Consumer Guide for Today's Media

With the amazing Super Bowl ads having aired only a few weeks ago, it sounds crazy advertisers are running away from the television, but it’s true. Ad market researchers say television ads are on a downward slope. They are less effective than two years ago. So what are marketers to do? The answer is simple, the internet.

According to the Association of National Advertisers 87 percent of respondents will use more web-based ads this year. The web is becoming very popular. You can even watch your favorite shows online, with very limited commercials. But will this shift in technology do the world any good? Google and Microsoft think so.

Google is once again ahead of the game. Everyone uses Google, or at least knows what Google can do. That is why Google has decided to sell Web-based internet ads via videos. In the past, Google used text-only ads, but decided it wants to offer “contextually-relevant video graphical ads and text overlays.” Google will once again add to its ever-growing profit.

Microsoft wants a piece of the money pie as well, but in India no less. Microsoft has seen a 60 percent increase in internet advertising, while regular print ads bring in only 21 percent increase. The numbers do not lie, web ads are making bank.

Will television ads no longer exist? I doubt that. Look at the Super Bowl. Super Bowl ads cost around $2.3 million for only 30 seconds, but imagine how many people saw each ad. I would think a typical ad running for a whole year would not get the significant amount of people viewing it as it would on the Super Bowl.

If the television-marketing world is dying, does that mean no more commercials? No, I highly doubt that. Ads are everywhere in television. It could be a 30-second ad, or a Diet Coke placed oh so subtly in the actor’s hand. The marketers are even getting smarter. I figured DVR was the ultimate way to get around commercials, but new ads will somehow incorporate the DVR technology. An ad last year had specials things only seen through DVR skipping, so who knows what will happen.

As I watch Rock of Love 2 last night on VH-1 (yes I watch that show), I was startled by some interesting commercials.

The first ad had me slightly confused. It was 10:00 p.m. so I figured some “naughtier” ads might show up, but an ad for sex toys threw me a loop. I have never seen commercials about sex toy websites.

The commercial did not display any toys, but it listed quite a few things a customer could buy. The ad was discrete, yet made its point. The ad was followed by normal, everyday ads, like Trojan.

During the show, Bret Michaels named dropped The Hard Rock Cafe hotel over and over again. It was obvious where the group was staying. Seriously though thanking the hotel every two minutes did get a little ridiculous.

The second commercial that threw me for a loop was about baby boomers. It was an ad to get women to join a new website to talk and learn about other baby boomers. I was not only confused about what the commercial was about, but also whom it was targeting.

I thought Rock of Love was for the early to mid 20’s crowd. Yes, people my age have heard of Bret Michaels and his band. I cannot imagine older women wanting to watch this show. Michaels is 45, but most of the women on the show are in their 20’s. The oldest contestant was 45, but she was kicked off weeks ago.

While watching the show I did see other commercials targeted to other groups, but nothing stood out like these two commercials.

As I watch Rock of Love 2 last night on VH-1 (yes I watch that show), I was startled by some interesting commercials.

The first ad had me slightly confused. It was 10:00 p.m. so I figured some “naughtier” ads might show up, but an ad for sex toys threw me a loop. I have never seen commercials about sex toy websites.

The commercial did not display any toys, but it listed quite a few things a customer could buy. The ad was discrete, yet made its point. The ad was followed by normal, everyday ads, like Trojan.

During the show, Bret Michaels named dropped The Hard Rock Cafe hotel over and over again. It was obvious where the group was staying. Seriously though thanking the hotel every two minutes did get a little ridiculous.

The second commercial that threw me for a loop was about baby boomers. It was an ad to get women to join a new website to talk and learn about other baby boomers. I was not only confused about what the commercial was about, but also whom it was targeting.

I thought Rock of Love was for the early to mid 20’s crowd. Yes, people my age have heard of Bret Michaels and his band. I cannot imagine older women wanting to watch this show. Michaels is 45, but most of the women on the show are in their 20’s. The oldest contestant was 45, but she was kicked off weeks ago.

While watching the show I did see other commercials targeted to other groups, but nothing stood out like these two commercials.

After watching Lord of the Rings multiple times, I have fallen in love with New Zealand. It seems peaceful and carefree. Little did I know that country suffers from alcohol!

The country is not carefree; its an alcoholic. “New Zealand has a problem with alcohol,” says the alcohol advisory of New Zealand board.

The Alcohol Advisory of New Zealand is turning ‘brutally honest’. A series of commercials feature binge drinkers and the major problems it could cause. The commercials are graphic, but purposeful. They get the point across.

The ads will cost around $3 million a year. That number is not bad considering alcohol damages are over a billion each year.

