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Trends in TV Advertising

 

Minnich, C. (1988). Trends in TV Advertising. S. Hamilton, MA: Center for Youth Studies.

OVERVIEW

 

(Download Trends in TV overview as a PDF)

 

In 1986, McDonald’s invested $329,000,000 in advertising, of which 98% went into TV advertising. Americans drank 9 billion gallons of soft drink in 1983; it is estimated that the consumers of half of those gallons were kids ages 18 and younger (Where the Biggest Brands Spend Their Ad Dollars. [1987, July/August]. Channels of Communication, p. 72). What difference does advertising really make? How do advertisers specifically target teenage consumers? What can be done to curtail the negative effects advertising may have on the values of teens?

Television advertising is defined as "the act of calling public attention to a product by way of purchasing time slots from the network, local or cable TV industry." The purpose of TV is not to entertain—it is to make the networks richer via commercials. And it is working! (Logan, B. & Moody, K. [1979]. Television Awareness Training: The Viewer’s Guide for Family and Community. [pp. 43-51]. Abingdon Press.) One researcher defines the effects of advertising on youth as "changes in the youth’s thoughts and actions that occur because of his/her viewing of commercials in the media" (Moschis, G. [1982]. In Schwarz, M. [Ed.], TV & Teens: Experts Look at the Issues

. [p. 208]. Addison Wesley).

 

CURRENT STATISTICS AND TRENDS

  • An average television-watching child sees 22,000 advertisements annually, about 60 per day. Researchers estimate that the average teenager views 23 hours of television each week, and he or she will see 250,000—300,000 advertisements by his or her 18th birthday (Logan and Moody, pp. 43-51).
  • Yearly expenditures on advertising have proliferated from the millions to the billions; in December 1986, thirty seconds of prime time cost $120,000 (Shorter Commercials to Clutter TV Screens. December 1986. USA Today Magazine, p. 9).
  • In 1985, $2 billion was spent on advertising research alone. Advertising agencies study American consumers carefully (Trachtenberg, J.A. [1987, March 23]. Beyond the Hidden Persuaders. Forbes, p. 135).
  •  

  • Breweries have recently spent larger proportions of their advertising budget on cable television spots, where teenagers comprise a large percentage of the audience (Where the Biggest Brands Spend Their Ad Dollars. [1987, July/August]. Channels of Communication, p. 72).

 

PRINCIPLES, IDEOLOGY, AND EFFECTS

  • Television advertisements for products geared toward adolescent consumption "tend to emphasize nonfunctional aspects of the product, such as social significance of the product, group conformity, and acceptance" (Moschis, p. 207). For example, many advertisements suggest, "Buy this and you will be the envy of your friends" or "In order to be cool, you need to buy this brand." Advertisers recognize that the teenage peer group is a strong influence, so they exploit teenagers’ social needs with ads centered on humor, togetherness, and fun. Teens are fairly brand loyal, so marketers attempt to attract young consumers as well as older ones.
  • A woman’s worth is generally portrayed as directly proportional to how young and how beautiful she is; the cosmetic industry portrays women in constant need of alteration, improvement and disguise rather than concerned about their true identity or self (Moschis, pp. 212-213).
  • Both men and women are being portrayed as sexy (or at least striving to be) because sex still sells. Some companies feel the need to become more and more explicit with their ads because "consumers are bored" (Bruning, F. [1986, October 6]. Why Sizzle is Tastier Than Steak. MacLean’s, p. 13). Teens often hear the message, "Be sexy." But now there is a new twist—recent ads for condoms are adding the phrase, "But be careful." Due to the threat of AIDS, kids are hearing that condoms save lives. So does abstinence.
  •  

  • Teens spend billions annually on clothes, entertainment, and personal care products. Most advertisements present products in such a way as to inform the viewer about how to gain status, find pleasure and fulfillment, and solve problems.

 

Nearly all studies have found a correlation between the amount of advertising viewed by teens and the "undesirable consumer motivations of materialism and social motivations for consumption." (Schwarz, p. 206)

 

IMPLICATIONS

  1. We need to confront the effects of advertising in our own lives. It is a subtle industry that will use any ploy to sell. We need to control it and not allow it to control us.
  2. Parents and youth leaders need to watch television with kids (prime time or MTV) and critique the advertisements together. Since kids are relatively new consumers, they should be asked questions such as, "Can this product really do that? What emotional need are they appealing to in that advertisement?" By raising adolescent consciousness of the potential persuasion power of advertising, kids can learn positive consumption habits.
  3.  

