"The Persuaders" Questions

"The Persuaders" begins by questioning the increase in the amount of advertising we typically encounter in our daily lives. How would you assess the amount of advertising you see? Too much? Too little? Just right? In your view, what difference does it make to know that people today see much more advertising in their daily lives than people 20 or 30 years ago?
Today, it seems as if the amount of advertising we encounter in our daily lives has increased. "The Persuaders? has shown that over the years, advertising companies have bombarded consumers with numerous advertisements. If I had to assess the amount of advertising I see, I would have to say that it depends on the environment that I am in. I live in New York City and i know what it is like to be completely surrounded by ads. New York City is a city that is full of advertisements. Take Times Square as an example...there are billboards everywhere you turn! Trains, buses, taxis, and trucks are plastered with messages from various companies that are trying to grab the attention of their target audience. Scrolling marquees, blinking and neon lights...a tourist would probable get lost amongst all of these messages.

Twenty or thirty years ago, people were not seeing that many advertisements in their daily lives. Today, media fragmentation, soaring media costs, and more focused target marketing strategies have promoted the importance of media-planning function. More and more, advertisers are orchestrating a closer harmony between their messages and the media that deliver them. Advertising can only succeed if advertisements gain attention and communicate well. Good advertising messages are especially important in today's costly and cluttered advertising environment. Today, there are thousands of magazines, radio stations as well as a continuous stream of catalogs, direct mail, Internet e-mail and online ads, and out-of-home media, and consumers are being flooded with ads at home, at work and at all points in between.

Because there is so much advertising clutter today, advertisers are having trouble captivating their audience. Today's technology has given consumers a rich new set of information and entertainment choices. With the growth in cable and satellite TV, the Internet video-on-demand and DVD rentals, today's views have more options. Digital technology has also armed consumers with a choice for choosing what they watch or don't want to watch. Increasingly, consumers are choosing NOT to watch ads. They do this by fast-forwarding through recorded programs. They can mute the sound during a commercial or browse around the channels to see what else is on. The rapid growth of Ti-Vo has also added to the problem. Therefore, advertisers can no longer force-feed the same old cookie-cutter ad messages to captivate consumers. Just to gain and hold attention, today's advertising messages must be better planned, more imaginative, more entertaining, and more rewarding to consumers.


Where are things headed in the future? What are some possible scenarios that could play out as far as the direction that future persuaders may take their marketing techniques?
Because of all the advertising clutter, I think that advertisers have to find more create ways to present their message. For decades, marketers have been spending more money to try to get their messages heard. However, they have been drowned in all the noise that has been generated b y so many other marketers that are trying to do the same exact thing. Companies do not want to be throwing their money away just to be ignored. In the future, I think that the Internet will play a big role for advertisers in targeting prospects and measuring results. Not only will advertisers think of new ways to break through the clutter and connect with potential consumers, they will be doing so at a lower cost.

"The Persuaders" mentioned product placement and I feel that that is one technique that will increase greatly in the future. Product placement is the placing of b rands into regular entertainment, news, or other news. The intent is to create an association between the brand being placed and the audience that is interacting with the given medium. Movies are one area in which product placement is used heavily to promote certain brands. By strategically placing the brands into regular entertainment, companies are able to target a specific audience in a subtle kind of way. Sports are also another area that advertisers depend on when creating product placement. Outdoor signs in a stadium can reach millions who watch a sports event. Have you ever wondered why skiers always hold their skis with the brand name toward the camera during interviews? That's product placement! This gets the product in front of people in an unsuspecting way.

Even though I feel the Internet and product placement will play a big role in the future of advertising, there is one technique that will always be popular...viral marketing. Viral marketing is about trying to get people to spread the word about your brand or product, like a virus. The concept of word-of-mouth is one of the best ways to get people talking about your brand or product. The bottom line of this type of marketing is to make the content interesting and valuable enough in the eyes of the consumer to pass along. If you get people talking about your product, it will spark an interest in others as well. Advertisements have certainly become a part of people's daily lives, and the constant exposure has unfortunately caused many people to block them out all together. Now, advertisers understand the importance of grabbing the attention of their audience in order to convey the given message quickly, as well as creatively.