The Death Of Captive Audience Advertising

from the what-captive-audience? dept

It's amazing how slowly it takes folks like advertising execs to catch on sometimes. For the past five years, plenty of people have realized that there was so much content out there that people were learning to only deal with content they wanted. What that means is that dumb ads that no one cares about don't work at all. Advertising needs to be content that people want to see or interact with. It's not about forcing people to see your ads any more, but about making people want to see your ads. Of course, if you don't realize this, then the rise of the internet, video games, and DVRs seems scary, because it takes away from the way things have been done in the past. However, the folks who do realize this, know that this isn't scary at all, but a huge opportunity to create better content that has a higher likelihood of actually having an impact on the target audience.
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  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 2 Aug 2004 @ 3:53am

    No Subject Given

    Sure, I'll go watch a commercial or take a 3 minute interactive puzzle/quiz/survey.. just to download a 90 min movie from a mega-site with decent bandwidth, no problem there!

    just keep it 3 minutes tops. 2 mins for a tv show or album.

    hey.. if they want to send a sample along with a couple of unrestricted gigs on dvd, i'll even _read their ads; just dont waste my time.. or treat me like some animal.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    thecaptain, 2 Aug 2004 @ 3:32pm

    No Subject Given

    I have no problems with dumb ads or commercials or banners etc...

    What I have a problem with is VOLUME. Some channels now (when I DO watch tv) have 3 180second commercial slots in one lousy 30 min show! THREE minutes every 10 mins...and to add insult to injury, they often put the same damn commercial back to back just to fill up the slots!

    Online is just as bad.

    Message to marketters, we the people are fed up! The right to free speech doesn't give you the right to annoy, or to our wallets! Ratchet back the volume a little (ok..a LOT!) and you might get respect again...

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    ATA, 2 Aug 2004 @ 7:59pm

    Some companies are starting to get the right idea.

    Although I hate the ethics of Nike, I have to hand it to them for the innovation shown in their "Art Of Speed" campaign. These short films directed by a variety of directors are entertaining at the same time acting as ads for their shoes. Again, I would never buy Nike shoes because of their past abuses, but I wouldn't mind seeing more adverts such as these which are entertaining enough to get people to seek them out and watch them.
    ATA

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Limerat, 6 Jun 2006 @ 2:57pm

    How to drive people away.

    Ad mongers do this all the time.
    They insult our IQ, they show silly cartoons of bears dancing around trees with tolit paper, they advertise menstration products with pads shaped like flowers and tell women to:"Have a nice period."

    And thecaptain says it well:
    "What I have a problem with is VOLUME. Some channels now (when I DO watch tv) have 3 180second commercial slots in one lousy 30 min show! THREE minutes every 10 mins.."

    And they really think:
    1. We are going to watch ALL of the ads in each slot?
    2. We will remember each one cause it's *so* important?
    3. Seeing an ad will make us want to buy said product so badly we can't stand it?
    I don't think so.
    Most ads are so mind-boggeling stupid, insulting and boring it's unreal. I ask myself sometimes 'who are the idiots who come up with this stuff?'
    When an ad-break comes up I hit MUTE and find something else to do.

    link to this | view in chronology ]


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