Television advertising is a curious thing

Do you pay any attention to the tons of commercials on television when you are watching it? Or are you like many of us who wait for the commercials so we can rush to the kitchen for something to drink, a snack or some other chore like taking the clothes out of the dryer or putting them in the washer? Some of those commercials run long enough to get quite a few things done. No matter that is what so many viewers do as they are boring. That is not why I ask the question.

The reason I’m asking is because sometimes like to watch, because when you are in the newspaper game, advertising pays the bills and many of them I find are intriguing, especially at Christmas time. There are some that you can’t help but wonder how they come up with the selling points. How they dress up the toys to interest the kids, especially when they take the attention away from the main product and dress it up with the motivation that it can only be used if you have purchased all of the attachments that go with it, including batteries and energy sources. It’s misleading and a disappointment...That is just one of the numerous examples when it comes to toys.

What about watching the commercial and when it is finished you wonder to yourself what the ad was for? Insurance companies, many medical commercials. They have you believing you have the problem they are talking about and how you can heal it. But have you worried you will contract one of the side effects and be worse off than the original problem? And if you have a side effect the first thing they advise is “call your doctor immedi- ately.” Won’t your doctor be disgusted if you call him every time?

If you are sitting in a place which isn’t home, the TV is on, other people are watching the same TV (such as in the waiting room at the doctor’s office) or other public places and the commercial that comes on is of an intimate nature, models with skimpy attire that is most revealing, or descriptions of products used only for intimate viewing, do you cringe and feel embarrassed? In today’s world it’s getting more and more common for such advertising to get more attention and one wonders how much farther they will go with such products. With children sitting beside you in a waiting room when some of these come on the TV, I feel they should be put in the later hours of the night when at home or in public TV. Perhaps I’m a prude, but children find out what these ads are all about in other ways, like in school these days.

I do enjoy humorous advertising. Today the advertisement where the gal asks, “What am I supposed to do, drive ¾ of a car?” advertising a car insurance agency. If you are one of the ones who leave the “set” when the advertisements that pay for the program come on, this column has no subject that you know about...take time and listen and watch, you might just get an education or don’t you care? Sometimes your intelligence is being questioned and that is insulting.

I would also add that many ads are sometimes interesting, well known and intriguing as well as thoughtful to catch the punch line and for the meaning of the advertisement.