# Man, I think Madison Avenue has me figured out!

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-i-think-madison-avenue-has-me-figured-out/35678>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [October 4, 2000, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-i-think-madison-avenue-has-me-figured-out/35678 "2000-10-04T21:19:55Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Gazoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ce73a5/32.png) [@Gazoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gazoo)\
**Post date:** [October 4, 2000, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-i-think-madison-avenue-has-me-figured-out/35678/1 "2000-10-04T21:19:55Z")

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You know, I swear I used to see a lot more commercials for stuff that had no interest in at all (toys, feminine hygeine products, geritol, etc.). It seems that most all the TV ads I see anymore are aimed right at me (well, my demographic, but you know what I mean).

Now, I realize that some of it is that I’m a bachelor so I watch _my_ shows and don’t have to sit through any kids’ shows or watch _Lifetime_ (thank God). But still, even in college when I lived with four other guys in one house I recall seeing more ads that just didn’t concern me.

Are Ad Execs getting that much better at predicting the demographics of a particular shows viewers? Or have I just become much more predictable within my demographic? Has anyone else noticed that they see fewer ads for products they couldn’t possibly care for?

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**Author:** ![Bottle\_of\_Smoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Bottle\_of\_Smoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bottle_of_Smoke)\
**Post date:** [October 4, 2000, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-i-think-madison-avenue-has-me-figured-out/35678/2 "2000-10-04T21:36:31Z")

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Are you sure that you and your buddies in college weren’t avid viewers of _Days of Our Lives_, and you are just blocking it out now?

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**Author:** ![Gazoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ce73a5/32.png) [@Gazoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gazoo)\
**Post date:** [October 4, 2000, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-i-think-madison-avenue-has-me-figured-out/35678/3 "2000-10-04T21:42:45Z")

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psst… **Bottle of Smoke** …I hate to admit it, but yeah, we did watch soap operas quite a bit in college…don’t tell anyone though.

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**Author:** ![Bottle\_of\_Smoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Bottle\_of\_Smoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bottle_of_Smoke)\
**Post date:** [October 4, 2000, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-i-think-madison-avenue-has-me-figured-out/35678/4 "2000-10-04T22:00:49Z")

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Not to worry. It’s just between you and me. And the 10,000 people on this message board.

And (don’t tell anyone), I can’t believe that they killed off Patch, just when it looked like he and Kayla would finally be happy.

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**Author:** ![AzRaek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/azraek/32/16739_2.png) [@AzRaek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AzRaek)\
**Post date:** [October 5, 2000, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-i-think-madison-avenue-has-me-figured-out/35678/5 "2000-10-05T01:17:25Z")

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Yes, there’s a whole science (well more of a buncha theories) devoted to demographics and advertising. Most of it is based on prior behavior, e.g. if someone buys X, they’re likely to buy Y.

And dammit, I loved Patch!