There are many different media that businesses can use to advertise on. Of course my favorite is the newspaper. Along with newspapers there is TV, radio, billboards, magazines, direct mail, the internet, yard signs and more.
What I like about newspaper advertising is that it does not intrude or force itself on us. If you don’t want to read an ad in the newspaper you don’t have to. No one is forcing you.
Everyone buys a newspaper for two reasons, the articles and the ad content. Many people purchase a newspaper for the advertising looking for a job, a place to eat out, what’s on sale at the grocery store or what’s happening this weekend.
For those who watch broadcast television, commercials can be both funny and entertaining. If you are like me, the commercials are an opportunity to get something to eat, drink, or to visit the bathroom.
To escape the commercials all together my family has stayed away from cable and satellite TV for close to 25 years. We now utilize Netflix and other forms of video streaming for entertainment — without any advertising. When I need to relieve myself I don’t have to wait for a commercial. I just hit pause.
As far as radio commercials are concerned I’m like everyone else, I listen to radio when I’m in the car.
Both vehicles I drive are equipped with Sirius Satellite Radio. I spend that money so I don’t have to listen to the radio commercials.
What’s ironic are radio commercials for car dealers — the same dealers who sell cars with satellite radio so you don’t have to listen to their radio commercials.
I’m sure you will agree that the worst time for broadcast commercials — both radio and TV — is right now before an election.
You hear and see the same commercials over and over and over. It doesn’t take long before they become annoying.
Doesn’t anyone in broadcast media understand that you can hear or see something too much?
The radio commercial that bothers me the most is Kars for Kids. That commercial has been around for years. I refuse to listen to it. If it comes on I turn the radio off or change the channel.
In my office I don’t have good radio reception. When I want to listen to music I used to connect to Internet Radio on my computer. That can be worse. They play the same three commercials every five minutes…and one of them is Kars for Kids.
I hit mute on the keyboard every time. Because of that I switched to Pandora.
Many commercials impress on you the need to take advantage of their offer NOW or you will miss the opportunity. We’ve all heard radio commercials wanting you to invest in silver. The words may change but the message is always the same: “Silver is at an all time low, ready to double or triple in price. Buy now before it’s too late.”
If you think about it I bet there are some commercials that drive you crazy too.
Radio commercials used to be entertaining and fun to listen to. I remember one from the early 80’s narrated by the great Hoyt Axton. He was swimming up the Current River, infested with alligators, pulling a barge of Budweiser because everyone had run out of beer. He was the savior.
That was a good radio commercial. That commercial was only around for short time in the 1980s, and I still remember it.
Good radio commercials pull you into the ad enabling you to see the product without pictures. It should not drive you crazy having to listen to it over and over and over again.
I was surprised a week ago when a representative from Claire McCaskill’s office contacted us to run a full page ad in our three publications.
The first line in the ad said “I’m sorry about all the nasty stuff on your TV.” She’s referring to attack ads run against her. I wonder if she is sorry that we have to endure the attack ads that political action committees run against Josh Hawley?
If she was really sorry she would contact the Hawley campaign and they would agree to stop bombarding us with negative ads from both sides — like that will ever happen.
In today’s newspaper you can read ads from many politicians asking for your vote. In these ads they tout their accomplishments and explain their political stance. They don’t waste space in their ads knocking down their opponents.
Thank goodness there are only seven more days left for political commercials.
