In my opinion:
TV commercials usually promote one of five subjects:
Pharmaceuticals Food Vehicles Personal Products Fashion
Judging by the content of their creations, most TV commercials creators seem to think that the average viewer is a moron.
Of the five categories given above, most commercials try to appeal to one or more of seven areas of a viewer's possible weaknesses, which we all have at one time or another, by insinuating the following:
"If you buy our product you will be more powerful, successful." > Pride = they are banking, literally, on a viewer's possible sense of failure or impotence. Example: Vehicles-the man with the biggest engine or dirtiest truck is...what? A vehicle does not a man make.
"If you buy our product you will be more attractive, virile, potent." > Lust = they are banking on a viewer's possible sense of sensual inadequacy. Example: Pharmaceuticals: Male-enhancement pills-have you really listened to the list of side effects?!
"If you buy our product you will be more than satisfied, you will be satiated." > Gluttony = they are banking on a viewer's possible sense of "living to eat" instead of "eating to live." Example: Food: all-you-can-eat restaurants when a majority of our country's populace is obese.
"If you buy our product you will not have to do something you don't want to do." > Slothfulness = they are banking on a viewer's possible sense of the mundane or boring. Example: Pharmaceuticals: Weight-loss pills without changing an obese lifestyle...NOT going to happen.
"If you buy our product you will be like him/her and get the guy/girl you want ."> Envy = they are banking on a viewer's possible sense of keeping up with the guy/girl next door. Examples: Personal Products: The right tooth color will get him to ask for a date! Really?
Fashion: Again, the right bra will get him to...Uh Huhn. And perfume; would Brad talk to anyone other than Angelina like that? I think not. Then there are the women making love to a perfume bottle. Please!
"If you buy our product you will make/save more money in the long/short term." > Greed = they are banking on a viewer's possible sense of gullibility, naivete', ignorance. Example: Insurance policies that promise to return all funds that were paid into it after a period of years. What they won't pay is the interest they made while "holding" and investing all the money over the course of the term of the policy. A viewer would be much more financially savvy by paying themselves each month: deposit those funds into an interest-bearing account with a local credit union.
"If you buy our product you will have the satisfaction of providing for your future." > Fear = they are banking on a viewer's sense of a lack of security or stability. Examples: Reverse mortgages are in the news and under investigation-several families have been left homeless due to improper banking practices/ethics by their agents or loopholes in their contracts. Although the spokesperson is reputable, they are paid to endorse; at no time do they say they have a reverse mortgage. The closest a spokesperson says is that they are "...proud to be associated..." which may mean that the spokesperson is a salaried Board member.
Rare is the commercial that promotes a product sensibly, intelligently, and attractively.
Thank you for reading my opinion on Bass Ackwards TV commercials.
Finest Regards to you,
Alicia GKB