But why New Zealand? I have never heard of this country having any social problem with alcohol. Apparently, I was wrong. I thought New Zealand was one of the better countries of this world. Too many hobbits running around drinking pints I guess.

Ads about alcohol are allowed before 9 p.m. in New Zealand. Before 1991, alcoholic ads were not allowed at all.

How much sex is too much sex?
I was viewing ads on Adsoftheworld.com and I came to wonder how much sex is too much? In the past, I have written articles explaining sex does sell no matter what type, but should there be a line to cross?
Take this ad, what does it have to do with an ad agency? My first thought was “is it a trojan ad?” I really had no clue until I read the fine print.

Sex and alcohol go hand in hand in nearly every ad I’ve seen. But sex, alcohol, and violence? This ad has it all. I thought Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt should be included for a little Mr. and Mrs. Smith action. This ad has smut and beautiful people. I’ve never heard of the alcohol though.

I typed “sex ads” into Google just to see what I would find. I got the porn sites of course, but also a link for the 15 best sex ads. I’m slightly disappointed with the first choice. Victoria’s Secret can be very sexy, but the ad they chose was (in my opinion) not sexy.

The second ad...oh my. I immediately thought it was for Axe body spray. Little did I know it was for a vacuum! When the picture itself takes away from the product, maybe a change is needed.

The Volvo ad just made me chuckle. I always thought the Volvo emblem was quite male dominated, but turning an e-brake into a sex symbol pretty much takes the cake. The company did not even have to hire a naked couple to sell the car, it just sells itself.

The Carl Jr. cheeseburger commercial should not have made this list. Paris Hilton is not sexy. The ad was repulsive at best.

The last ad is the exact ad I mean when I say sex sometimes goes too far. It is clearly a sexual position, and it’s dirty at that. It probably would not be too bad except for the white goo on the girl’s leg. Slate even had some fun with this one. Last time I checked Puma still was not number one. So why did they resort to such vulgarity?

People look up to celebrities. Some people worship the ground they walk on, stalk every move they make, and even turn on TMZ.com to find out the latest gossip. It is an American habit. Some people might not like this celebrity-obsessed habit, but it occurs in most of us. This is why I wonder if celebrity endorsed products really do make a difference.

When I turn on the television and see Brad Pitt chugging a Heineken it rather makes me want one. I hate beer, but hey, it is Brad Pitt. If Brad likes it, why wouldn’t I.
Celebrity endorsed products make me happy. I am one of the many celebrity-obsessed fans out there. I will buy a product because a certain celeb says to do so.

One of the most expensive commercials ever made included Nicole Kidman. This “mini-movie” cost Chanel a reportedly $12 million. It is nearly three minutes, but it shows Oscar worthy material. I fell in love with the idea it gave, it made me believe in love.

Athletes are beginning to endorse products NOT for sports. David Beckham has one of the most talked about ads in England right now. He is only in his underwear. His Armani ads continue through summer 2008. Victoria Beckham thinks its nice people can look at his package. "He's gorgeous, hot and sexy. Every man wants to look like that, and every woman wants to sleep with that,” Matthew Edelstein, fashion editor of Details magazine, says. Beckham will soon be the face of Sharpie Pens...now what does that have to do with soccer? Well the answer is nothing, but it will sure make the girls swoon—and maybe Sharpie can provide pens at soccer games for those adoring fans wanting autographs.

Tom Brady is rumored to be the next Calvin Klein model as well. This will ad to his Stetson cologne endorsement. Everyone’s favorite golf pro earns millions every year. Tiger Woods is the face of Gatorade, Nike, Buick, Gillette and many more. He reportedly earns $105 million just from Nike alone. Now does he honestly drive a Buick?

Besides people staring at half-naked celebs in underwear, some ads can make a difference. Apparently celebrity endorsed products can help people stay healthy! Fox News reported in 2005 normal people are more likely to get a cancer screening done when endorsed by a celebrity.

Noreen Jenney of celebrityendorsement.com, wrote an article about celebrity advertising, and how it can be effective. She says the right person must be someone who people can relate to, who they can trust and believe. I wouldn’t want Marilyn Manson to promote Covergirl products even though he wears a large amount of makeup.

I do slightly feel bad for celebrities. With the paparazzi following everyday, it is quite easy to make a simple mistake. Britney Spears reportedly had a Coke in her hand, while supporting Pepsi Co. Kate Moss lost her Gucci promotion because of a picture with her and cocaine (this is a just reason, but a normal model or person would not even get a picture like that leaked). Pepsi Co. also stopped Madonna’s contract after her video for Like A Prayer aired.