why do advertisers insult our intelligence?

Question

most tv commercials just make me HATE the product and whoever decided to put on that commercial because they are just stupid and aren't realistic. I'd really like to hear from people in advertising on this.

Answer 1

advertisers measure their sucess by how many thousands of people they can reach per ad. Their goal is to generate awareness and sometimes a response from as many people as possible in 30 seconds flat.

It's all about the numbers... not the brain cells.

Answer 2

Great amounts of money are spent on locating and focusing on the most likely audience that will buy the product. Its hard to forget Coca Cola or Budweiser, some of the most seen and noted TV commericals ever shown. Clever, not stupid.

I am greatly annoyed by over the hill actors selling beds, life insurance and electric wheel chairs. Stupid, not clever.

Answer 3

I agree with you...but commercials do work on alot of people. And that's who they're after. They have to sell a product and make the name known. Without some form of advertising, you might as well not have a product to sell. Look at Coca-Cola...even those who don't like it know the product and some still collect their memorabilia.

Answer 4

"Noone ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the average American."

Their goal isn't so much to insult our intelligence as it is to side-step what intelligence we have by appealing to all manner of other human traits - subtly playing upon our insecurities, desires, hopes, dreams, etc.

Their targets (those soft spots) are placed at the center of their effort, while whatever they have to tell us about the product itself is soft-pedalled, as when they provide some tasty image of how their product will enhance your life while mentioning as though in-passing the twelve or so things that using it (a pharmaceutical, for example) will do to your liver, heart, kidneys or lungs.

The main appeal is made to our emotions, thereby by-passing the brain altogether. Once the brain's been bypassed you can talk to it without having to worry that what you have to say will really register.

The Germans did the same sort of thing in WW2 when they employed blitzkrieg tactics. Once they'd broken-through an enemies' front-lines and into his rear areas, all resistance to their forces largely collapsed.

Answer 5

as PT Barnum once said: "no-one ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the general public"

so by making the commercials as stupid as possible, everyone can understand them, and know about the product.

although, I'm with ya in it making me not buy into the hype though.

Answer 6

i study business and marketing (advertising covers this) its just a fad its a cheep form of advertising thats becpme popular of recent years yes its anoying but when it first came out it was seen as tacky funny. soon *fingers crossed* this cheep and stupid fab will move on but for now dont look at them lamo
one company sees another companys advertising and if that first company is in profit others copy that advertising and dont forget people are getting dummer and TV is allways trying to apple to the widest base so they try to make the stupidest understand as the more intelegent usualy have their mind already made up.

Answer 7

Nobody ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public.

H. L. Mencken
US editor (1880 - 1956)

Answer 8

probably because the average education is that of an 8th grader in this country. All newspapers are written towards a 6th graders reading ability. Its ridiculous. That is why education is not improving in this country, because they are making it easier for non-educated people to remain uneducated.

Answer 9

One reason, it works. Maybe it doesn't on you, but it does on someone. That's why they spend all of that money on it.