1.) One thing I found surprising while watching the film was the segment with Rappie (the man that had the marketing focus groups) was the way he went about finding out what it was that consumers really wanted in advertising and what would really convince them to buy a product. He used a three step process that broke down the members of the focus group. One word he used was “luxury”. At first he asked them what that word meant to them to try and evoke some feeling toward the word. This was the first part of the process, which was for the cortex part of the brain. Then he moved into the emotional part of the process then finally down to the primal urges. I found this really interesting because it goes down almost to the subconscious of the consumer’s wants and needs. I never realized how much effort market researchers took in regards to the internal and subconscious wants that would sell a customer a product and how they focus certain ads to certain target audiences that would most likely want that product or be sold by that type of advertisement.
One thing I learned about myself, or more accurately realized about myself and my habits, is the fact that I tune out certain advertisements but some advertisements I really am drawn too. For example, ads with catchy music or cool graphics catch my attention and I find myself more inclined to want that product or find a need for that product based on the ad. Now when I watch television and the commercials when watching my shows, I think about what exactly the marketers are doing in order to sell me and or someone else that product, whether it is through the language or through the art or visual aspect.
2.) I agree with the video in regards to the incredible number of advertisements the average consumer is exposed to on a daily basis. It has hit the point where many times I don’t even pay attention to the ads, let alone realize I am being exposed to ads at all. Things from commercials to radio stations to ads on the sides of my favorite websites even to the bumper sticker application on Facebook can at some point be considered advertisements. At this point in time, for me at least, it would have to be a very creative ad for it to stick out from the pack; and like the video had said, because everyone is trying to stick out from the clutter, there is more and more clutter. There are only so many big ideas and there are only so many new products that people actually find a need or a want for. There may be a time when advertising fades into the background and the true necessities for life are the only things that people will buy.
I think that there are way too many advertisements circulating in our society today. Twenty or thirty years ago there were less advertisements and therefore people would actually take into account what they were selling, what good they could potentially have, and if there may be of use for the product in their lives. Now, we see at least ten to twenty separate commercials when watching a single television program, not to mention the junk emails, the junk mail, the sidebar ads, ads on trucks, car, vans. There are so many that people don’t even look at them anymore as something that could potentially be a purchase, they are more like a nuisance that we have to tolerate.
