The Persuaders

After watching the video "The Persuaders," I learned a lot more about advertising. First off, I learned about clutter. In the video, the commentator travels through New York City and observes all the advertisements. The commentator describes these advertisements as "clutter". You see these advertisements everywhere including on buildings, in public bathrooms, in menus at restaurants, on modes of transportation like buses or trains, and even in the golf holes on a golf course. Too many advertisements are being shown to the public that it begins to lack any emotional appeal to its viewers. Also, companies will do almost anything to gain viewers or consumers to purchase their product. Clutter seems to be one of the main issues in advertising. In addition, advertisements are becoming harder to get across. Some compaines feel that a 30 second time slot during commercial breaks are not long enough. Advertisers feel that companies are paying more and getting less. The invention of things such as Tivo make it harder for advertisments to be viewed. When television shows get recorded on Tivo, viewers typically fast forward through the commercials to get back to the show. Those commercials are being skipped which means advertisers are losing money. Some of the ethical concerns that we all need to be aware of are how some of these commercials are being portrayed. Advertisers need to have the consumers interests first, and if they don't then the advertisment will fail. Also, companies need to put ethos first in order for advertisments to succeed.