Advertising and Consumer Behavior

Advertising & Consumer Behavior

What are some of the principles of television advertising?

Some principles include knowing and studying audiences & demographics. Another principle is to build a brand and a lifestyle. Another is to create desire in the consumer.

What makes it unique from other mediums and its ability to influence customers' decisions?

It is a relatively old form of medium with respect to American culture. Meaning, people are used to commercials -- they are accustomed to seeing ads on television. They are very short and produced with a great deal of concentration and intent. They often incorporate cutting edge production techniques and equipment to catch people's attention, as well as often sampling famous songs or original jingles that remain in people's minds.

What are the pros and cons of advertising on television?

Cons are that ads on television can be skipped because of people who have Tivo and DVR, so it is as if the ads are not getting watched at all. Commercials are very expensive to produce; they typically get very large budgets -- larger than the budgets for an episode of a successful show. Thus, with the advent of some forms of technology, ads become a waste of money. A pro-of ads on television is that television is still a very popular format of media consumption. Meaning, television is still popular. Therefore, television, because it is popular, attracts large audiences, many of whom will sit through the commercials and be influenced by them. There are, in fact, a number of channels that are specifically dedicated to broadcasting commercials only, including infomercials.

Which industries/products/services are best suited to advertise on television?

Some of the best industries for advertising on television include automotive, pharmaceutical, food, technology, food and retail.

In general, what is the future of advertising? How do you think it will evolve in the next couple of decades?

The future of advertising is definitely via the Internet. More and more content and consumers are moving to the Internet. The future of advertising is also in mobile applications. There is not much of a future in advertising in the cinema, though, that has become a more popular practice. In the next few decades, I think there will be an increased popularity of television stations dedicated to commercials, and less commercials on television during the content of shows. I think there will also be an increase of commercials becoming longer, perhaps like shows or short films. I think there will be less commercials and more product placement as part of the show, such as in the film The Truman Show.

Explain the business model of reality TV -- producing hugely popular shows for relatively cheap.

Reality TV is heavily predicated on a lot of producing and writing. Though they mimic the aesthetic of "real life," they are staged, produced, directed, and written like narrative programming. The production of reality TV is also contingent on the obsession with fame and celebrity culture, particularly in the United States.