Do advertisements have an effect on what you purchase? How?

Cafe Society
1

With me, it depends on what’s being advertised. I, for the most part, grocery shop by buying what’s on sale or what’s least expensive. If I were shopping for a car, (which I never had to do before), I doubt advertisements would have any effect on what I would look at, or buy. The most effective advertisements for me are for films I might want to see; If it looks like a good movie, I might go see it, (or rent it), if I had the cash.

If anything, advertisements can turn me off to certain products. If I feel the ad is stupid, it pisses me off and I remember to NOT buy that product.

If an advertisement’s clever, do you find yourself more prone to purchase that item? Are Super Bowl ads worth the money and the effort? Do people really care about the product, or are they just watching for the entertainment value?

A bigger question I have is; do advertisements have the same effect on people these days that it once did? Have we as a society become more immune to the intentions these ads have for us to remember a product and purchase it, since we live in an age of consistent stimulation? Not to mention many of us are able to fast-forward television ads.

2

Ads generally don’t have much of an impact on me, beyond letting me know that a product or service I was already interested in is now available. “Oh, that’s when the new iPhone is coming out?” Or, “Oh, that film’s on Amazon now? Cool! It got good reviews.” But they generally don’t persuade me to buy things I wouldn’t ordinarily be interested in.

3

I guess another thing I wonder is; do they have an effect on us that’s beyond our own consciousness. Are they trying to get into our heads without us knowing it. If so, does it work?

4

I can remember two products I bought as the direct result of seeing the commercials. The Swiffer Sweeper Vac and the Magic Eraser. I’m been pretty darn happy with both products.

In general, based on the amount of advertising I am exposed to on a regular basis (all forms) I would say they don’t have much of an affect on me.

5

I think so. Especially in terms of brand awareness and associations. I think those who claim to be unaffected by ads are underestimating the effect they actually have.

6

I once saw a commercial for Almond Joy flavored coffee creamer. I said to the wife “Hey, they have Almond Joy flavored coffee creamer” and she said “Go buy it right now!” So I did.

I guess that commercial was effective. Although it could have just been a guy saying “We make this now… true story.” with the same result.

7

Well it helps when you’re trying to put the word out that there’s a new product… But what’s Doritos have to gain from their Super Bowl ad?

8

I’ve found that I buy a ton of music featured in commercials for products that aren’t the band itself. I don’t necessarily even pay much attention to what the ad is about, but I’ll hear a song that grabs me and either frantically memorize lyrics then look them up online to figure out the song, or whip out the iPhone and use a song-recognition app (Shazam or Soundhound) to identify it.

Otherwise I think a lot of my response to ads is of the “oh hey, that’s out finally?” type. I will admit that the Magic Eraser ads did hook me and are worth the purchase. There are probably some others out there that have done so, but nothing off the top of my head.

I do a lot of product comparisons via Consumer Reports, Cook’s Illustrated, and scanning Amazon reviews, so usually any ad influence has to filter through a certain level of checking up on the product first.

9

Absolutely. Almost everything I’ve ever purchased was because of advertising of one sort or another. There are a small number of items I buy because my Mom used them (e.g. Joy dishwashing liquid), a few that are personal recommendations of friends or family, and a few that I just saw on a store shelf (although even there shelf placement, package design, and store promotion are forms of advertising). But in the past week or two my new bedroom quilt, the sweater I requested as a Valentine’s gift, and Peanut Butter Cheerios were all purchases based on advertising.

It’s true that I don’t purchase many items based on traditional television commercials. I watch everything on time delay, so I rarely see them anyway. I’d say the only way that television commercials influence me is by making me want to eat whatever they’re showing. But there’s always product placement. I know for sure that’s the reason I purchased a pint of Stephen Colbert’s Americone Dream ice cream this week.

10

When I was younger, I was an advertiser’s worst nightmare, since I’d actively be turned off by advertising. For instance, I preferred McDonald’s over Burger King, and Pepsi over Coke, because I found Burger King’s and Coke’s ads arrogant. And Ore-Ida had a commercial for a while saying “Ever notice how everyone always eats the potatoes first?”, and for years, I made it a specific point to eat the potatoes last. This doesn’t happen so much any more, probably because I don’t watch TV any more and so am exposed to much fewer ads.

I do find ads useful that let me know of the existence of a new product, though (especially new books from Amazon). And what was really amusing was once, back in the days when Altavista was the top search engine, I searched for a piece of software I was interested in, got zero hits from the search engine, but the sponsored ad on the results page was for it (I didn’t end up buying it, but only because it was much more expensive than I’d expected).

11

It keeps their product in the front of people’s minds. Most people don’t go down the aisle at the grocery store and thoughtfully consider the pros and cons of each possible snack they can purchase. They either buy what they always buy, or they just look over the aisle and buy something that looks good without wasting too much time thinking about it. Doritos advertises so that when you think “I’d like to buy some chips, what should I buy?” or “I need to buy some snacks for my party, what should I get?” that one of the first ideas that pop into your head about what to buy is Doritos.

I don’t know if I’m explaining it well, but most advertising doesn’t present you with information so that you make an informed, conscious choice on whether you will buy the product or not. It presents information and images so that you know what the product is, and associate good things with it. Not that all advertising does this well, but I think that’s what it’s usually aiming for.