  1. With the proliferation of sexually explicit advertising and the entrance of contraceptive ads on television, sex is portrayed as just another recreational activity. Sexuality needs to be discussed with kids. Kids should be taught the destructive results of casual sex as well as the tremendous rewards of a healthy sexual relationship within the context of marriage.
 

Cindy Minnich cCYS


The Pitch

Rank, H. (1982). The Pitch. Park Forest, IL: The Counter Propaganda Press.

/files/Images/Book covers/The Pitch.jpg

OVERVIEW

 

(Download The Pitch overview as a PDF)

 

This book is extremely helpful for training people to recognize and analyze different techniques of persuasion in advertising. Defining propaganda as "organized persuasion," the author offers counter-propaganda against any professional persuader (hence, the principles in the book relate to multiple forms of propaganda—religious, political, or any "cause"). The basic premise of the book: all people are benefit seekers; advertisers are benefit promisers.

 

Rank defends his point, stating, "Advertising may not be the most important aspect of modern propaganda..." and yet "advertising analysis is the best starting point for a better understanding of ALL persuasion. Ads are often the best composition of our age, skillful combinations of purposeful words and images." (p. 13)

 

The author adamantly subscribes that in his book, "Advertising is NOT seen as a conspiracy against the consumer, but as the corporation’s way of stimulating the demand for those products which can be supplied, efficiently, at a profit to the producer." (p. 13) Thus, the book is not intended to be slanderous diatribe against advertising, but rather a tool to raise awareness.

 

The five-point pattern of analysis known as The Pitch is the main thrust of the book; the following describes the most common forms of persuasion in commercial advertising:

  • "Hi!"—ATTENTION GETTING, using physical, emotional, and cognitive means.
  • "Trust me!"—CONFIDENCE BUILDING via celebrity, friend, or authority figures. These people are expert, sincere, and benevolent.
  • "You need!"—DESIRE STIMULATING, focusing on a specific human need or desire.
  • "Hurry!"—URGENCY STRESSING through commands that emphasize a time appeal or conditioning for later consumption.
  •  

  • "Buy!"—RESPONSE SEEKING, the final purpose of any ad; most effective if the response is made easy for the consumer.

 

The Pitch concludes with a quick reference guide to 39 categories of advertising, pointing out the most successful persuasion techniques and those most commonly used. For example, soft drink advertisements "intensify the good" about the product by

  • Repeating brand names.
  • Associating the item with human needs, such as relationships, sex, or an activity.
  •  

  • Highlighting the superiority or quantity of the product.

 

On the other hand, these ads "downplay the bad" effects of the product by

  • Omitting the disadvantages of drinking the product.
  •  

  • Diverting attention from health issues or other drink options.

 

Overall, this book provides valuable practical information and helpful insight into the world of advertising persuasion. Rank includes questions on the five-point "pitch" that can be readily used in group discussions.

 

IMPLICATIONS

  1. The basic rules of advertising are the same as people use when trying to persuade.
  2. Advertising has a strong and dominant place in American culture and easily grabs our attention.
  3. If society can admit that advertising understands individuals and groups better than we often understand ourselves, then we can learn from the techniques.
  4. Youth workers should take hints from advertising techniques and apply them to what they represent and are "selling" to the young people they work with, role model, or lead.
  5.  

  1. The author wants this book to raise awareness. Is that not what youth leaders attempt to do for young people? A goal for any youth worker is to raise kids’ awareness of what is around them and what strives to control them.
 

Cindy Minnich & Anne Montague cCYS


Introduce Teens to Ad Analysis

 

To introduce teens to the concept of advertising analysis, and equip them with tools to do such analysis.

OVERVIEW

 

(Download Introduce Teens overview as a PDF)

 

LEADER PREPARATION

  • Read up on advertising (read Hugh Rank’s The Pitch, if available).
  • Videotape 3-4 advertisements (see Group Presentation); set up a television and VCR before the meeting.
  • Pick one prop for the Group Building activity; before the meeting, train other leaders or a couple of kids to perform the skits.
  • Collect discussion questions to use with the larger group and in the small groups.
  •  

  • Make an illustrative overhead of the five stages of The Pitch.

 

GROUP BUILDING

 

Have other leaders or a few kids perform three short skits. In a humorous, ridiculous way, illustrate some different forms of persuasive selling techniques. Use a boring, functional object (such as a stapler or paper cup) and try to "sell" the object through

  • Celebrity endorsement.
  • Sexual persuasion.
  •  

  • Social acceptance among peers.

 

This introduces kids to an exaggerated form of the more subtle persuasion they will see in the group presentation.

