I cannot recall the last time I was swayed by an advertisement.
it’s most dangerous to think you’re immune. it’s subtle enough to sway anyone in ways you don’t realize.
People keep saying that but never give examples.
Btw the topic is ads. There are other forms of sneaky marketing like altering search results or placement of goods on shelves in a store, but it’s not that hard to be wary of those too.
A very simple example: advertising makes you aware of brands. Just knowing that a brand exists might be enough to influence your decision in the future. Think about it: are you more likely to choose the brand you heard about, or the brand you don’t even know exists?
I always buy the cheapest option on the shelf (in terms of food). Usually that’s the store brand for the store I am in. For electronics I usually just do a lot of research (Reddit, looking into age of the company, picture reviews and 1 star complaints) and ask friends. I’m sure that the “ads” shown in my research sway me sometimes though when I’m truly clueless about something and just have to take people’s word for it.
Sometimes, though, the people you’re trusting to be objective have been swayed by ads themselves! It’s honestly impossible IMO to be completely unaffected by ads because of that. Even if you never see an ad in your life – the people around you have.
I always buy the cheapest option on the shelf (in terms of food).
The question is not necessarily which option you pick, but that you feel the need for a particular product at all. Without advertising, for example, people would buy far fewer sodas. I’m pretty sure the same goes for tech gadgets.
That’s a question of consumerism in general, not necessarily of ads.
Why is it different? Because if we shrug and say that well, we buy unnecessarily shit anyway, then we are even more likely to buy based on ads and other marketing ploys.
Being aware and skeptical of actual advertisements, on the other hand, can make you more wary about buying too much.
I mean, if you watch TV ads, don’t use adblock etc, you’re just used to the whole ecosystem and are just going with the flow. But if you block ads everywhere and then suddenly get hit by one, you definitely realize how stupid and evil they are. Plus you have more time to look for other sneaky marketing tactics.
Advertisments are like fake boobs: you only notice and complain about them when they are badly done.
Exactly. You don’t remember the last time you were swayed, because you didn’t even realize you were being advertised to. Talking to people who are good at this is fascinating.
I have a friend, now some big-shot SEO lead at a digital agency, started at Saatchi a decade ago. She explained to me how most of the irrelevant targeted ads you see are mostly due to idiot clients, or sometimes it’s just an awareness campaign, where they place a lot of ads and see who gets hooked - they are then followed up with better targeted and tailored ad.
If anything, when I see any advertisement these days, it convinces me to dislike the product, especially when they try to be obnoxiously hip.
Grub hub dancing diverse man
Old spice ad clones
Better help pandering to lgbt in garish and obnoxious ways
Liberty mutual stupid emu
And I realize that me mentioning these proves their efficacy from a word of mouth perspective, be I alone will not be more likely to purchase these products as a result of these ads.
I’m all for equal treatment, regardless of genetic makeup and sexual orientation, but when you use that stuff as a marketing tool, it offends me. Do you think I’m an ant? Do you think that your injection of humanitarian issues is going to make me more likely to buy a fucking therapy service?
I firmly believe that it won’t .
