Why Are TV Adverts Getting So Stupid?

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lostonearth35
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29 Jan 2024, 11:09 pm

Maybe ads have become really stupid because humans are much more stupid.

cyberdad
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30 Jan 2024, 12:55 am

At least in the past people could make the excuse they were not educated. Nowadays they voluntarily choose to be ignorant because it fits with their world view.

Stupid advertising (like stupid comedy) feeds this ignorance

naturalplastic
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30 Jan 2024, 4:26 am

cyberdad wrote:

Aspinator wrote:

An ad that I find annoying features a talking blob of snot (in US)

You clearly haven't seen talking poo or bacteria or flies in adverts. I particularly dislike constipation and bathroom adverts.

Must be an Australian thing. Talking poo.

Here in the states that talking blob of snot character (I think that he is patterned after Ralph Kramden in the old Honey Mooners show)is only about as gross as it gets.

But "When you have...indigestion, constipation, diarrea" the actors in the TV spots suddenly have matching outfits (like Fifties singing groups) and then magically take to the stage and sing those exact words in doo wop style harmonies.

Its as if the copy writers are addressing the TV viewer directly by actually saying "we know its tacky and stupid but we hafta move Pepto Bismol ...so what do you wanna us to do?"

And actually it IS a rather entertaining ad campaign. :lol:

cyberdad
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30 Jan 2024, 6:59 pm

naturalplastic wrote:

[

Must be an Australian thing. Talking poo.

Here in the states that talking blob of snot character (I think that he is patterned after Ralph Kramden in the old Honey Mooners show)is only about as gross as it gets.

But "When you have...indigestion, constipation, diarrea" the actors in the TV spots suddenly have matching outfits (like Fifties singing groups) and then magically take to the stage and sing those exact words in doo wop style harmonies.

Its as if the copy writers are addressing the TV viewer directly by actually saying "we know its tacky and stupid but we hafta move Pepto Bismol ...so what do you wanna us to do?"

And actually it IS a rather entertaining ad campaign. :lol:

The talking poo is likely a take off from South Park's Mr Hankey the christmas poo. We have a plumbing company called the drain man who uses it.

My point is that stupid advertising works because it likely hits the funny bone or infuriates/repulses the viewer. Like the old days when you had a bikini clad girl lighting up a cigarette for a man to advertise smokes...the goal is to arouse the viewer so that they don't forget the product or service.

CockneyRebel
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31 Jan 2024, 9:52 pm

My take of the whole thing is that all the good ideas have been used up, so the people who film advertisements go along with the first thing that pops in their mind.

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babybird
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