Advertisers Save the World

[Dr Strangelove]

Have any of you looked at the advertising section of a 19th century newspaper? They make the advertisers of today look like paragons of truthfullness.

[Ming]

Originally posted by Dr Strangelove
Have any of you looked at the advertising section of a 19th century newspaper? They make the advertisers of today look like paragons of truthfullness.

Soooooooooooooooooooo true.

Much has changed since Mr. J. Walter Thompson opened up the first true ad agency in the late 1800's. Now, we must deal with regulations from the federal government, and in addition to that, we self regulate via the American Association of Advertising Agencies.

All claims must be supported by facts!

[Immortal Wombat]

Originally posted by Ming
Many ads are informational... providing real product facts and reasons to buy. You're claim that it makes the customers believe that it is worth more than it really is a incorrect. Research has shown that ads that mislead the consumer about the value of the product are not very effective and don't help sell any more product.

The problem is usually not the actual worth of the product, but the relative worth of the product. Ok, a super-lasermatronic toy may actually be worth $30 - but it could be the $30 that a family needs for food. Advertising doesn't lie, it just messes with people's priorities. And before you say it, I am aware that this is probably not the fault of the advertising industry, but it is a side-effect which greatly diminishes advertising's ability to "save the world".

Making people aware of your product is good. Marketing your product to people who do not need it, and cannot afford it, and who do not have a correctly functioning bull**** filter is bad.

[Ming]

Just because some people are morons doesn't mean that advertising is bad.

People will gamble their mortgage away, drink themselves into a stupor and lose their family, drive their cars like idiots and endanger others...

People buy things because they want to. Advertising can't make people buy things they don't want. People mess with there own priorities... Advertising doesn't convince people that they need a pair of Nikes instead of having food for their families... that's a decision THEY make...

[Spiffor]

Advertising convinces people to buy coca cola instead of pepsi cola. Here in Stuttgart, I've found Pepsi 50% cheaper than Coke (ok, it was a rebate: the normal difference is 25%). Unless I have missed something, I am under the impression that the difference in quality between the two products isn't that great, and doesn't warrant such a large price difference.

What makes Coke's utility so much higher than Pepsi's, that it warrants such a large difference in price?

[Spiffor]

Ming:
I wasn't clear. I don't think ads (legal ones at least) are deceptive. However, advertisement is all about saying "you should by my product instead of the competitor's", and advertisement uses resources at hand (facts about quality, but also emotional appeals) to get the message across.

Why else would most teenage fashion brands invest so heavily in becoming part of the teenager's identity? Why else would so many consumer products for young people emphasize the coolness of the user, instead of simply flaunting the actual qualities of the product? Why else would so many foodstuffs pretend that they're good for your health, and use nice happy pictures instead of cold hard facts to back it up?

[Ming]

[QUOTE] Originally posted by Spiffor
Ming:
I wasn't clear. I don't think ads (legal ones at least) are deceptive. However, advertisement is all about saying "you should by my product instead of the competitor's", and advertisement uses resources at hand (facts about quality, but also emotional appeals) to get the message across.
[quote]

Everybody uses emotional appeals in their lives... so you want to pick on advertising for doing something you also do

Why else would most teenage fashion brands invest so heavily in becoming part of the teenager's identity? Why else would so many consumer products for young people emphasize the coolness of the user, instead of simply flaunting the actual qualities of the product?

Advertising does NOT start fashion trends... if that was the case, any manufacturer would be able to change trends with just some advertising... and it doesn't work that way. Advertising can capitalize on a trend already in place, but it does NOT start them. Teenagers are the ones that do that...

Why else would so many foodstuffs pretend that they're good for your health, and use nice happy pictures instead of cold hard facts to back it up?

You can NOT pretend that your product is good for somebody's health unless you can prove it really is. I can't tell you how many ads have been rejected because they try to do that. If you are positioning your product as a Healthy product, the rules are far stricter than most ads. Look at the Drug ads... they HAVE to tell you the side effects/negative facts about the product...

Again... people make their own decisions... you can't make people buy things they don't want.

[Spiffor]

You haven't explained what (aside marketing) makes Coke so superior to Pepsi that Coke is worth twice as much

[Ming]

Originally posted by Spiffor
You haven't explained what (aside marketing) makes Coke so superior to Pepsi that Coke is worth twice as much

Taste! And I don't know of anyplace around here where Coke costs twice as much... in most cases, they are about identical in price. The generic brands are a lot less... but they taste cheaper

[:) Smiley]

Originally posted by Spiffor
You haven't explained what (aside marketing) makes Coke so superior to Pepsi that Coke is worth twice as much

Both cost the same at the vending machines and grocery stores I've been to...

[Spiffor]

In my local Lidl in Stuttgart, the regular price is 1€ for 1,5l of Coke and 0,75€ for the same amount of Pepsi. There is currently a rebate, with Pepsi costing 0,50€, barely more than the cheapo ripoffs.

Unless the Germans have radically different tastebuds than Americans, which makes Pepsi's quality much inferior to Coke for German tastes , what can explain this difference in price if not marketing?

[C0ckney]

then don't shop at lidl you pikey!

[Ming]

Originally posted by Spiffor
There is currently a rebate, with Pepsi costing 0,50€, barely more than the cheapo ripoffs.

And that rebate is meant to increase trial/sampling. Once that rebate program ends, I'm sure the pricing will be much closer

[Kontiki]

Does Pepsi not do any marketing in Germany? Because I'm quite sure I've seen Pepsi ads here basically claiming it tastes better than Coke.

[Commy]

Economic Theory...more people like Coke...whether you are one of them is irrelevant, since more people like Coke than Pepsi, they are willing to pay more to get what they believe to be better...Coke lovers aren't wrong, it truly is their opinion that Coke tastes better, but Coca Cola can charge more for a coke because it knows people will still buy it...

This rule applies to anything that has a price on it...people will buy more expensive clothing simply because of a brand name...foreigners may think "Well, you stupid Americans are just wasting money on brand names", but in reality, they aren't...

You see, in America, in order to maintain (or achieve) a high social status, you have to wear to nice clothes, the "cool" clothes, and while they may not be the most expensive, they'll be more than "generic" brands...

You can argue this point depending on where you live, type of area (urban, rural, suburban) ethnic groups, and who exactly your friends are (if any)...