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

A mid-19th through 20th century form of intrusive communication (mostly, but not restricted to, business to consumer) whose purpose is to elicit a desired response in the consumer. This response could be a purchase impulse, a behavior modification, or a belief modification.

Mostly encountered in print and broadcast media, "advertisements" usually interupt magazine articles and television shows just when they are getting to the good part. This would appear to be counter-productive, because it would seem that an endless stream of annoying messages, slogans, blow-in subscription cards, eau de cologne scent tester strips, and bad queso recipes would do everything but entice a consumer to purchase any product hawked in the ad, but experience proves otherwise. As they say, 15 million mini-van driving soccer moms can't be wrong, just very annoying. There are many theories as to why ads are placed in the most obtrusive locations of the communication flow.

One theory states that ads, by surprising the viewer at unpredictable moments, catch them with their mental guards down, allowing the ad message easier passage into the viewer's mind and increasing the effectiveness of the advertising message.

Another theory says that by cunningly placing ads right after a surprising revelation or some other occurance that raises a viewer's sense of anticipation, the advertising message will catch the viewer paying more attention, thereby increasing the effectiveness of the advertising message.

A third theory, more cynical than the other two, points out that, as often as not, the ads are more interesting than the communication flow, and the viewer deserves a reward for making it that far. Because people, in general, usually like rewards, the ad evokes a good feeling in the viewer, and this good feeling gets associated with the product in the advertisement.

It has been said that the only difference between a simple sign with the name of a product on it and a full blown print ad campaign is $20M, six months of client meetings, three weeks of allnighters, fourteen gallons of half-double-mocca-decaf, several cases of cigarettes, and too many out of control egos.

It should also be noted that the best ads never actually make it to production because they are so clever as to ultimately make someone along the approval chain 1) jealous because they didn't think of the idea or 2) nervous because the idea is really that mind-boggling good.
 
 

Sorry for the repetition of the entry on Advertising.

Blake