h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Advertising is a pheromone trail to the things that bring us joy. It keeps us excited about the prospect of buying, thus ensuring that we remain eager participants in our colonies.

JTG

I suspect this is true only of GOOD advertising, JTG. Bad advertising only makes you sick of itself - it doesn't do a great deal to excite you about buying the product.

A good ad, just like a good hymn, is an inclusive experience irrespective of beliefs, but there are very few such commercials. Most ads make you feel actively excluded from society, by the notification that "somebody actually LIKES this stuff?"!

I've heard it said that any ad that stays with you - good or bad - is successful.

There are an awful lot though that just don't seem to be well thought out. As a fairly typical couch-potato, I don't lay claim to any special expertise; but some ads just seem poorly crafted. Some seem to contain a subtext of imagery contradictory to the main message that seems almost a deliberate act of sabotage... or palin incompetence.

JTG

Sorry. That's "plain", of course. No offence Michael.

JTG

There are some adverts that Im sure are just terrible because they are so annoying they stick in your head. As it was mentioned, an advert you remember, good or bad is a product you remember.

Anyone want to consider different styles of adverts or commercials between different countries?

Ive seen a lot of US ads from the past few years recently - long story, and one thing they all seemed to have in common - (apart from the prevalence of junk food ads), is the style of music. Jingles that sound like they hired chartable writers and singers(not that that says much)...