger cut from cable/sat companies to make up from lost commercial revenues.

 

I think longer and longer commerical breaks over the years is much of what drove users to cable and DVRs. Product placement is a smart idea but I am sure that will get out of hand as well. Soon I am afraid we will see commercial "bugs", (like the little cable network logos) displayed all through the shows. Eventially I believe the networks will demand a bigger cut from cable/sat companies to make up from lost commercial revenues.

We already see that on some shows .. I was watching The Best Dance Crew on MTV a couple of days back and there was a small "TV" in the upper left corner every 20-30 minutes with an ad for the show that was "coming up next" There are other examples, but it is already happening .. soon it will be on primetime shows I suspect.

 

Right, America knows about these products...but for how long? There is much, much more to adverising than letting you know the producst exists.

How will Pepsi remain cool without its commercials to retain its cool image? How could it even have an image in the mind of the consumer, without advertising? It would become just another drink on the shelf.

Before long, people would be asking, "Whatever happened to Pepsi? I never hear about them."

One of the basic pillars of advertising is that the biggest-selling brands have to keep pounding and pounding. That's how they stay big.

A company stays big by being good. Pepsi is a great example because people have to eat... so people will be in grocery stores regularly. At least once every 2 weeks, most folks probably every week, are in a store to buy food and drink. You can't miss seeing Pepsi in the store unless you don't go down that aisle. If Pepsi wants to advertise, then signs at the front of the store are the way to go. Commercials on TV are a waste in my opinion.

I can't believe people would forget about Pepsi as long as it is on the shelves. Especially when you consider how many people aren't watching the commercials anyway (the topic of this very thread), which proves my point about unnecessary commercials.

IF commercials were more properly targeted and advertised new/emerging products mostly... I suspect less of us would skip them. The main reason why we skip so many commercials is because we know there is not likely to be new information there that we will miss. People hate missing out of stuff, so if we thought we might miss an ad for a new/exciting product, we'd be more inclined to sit and watch the commercials... but when you can count on commercials for product you already know about, you might as well skip them or make a bathroom/snack break and come back to watch your favorite show.

 

A company stays big by being good. Pepsi is a great example because people have to eat... so people will be in grocery stores regularly. At least once every 2 weeks, most folks probably every week, are in a store to buy food and drink. You can't miss seeing Pepsi in the store unless you don't go down that aisle. If Pepsi wants to advertise, then signs at the front of the store are the way to go. Commercials on TV are a waste in my opinion.

I can't believe people would forget about Pepsi as long as it is on the shelves. Especially when you consider how many people aren't watching the commercials anyway (the topic of this very thread), which proves my point about unnecessary commercials.

IF commercials were more properly targeted and advertised new/emerging products mostly... I suspect less of us would skip them. The main reason why we skip so many commercials is because we know there is not likely to be new information there that we will miss. People hate missing out of stuff, so if we thought we might miss an ad for a new/exciting product, we'd be more inclined to sit and watch the commercials... but when you can count on commercials for product you already know about, you might as well skip them or make a bathroom/snack break and come back to watch your favorite show.

A good commercial campaign can make a big difference. Brand awareness is very important. The people at Coke and Pepsi would certainly agree as they have battled with and over it for decades.

Of course...one of the keys is having a "good" campaign...that means a commercial that attracts viewers AND causes them to remember the product/brand being advertised. The product doesn't have to necessarily be new...just the message...or at least interesting.

Years ago when they made commercials they would talk about feet of film shot per foot used. The ratio was around 30 to 1. A network TV show would run around 5 or 6 to 1. The advertisers knew they had to make it great to keep our attention. Think about the great TV campaigns of the past and think about them recently. There aren't many nowadays, but I bet most here can list twenty from years back they still remember and, to some extent, probably still affects their buying habits.

 

A company stays big by being good. Pepsi is a great example because people have to eat... so people will be in grocery stores regularly. At least once every 2 weeks, most folks probably every week, are in a store to buy food and drink. You can't miss seeing Pepsi in the store unless you don't go down that aisle. If Pepsi wants to advertise, then signs at the front of the store are the way to go. Commercials on TV are a waste in my opinion.

Nah, you have to stay in the face and be available. If Pepsi stopped advertising, their share would go down. Not only are there new consumers born every day but you need to stay a household name. You don't do that by shying away. Pepsi doesn't want to become RC Cola or some other substaining drink.

It is even more required today as we become more jaded and have shorter term memories.

BTW, there are bread commercials. They tend to be local but Wonderbread did a lot of bread commercials. You are just watching the wrong shows.

