2010-12-12, 09:54 PM
I've never been convinced to buy anything by the commercial, but I've seen commercials for things that I've needed and purchased.
An example being Bottle Tops. I didn't buy them because of the commercial. I bought them because I exclusively use aluminum cans over plastic for recycling purposes and hate having open containers around. The commercial made me aware of the product, but it wasn't the commercial that made me want to buy the product, it was the actual need/usage for it (which the commercial did not increase the perception of).
My SO is an ad exec though, so I can say first hand ads do in fact work on people. Not just the incidentally encouraged purchases like mine, but there are also people who will literally buy anything you hype up. Some commercials aren't even designed to move the majority but to push the last little bit on people already wavering between brands.
An example being Bottle Tops. I didn't buy them because of the commercial. I bought them because I exclusively use aluminum cans over plastic for recycling purposes and hate having open containers around. The commercial made me aware of the product, but it wasn't the commercial that made me want to buy the product, it was the actual need/usage for it (which the commercial did not increase the perception of).
My SO is an ad exec though, so I can say first hand ads do in fact work on people. Not just the incidentally encouraged purchases like mine, but there are also people who will literally buy anything you hype up. Some commercials aren't even designed to move the majority but to push the last little bit on people already wavering between brands.
It's not having what you want - It's wanting what you've got.