 

GROUP PRESENTATION

 

First, show three diverse advertisements: one with passionately blatant sexual overtones (such as perfume or jeans commercials); one encouraging community, social engagements, parties (such as beer commercials); and one projecting strong materialistic values (such as credit card commercials).

 

In a large group, briefly discuss such questions as:

  • What appeals to you in this advertisement? (The actors? the graphics? The music?)
  • What do you think are the overt and covert messages to your age group?
  •  

  • What is the main persuasive technique in each advertisement? (See The Pitch for more questions.)

 

Then take one of the advertisements—the one the kids liked the best—and show it again. Divide into small groups identify the five stages of persuasion according to your overhead outline from The Pitch.

 

WRAP-UP

Close the meeting summarizing how advertising not only tries to sell something, but also influences our attitudes regarding materialism, social acceptance, and sex. Emphasize the value of thinking through these issues, and ask the kids if they can think of any other types of propaganda infiltrating their lives.

 

EVALUATION

 

As a means of evaluating their interest and understanding of the material presented, give kids a handout of the five stages of The Pitch and ask them to analyze their favorite commercial and report back to the group at the next meeting.

 

This is a good way to introduce a 3-4 week unit on advertising and how it influences teen attitudes and values. Spend the next three weeks going into more depth on the three areas touched during this meeting (one week for each: sex, materialism, and social acceptance). Pick more subtle advertisements to show in the following weeks; challenge kids to use their analytical ability.

 

Cindy Minnich cCYS

 


Introduce Teens to Ad Analysis

 

To introduce teens to the concept of advertising analysis, and equip them with tools to do such analysis.

OVERVIEW

 

(Download Introduce Teens overview as a PDF)

 

LEADER PREPARATION

  • Read up on advertising (read Hugh Rank’s The Pitch, if available).
  • Videotape 3-4 advertisements (see Group Presentation); set up a television and VCR before the meeting.
  • Pick one prop for the Group Building activity; before the meeting, train other leaders or a couple of kids to perform the skits.
  • Collect discussion questions to use with the larger group and in the small groups.
  •  

  • Make an illustrative overhead of the five stages of The Pitch.

 

GROUP BUILDING

 

Have other leaders or a few kids perform three short skits. In a humorous, ridiculous way, illustrate some different forms of persuasive selling techniques. Use a boring, functional object (such as a stapler or paper cup) and try to "sell" the object through

  • Celebrity endorsement.
  • Sexual persuasion.
  •  

  • Social acceptance among peers.

 

This introduces kids to an exaggerated form of the more subtle persuasion they will see in the group presentation.

 

GROUP PRESENTATION

 

First, show three diverse advertisements: one with passionately blatant sexual overtones (such as perfume or jeans commercials); one encouraging community, social engagements, parties (such as beer commercials); and one projecting strong materialistic values (such as credit card commercials).

 

In a large group, briefly discuss such questions as:

  • What appeals to you in this advertisement? (The actors? the graphics? The music?)
  • What do you think are the overt and covert messages to your age group?
  •  

  • What is the main persuasive technique in each advertisement? (See The Pitch for more questions.)

 

Then take one of the advertisements—the one the kids liked the best—and show it again. Divide into small groups identify the five stages of persuasion according to your overhead outline from The Pitch.

 

WRAP-UP

Close the meeting summarizing how advertising not only tries to sell something, but also influences our attitudes regarding materialism, social acceptance, and sex. Emphasize the value of thinking through these issues, and ask the kids if they can think of any other types of propaganda infiltrating their lives.

 

EVALUATION

 

As a means of evaluating their interest and understanding of the material presented, give kids a handout of the five stages of The Pitch and ask them to analyze their favorite commercial and report back to the group at the next meeting.

 

This is a good way to introduce a 3-4 week unit on advertising and how it influences teen attitudes and values. Spend the next three weeks going into more depth on the three areas touched during this meeting (one week for each: sex, materialism, and social acceptance). Pick more subtle advertisements to show in the following weeks; challenge kids to use their analytical ability.

 

Cindy Minnich cCYS

 


Trends in TV Advertising

 

Minnich, C. (1988). Trends in TV Advertising. S. Hamilton, MA: Center for Youth Studies.

OVERVIEW

 

(Download Trends in TV overview as a PDF)

 

In 1986, McDonald’s invested $329,000,000 in advertising, of which 98% went into TV advertising. Americans drank 9 billion gallons of soft drink in 1983; it is estimated that the consumers of half of those gallons were kids ages 18 and younger (Where the Biggest Brands Spend Their Ad Dollars. [1987, July/August]. Channels of Communication, p. 72). What difference does advertising really make? How do advertisers specifically target teenage consumers? What can be done to curtail the negative effects advertising may have on the values of teens?