I know that I’m definitely influenced by advertisements for some movies and TV shows. I’m probably influence by advertisements for other things too.

12

I like to think I’m more or less immune, since I mute the TV whenever a commercial comes on (and with certain ubiquitous commercials, like Progressive insurance, Geico, and a few others, I don’t even look at the TV while they’re on). Instead, I’ll browse products at the store, comparing prices, and occasionally taking a chance on an untried product. For large® purchases, I’ll consult Consumer Reports. For instance, I needed a new vacuum cleaner, did some comparison shopping at several stores, then bought one that CR recommended. So far, I’m happy with it. No manipulation by advertisers (unless you count shelf displays at stores).

13

I’m looking at a spreadsheet of every personal purchase and almost all of our household purchases for the past year or so, and I’m having a hard time finding any product or service that even has advertising–that I know of.

However, if you consider the physical presence of an item on a store shelf to be “advertising,” then this whole thread is kind of pointless. That’s like saying the only reason you buy things is because there’s a market in your neighborhood.

14

No, I can say quite confidently that I don’t underestimate the effect advertising has on me at all. It has close to zero effect, that’s just a fact (in my case).

Advertising for ubiquitous, well-known products has always mystified me. Coke vs. Pepsi, or MacDonald’s vs. Burger King. Pretty much everyone (in the US, anyway) over the age of twelve (often much younger) knows that those products exist. So, clearly, the advertising isn’t trying to get me to know the there is this great drink called Coke, it’s trying to influence me that Coke is “better” than the alternatives, or “cooler”, or “hipper”, or "whatever"er that will make me go, “I want to be cool, or seen as one of the elite” or somesuch nonsense. Are there really people, adults, that make their soft drink buying decisions based on that? Me, I’ve always made buying decisions based on the important attributes of the product, like I drink Pepsi because, to me, it tastes better than Coke. All the hip, cool, wonderful, cute-bear-filled advertising in the world isn’t going to change my taste buds.

Like some other posters, I’m far, far more likely to be influenced in a negative way by advertising. Many years ago, Burger King had a series of TV ads that bastardised some well-known rock songs. I know that the intent of ads like that is to get people to associate Burger King with their long-loved songs, and hence have a “feel-good” association and hence to eat there. To me, it was just crass and showed a profound lack of creativity on the part of the advertisers. I decided never to eat at Burger King again, and I have not set foot in one (nor put any food from one into my mouth) since.

I go to a MacDonald’s when I’m in the mood for MacDonald’s food, not because any advertising has instilled or even a teensy bit increased my desire to be a part of whatever the advertising has tried to convey about MacDonald’s.

Again as some other posters, occasionally advertising “influences” me by making me aware of some product or TV show or movie that I was not previously aware of, and that might be of some interest to me. But if I try, say, the new Swiffer and I don’t think it clean very well, all the cutesy living dust motes falling up in love with a Swiffer isn’t going to get me to use it again.

15

This. If I see an ad for a new product that interests me, I might pick one up on my next store trip. This is especially true of As Seen on TV stuff. No way am I buying ShamWow through an 800 number, Vince or no Vince, but I might pick some up from the ASoT aisle at Target.

TV advertising is much more likely to turn me off a product or a company, though. For instance, I don’t care how cheap Progressive’s or Geico’s insurance is, I won’t buy it because their ads piss me off.

16

I have to be one of the most advertising resistant people on Earth.

The School Of Marketing should bring me in for study.

17

Advertising is about product awareness and brand recognition. I will often buy something if I am made aware of it, and will very occasionally buy something because it’s a familiar brand name.

Otherwise I just buy whatever it is I have a hankering for, probably most often guided by price or reviews.

18

How did they become ubiquitous and well-known? What would happen if they stopped advertising while their rivals continued to advertise?

That’s why they do it.

19

How do we define the scope of “advertising”? Just television ads? Radio? Magazines? Billboards? Coupon flyers? Nice packaging in the store–being sold in a nice looking store?

I’ve started to be really afraid of what is and isn’t an advertisement, especially since product placement on television is so prevalent. Every time a sitcom family sits down to a meal, for example, I wonder if what they’re eating is determined by meat/dairy/breakfast cereal producers who pay for placement, if the furniture and decorations are placements, if the costumes are placements…

I’m becoming more and more sure that it takes a very smart, self-aware person to identify what they really want and the best way to get it. Or maybe I just come from a consumerist family.

Now some smart aleck can come in and tell me I obviously come from a very consumerist family.

20

One notable example for me was when I needed a watch. As I was looking in the display cases at the department store, I saw these little photo displays of Kesha wearing Baby G watches. (She even designed a couple of them herself.) I thought that was so cool, but still I decided to buy another brand of watch (Skagen). However, the band on the Skagen broke after only 99 days.

I decided I wouldn’t make the same mistake twice. I exchanged the broken Skagen for a G Shock (made by the same manufacturer as Baby G). The saleslady kept trying to get me to take another Skagen. “It’s a better watch than the G Shock…I’ve had my Skagen for over 20 years…I guarantee you the replacement won’t break.” Finally I got her to shut up and give me the G Shock. I’ve now had my G Shock for well over 100 days, and it hasn’t given me any problems whatsoever.

Proof that Kesha knows more about watches than the watch saleslady does.