An advertising executive once told me that you could tell the target demographic
of a television show by the commercials shown during the broadcast. I have
spent some time notating commercials and it’s amazing what I noticed. If I
am watching the local news, I see ads for local car dealers, fast food, pizza
and local stores. Clearly they are aiming for the people who just came
home from work. When I watch the national news I see ads for investments,
new medicines (with hundreds of side effects), luxury cars and vacation
resorts. Apparently, the people watching the nightly news are more
affluent, have health problems and need to vacation in order to relieve
stress. Soap operas and reality television were remarkably similar.
They both showed ads for cleaning products, medications specifically targeted to
females, processed foods (soup, side dishes, and entrees), makeup, and personal
hygiene products. Clearly advertisers see the demographic as women and
particularly housewives. If I watch a football game, on the other hand,
things are very different. Again I see the ads for investment companies,
life insurance, national truck commercials, erectile dysfunction, high
cholesterol medications, and some medicines where they never really tell you
what they’re for but the person is playing on the beach by the end, pizza, fast
food, bars or restaurants and beer. Apparently only sick men who overindulge in
food and alcohol watch football. If you watch a mainstream detective or
police show you see jewelry ads, lingerie ads, and sales for national
stores. This is a tricky one. Are they aiming at men who are
shopping for the women in their lives? Or could it be that they are aiming
for women who know their men will never actually buy those things and will need
to buy them for themselves. I think it’s option number three. Men
and women are watching the show and the men are being told “Dude, if you REALLY
love her you’ll buy her these things. And if you do, she is going to be
REALLY GRATEFULL.” The women are being told, “If he didn’t get all your hints
about what to buy you, here’s a refresher even he can understand.” If you
watch a Discovery Channel show or anything like History you will see retirement
investment adds, “cannot be turned down” life insurance ads, coin
collector ads, medications for seniors and medical or home invasion alert
commercials. Apparently advertisers think no one under the age of 50
watches these shows. At the other end of the spectrum, if you watch a
cartoon or youth program (not Disney…as I said in another blog, they only
advertise about themselves) you see toy ads, candy ads and “As Seen on TV” type
ads. I could go on but I think you get the point. Advertisers are
expecting and betting that those demographics are watching those shows.
They actually create the demographics! It’s really sad that they think
everyone just fits into a nice neat little bar on a graph. Clearly I have
watched all of those shows for one reason or another and most of those ads have
nothing to do with me. Am I alone in feeling odd when they are talking
about products and services I have absolutely no use for? I am an
individual and feel offended that a small group of marketing executives have
created stereotypes into which we are all supposed to fall. I think they
missed the mark.
of a television show by the commercials shown during the broadcast. I have
spent some time notating commercials and it’s amazing what I noticed. If I
am watching the local news, I see ads for local car dealers, fast food, pizza
and local stores. Clearly they are aiming for the people who just came
home from work. When I watch the national news I see ads for investments,
new medicines (with hundreds of side effects), luxury cars and vacation
resorts. Apparently, the people watching the nightly news are more
affluent, have health problems and need to vacation in order to relieve
stress. Soap operas and reality television were remarkably similar.
They both showed ads for cleaning products, medications specifically targeted to
females, processed foods (soup, side dishes, and entrees), makeup, and personal
hygiene products. Clearly advertisers see the demographic as women and
particularly housewives. If I watch a football game, on the other hand,
things are very different. Again I see the ads for investment companies,
life insurance, national truck commercials, erectile dysfunction, high
cholesterol medications, and some medicines where they never really tell you
what they’re for but the person is playing on the beach by the end, pizza, fast
food, bars or restaurants and beer. Apparently only sick men who overindulge in
food and alcohol watch football. If you watch a mainstream detective or
police show you see jewelry ads, lingerie ads, and sales for national
stores. This is a tricky one. Are they aiming at men who are
shopping for the women in their lives? Or could it be that they are aiming
for women who know their men will never actually buy those things and will need
to buy them for themselves. I think it’s option number three. Men
and women are watching the show and the men are being told “Dude, if you REALLY
love her you’ll buy her these things. And if you do, she is going to be
REALLY GRATEFULL.” The women are being told, “If he didn’t get all your hints
about what to buy you, here’s a refresher even he can understand.” If you
watch a Discovery Channel show or anything like History you will see retirement
investment adds, “cannot be turned down” life insurance ads, coin
collector ads, medications for seniors and medical or home invasion alert
commercials. Apparently advertisers think no one under the age of 50
watches these shows. At the other end of the spectrum, if you watch a
cartoon or youth program (not Disney…as I said in another blog, they only
advertise about themselves) you see toy ads, candy ads and “As Seen on TV” type
ads. I could go on but I think you get the point. Advertisers are
expecting and betting that those demographics are watching those shows.
They actually create the demographics! It’s really sad that they think
everyone just fits into a nice neat little bar on a graph. Clearly I have
watched all of those shows for one reason or another and most of those ads have
nothing to do with me. Am I alone in feeling odd when they are talking
about products and services I have absolutely no use for? I am an
individual and feel offended that a small group of marketing executives have
created stereotypes into which we are all supposed to fall. I think they
missed the mark.
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