i don't think you're getting it.
Dear Ad People,
Please shut up.
Seriously. i'm fairly certain that i'm now seeing far more ads for things than i was growning up. i say this because i'm equally certain that i never once shouted out "Red Rover, Red Rover, Send someone fueled by Gatorade brand sports drink on over!". Likewise, i'm equally certain that news operations actually contained more news than ads (a point that i was well raised by the seven commercial breaks in the final 15 minutes of last night's evening news.
See, the problem is that ads are a diminishing commodity. Ads succeed by doing two things: Getting my attention and Establishing a buying decision. Blasting me continuously with them actually does the opposite. i establish patterns that allow me to ignore the ads (i change channels, i run blockers, i "tune out" the text blocks, etc.), and no, there's nothing you can do to change that the same way that there's nothing i can do to prove to you that running a 100% ad blocker is the bestest thing ever.
Of course, you know that.
You know that because you consistently see ad revenues drop the longer a given ad runs. It has less impact which means that you're willing to pay less and less for it. (Thus the whole "diminishing" part of the "diminishing commodities".) What really sucks is that since ads were sold as the be-all/end-all of funding, ad based systems are scrambling to cover diminishing revenue streams by increasing the number of ads i see (e.g. last nights news).
Can't we come to some sort of agreement here? Seriously? Look, i know you really want me to buy a few 64oz tubs of Johnston's Miracle Butt Crack Creme, but maybe if you set up some sort of presence near where i might actually make that sort of purchasing decision, i'd perhaps be more receptive rather than try to figure out how to change the channel over dinner.
You know what i'd think would be a perfect world? If companies felt compelled to make "enough" money, instead of "more" money. You know the difference. "Enough" means that you're company covers it's costs, puts aside some cash for R&D and upkeep, and maybe even has a little profit for things like Holiday Parties. It's notable how many companies are in that position right now, and can control costs by doing silly things like dropping underperforming products in favor of better performing ones.
Nah, i know, it'll never happen, but it's a nice dream. Plus i'm thinking that the constant, non-sequitor interruption we're exposing ourselves to is what's leading more and more people to be more and more distracted. We can't focus on anything for longer than 30 seconds anymore because we simply are never given the chance to do it.
(Oh and before folks get all high-and-mighty about how i should solve this problem by not watching TV, i'll note that radio, newspapers, magazines, the web and every other form of revenue generated media does the same thing.)