 

Nah, you have to stay in the face and be available. If Pepsi stopped advertising, their share would go down. Not only are there new consumers born every day but you need to stay a household name. You don't do that by shying away. Pepsi doesn't want to become RC Cola or some other substaining drink.

Exactly right. It's name recognition. It's the 'hip' factor. It's celebrity endorsements. All of that helps grow a new brand and helps to sustain a strong brand. Commercials help achieve that.

 

A good commercial campaign can make a big difference. Brand awareness is very important. .... Think about the great TV campaigns of the past and think about them recently. There aren't many nowadays, but I bet most here can list twenty from years back they still remember and, to some extent, probably still affects their buying habits.

Problem here is... you are kind of supporting my point, that commercials all the time serve no purpose just like disappearing entirely serves no purpose. The fact that we can remember commercials from 20+ years ago and not one from yesterday shows how ineffective most advertising is..

A really good campaign along with a great product serves itself well for a very long time and doesn't need to be promoted every day after that.

IF the people at Coke or Pepsi truly would lose sales if they stopped advertising, then my counter-argument would be that the product isn't as good as it should be to keep customers. Once you try a Pepsi and like it, you should keep buying it and tell your friends how much you like it... and they shouldn't need to advertise every half hour to keep convincing people.

 

Nah, you have to stay in the face and be available.

I covered that, though. People need to eat, people go to stores to buy food and drink... you can't go to a store and buy food & drink and not see Pepsi. It is almost impossible not to see Pepsi in a store, and you are in a store about once a week on average. IF you still need a commercial to remind you that Pepsi is there, something is wrong.

If Pepsi stopped advertising, their share would go down.

I don't believe that, unless Pepsi just isn't any good. If Pepsi is any good, a commercial every hour shouldn't be necessary to keep people drinking it.

Not only are there new consumers born every day but you need to stay a household name.

But new consumers are born from (wait for it) existing customers! And new customers are born into the household! So if mom & dad know about Pepsi, then Jr and Missy will know about it. Heck, kids manage to figure out how to score drugs and alcohol illegally, I'm pretty sure they can find out about Pepsi!

You don't do that by shying away. Pepsi doesn't want to become RC Cola or some other substaining drink.

RC is as good to me as Pepsi is, and I find it just fine. Admittedly it isn't as commonplace as Pepsi, and here I agree... RC could stand to do some advertising to get the word out since it has been quite a while... but truthfully, the problem in "cola wars" is more about exclusive arrangements and strongarming that keeps Coke & Pepsi on top than their advertising.

Consider that most restaurants have a contract with either Coke or Pepsi exclusively and that prevents them from selling any other company's beverage to their customers. Here in the south, even though Pepsi was "born in the Carolinas" most restaurants around here carry Coke products. For a long time Pepsi could only be had at Pizza Hut, KFC, and Taco Bell and that was because Pepsico owned those chains at that time.

Again, this isn't about advertising... because once Coke/Pepsi get the exclusivity hooks in and buy up the prime real estate at the grocery aisle... all the commercials in the world won't get RC Cola more shelf space... and consumers tend (unless they know otherwise from experience) to buy what there is more of on the shelf because they assume more is better.

It is even more required today as we become more jaded and have shorter term memories.

I'm really quite surprised here, incidentally, at the folks who are certain that commercials are necessary and companies will fall apart without them... and yet this thread was started based on the premise that companies are concerned too many people are skipping their commercials and want to explore other avenues (product placement, etc.) in TV programming.

That's why I went down the path I did... If Pepsi, for example, is concerned not enough people are watching their commercials... seems to me it is also proof their commercials are not necessary (i.e. people are obviously buying Pepsi without watching the commercial)... so why not put the money elsewhere, either into other sponsorships OR in improving the product offering.

 

yeah, but it used to be they didn't know you were skipping the commercials

So if they would just act like they still don't know, and still charge the same sponsors the same rates for the same advertising, nothing would have to change. There would still be ads on tv, and people would still not watch them.

How will Pepsi remain cool without its commercials to retain its cool image?

I put one pepsi in front of the tv without skipping commercials, and one in the refrigumerator. Only one stayed cool...not the commercial one.

 

Again, HDMe, the purpose of advertising is not simply to inform people that a product exists. No wonder you think most advertising is a waste if that's your viewpoint.

The fact that you know that Pepsi buys a lot of commercials shows that they must be making some sort of impression, even on you.

We can't have an Advertising 101 course here, and this is somewhat off-topic, but you are battling well-established principles here with your opinions.