History Headscratchers / Advertising

*** Advertisements work on a number of levels, and when you actually learn about all of them you're response will be somewhere between deep respect and further IJBM. Even those who think that they are most hardened against them are affected more than they think. Now, when it comes to soda, you seem to be under the impression that they are targeting every single person. While it might be nice to sway you, they're just targeting the tautological group of people they are able to sway. The sad part? In general, this group isn't really large enough to justify normal advertising costs (new products and promotions obviously alter this), but it is large enough that Pepsi letting Coke dominate the advertising realm would be significant to them. It's essentially a case study of the prisoner's dilemma.

** Probably they're saying that the series in question won't feature a mid-season interlude of reruns, which is something some programs do to stretch out their new episodes' debuts across two sweeps-week periods and to allow for mid-season cliffhangers.

* This has to do more with movie posters than any actual commercials on television, but here goes. Is there ANY film that's come out recently that hasn't used an [[OrangeBlueContrast overwhelming amount of orange and blue on their posters?]] It's ugly and makes them all look the same. Not to mention [[ViewersAreMorons insulting]], as the orange/blue contrast is supposed to be the most subliminally pleasing to our eyes, and is somehow more likely to make us purchase movie tickets. (Because you know, actual trailers/actors/directors don't generate any interest in said film, no sir) I'm a big collector of movie posters, and there's hardly any from the past decade I find worth owning because of this hideous trend.

* Has Revlon STILL not realized yet that their "women's nailpolished hands feeling up a man's face" ad campaign makes it look like a man is touching his own face with his own immaculately polished nails? I hope they never realize. I like the commercials/ads/product display banners better this way. I can pretend it's progressive.

*** I can understand how that would bug someone, but in the end [[http://thesocietypages.org/socimages/2008/05/24/onslaught-dove-vs-axe/ money speaks higher than morals]],oh, and [[CaptainObvious Axe is targeted towards men while Dove is targeted towards women.]]

** One of the Target ads that's a bit cleverer than the rest (not that that's saying much) shows a boy standing by an open jar of Market Pantry peanut butter and an open jar of Market Pantry jelly that are on the kitchen counter. He reaches one hand into the peanut butter and gets a handful. He reaches the other hand into the jelly and gets a handful. He brings the two hands together and begins trying to eat the mess while jelly drips out of his hands. Scene switches to a picture of Market Pantry ''bread'' on a red background with the caption "80¢". Cue Target logo. [[CaptainObvious His mother ''really'' should have known to buy bread.]]

* I've been seeing lots of commercials that advertise that shows are going to be new for the rest of the season. Aren't the episodes in the season supposed to be new? If the episodes are reruns, they obviously aren't new, and not part of the rest of the season, so saying shows will be new for the rest of their season [[CaptainObvious doesn't]] [[ShapedLikeItself accomplish]] [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin anything]]. The only other thing I can think of is the Earth's seasons (i.e. Shows will be new for the rest of Spring). If not, then what are these commercials going on about?

* Often times, car commercials will have a warning saying "Professional driver. Closed Course. Do not attempt." For the most part, it makes sense; they're often driving pretty fast in some kind of desert for...some reason. But in the commercials taking place in a city, doing relatively normal things, why should you not attempt them? What's wrong with making a left turn? [[EveryCarIsAPinto Will the car explode if you do so?]]

* Baby Bottle Pop. You know, those baby-bottle-shaped lollipops with the container of powdered sugar? What do those girls say near the beginning? "They look like babies!" Now, maybe I'm misreading the mindset of the target demographic, but isn't that the last thing they want to look like?

** And what about the new new commercials? Like... Right Side vs. Left Side? What??? No, like seriously, ''what''?? There is literally no point to this nonsense. No one thinks that the left side is any different than the right or that there are two factories, each making only one side. That just breaks any level of suspension of disbelief for me. And then there was the one that was a ripoff of Charlie and the Chocolate factory... Sigh. The whole thing is just nonsensical.

** I recall a Trix commercial where the rabbit bought some with his own money, and the kids stole it from him anyway. So, they don't buy it because [[KidsAreCruel kids are complete assholes]].

* Why do cereal mascots in commercials waste their time trying to steal cereal from kids? Why not go to the local grocery store and buy it if they crave it so much? They can't be broke if they can afford costumes, wigs, and acme gadgets (which cost more than a box of cereal).

* Why do cereal mascots in commercials waste their time trying to steal cereal from kids? Why not go to the local grocery store and buy it if they crave it so bad? They can't be broke if they can afford wacky costumes and acme gadgets.

* I've been seeing lots of commercials that advertise that shows are going to be new for the rest of the season. Aren't the episodes in the season supposed to be new? If the episodes are reruns, they obviously aren't new, and not part of the rest of the season, so saying shows will be new for the rest of their season [[CaptainObvious doesn't]] [[ShapedLikeItself accomplish]] [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin anything]]. The only other thing I can think of is the Earth's seasons (i.e. Shows will be new for the rest of Spring). If not, then what are these commercials going on about?

* Are a lot of these people who make advertisements self-entitled narcissistic jerks who hate goody-two-shoes, [[DrivesLikeCrazy drive like maniacs]], and wished they could get away with everything they wanted with no consequences? And if male, they wished they could surround themselves with beautiful but shallow women 24/7 who fawn after them for no reason? Because there are a lot of commercials whose protagonists behave that way and get off scot-free at the end. It's so often, it goes beyond WishFulfillment for its target audience and becomes wish fulfillment for themselves.

* The Sprint phone "Framily Plan" commercials. To a point I can see what they're doing; showing how the plan can allow a bunch of very different people to all be in on one plan or whatever. What I don't get is.... ''why is the dad in the commercial a hamster?'' It takes the commercial out of "quirky" territory into "WTF is wrong with this universe?"