Television advertising is defined as "the act of calling public attention to a product by way of purchasing time slots from the network, local or cable TV industry." The purpose of TV is not to entertain—it is to make the networks richer via commercials. And it is working! (Logan, B. & Moody, K. [1979]. Television Awareness Training: The Viewer’s Guide for Family and Community. [pp. 43-51]. Abingdon Press.) One researcher defines the effects of advertising on youth as "changes in the youth’s thoughts and actions that occur because of his/her viewing of commercials in the media" (Moschis, G. [1982]. In Schwarz, M. [Ed.], TV & Teens: Experts Look at the Issues

. [p. 208]. Addison Wesley).

 

CURRENT STATISTICS AND TRENDS

  • An average television-watching child sees 22,000 advertisements annually, about 60 per day. Researchers estimate that the average teenager views 23 hours of television each week, and he or she will see 250,000—300,000 advertisements by his or her 18th birthday (Logan and Moody, pp. 43-51).
  • Yearly expenditures on advertising have proliferated from the millions to the billions; in December 1986, thirty seconds of prime time cost $120,000 (Shorter Commercials to Clutter TV Screens. December 1986. USA Today Magazine, p. 9).
  • In 1985, $2 billion was spent on advertising research alone. Advertising agencies study American consumers carefully (Trachtenberg, J.A. [1987, March 23]. Beyond the Hidden Persuaders. Forbes, p. 135).
  •  

  • Breweries have recently spent larger proportions of their advertising budget on cable television spots, where teenagers comprise a large percentage of the audience (Where the Biggest Brands Spend Their Ad Dollars. [1987, July/August]. Channels of Communication, p. 72).

 

PRINCIPLES, IDEOLOGY, AND EFFECTS

  • Television advertisements for products geared toward adolescent consumption "tend to emphasize nonfunctional aspects of the product, such as social significance of the product, group conformity, and acceptance" (Moschis, p. 207). For example, many advertisements suggest, "Buy this and you will be the envy of your friends" or "In order to be cool, you need to buy this brand." Advertisers recognize that the teenage peer group is a strong influence, so they exploit teenagers’ social needs with ads centered on humor, togetherness, and fun. Teens are fairly brand loyal, so marketers attempt to attract young consumers as well as older ones.
  • A woman’s worth is generally portrayed as directly proportional to how young and how beautiful she is; the cosmetic industry portrays women in constant need of alteration, improvement and disguise rather than concerned about their true identity or self (Moschis, pp. 212-213).
  • Both men and women are being portrayed as sexy (or at least striving to be) because sex still sells. Some companies feel the need to become more and more explicit with their ads because "consumers are bored" (Bruning, F. [1986, October 6]. Why Sizzle is Tastier Than Steak. MacLean’s, p. 13). Teens often hear the message, "Be sexy." But now there is a new twist—recent ads for condoms are adding the phrase, "But be careful." Due to the threat of AIDS, kids are hearing that condoms save lives. So does abstinence.
  •  

  • Teens spend billions annually on clothes, entertainment, and personal care products. Most advertisements present products in such a way as to inform the viewer about how to gain status, find pleasure and fulfillment, and solve problems.

 

Nearly all studies have found a correlation between the amount of advertising viewed by teens and the "undesirable consumer motivations of materialism and social motivations for consumption." (Schwarz, p. 206)

 

IMPLICATIONS

  1. We need to confront the effects of advertising in our own lives. It is a subtle industry that will use any ploy to sell. We need to control it and not allow it to control us.
  2. Parents and youth leaders need to watch television with kids (prime time or MTV) and critique the advertisements together. Since kids are relatively new consumers, they should be asked questions such as, "Can this product really do that? What emotional need are they appealing to in that advertisement?" By raising adolescent consciousness of the potential persuasion power of advertising, kids can learn positive consumption habits.
  3.  

  1. With the proliferation of sexually explicit advertising and the entrance of contraceptive ads on television, sex is portrayed as just another recreational activity. Sexuality needs to be discussed with kids. Kids should be taught the destructive results of casual sex as well as the tremendous rewards of a healthy sexual relationship within the context of marriage.
 

Cindy Minnich cCYS


The Pitch

Rank, H. (1982). The Pitch. Park Forest, IL: The Counter Propaganda Press.

/files/Images/Book covers/The Pitch.jpg

OVERVIEW

 

(Download The Pitch overview as a PDF)

 

This book is extremely helpful for training people to recognize and analyze different techniques of persuasion in advertising. Defining propaganda as "organized persuasion," the author offers counter-propaganda against any professional persuader (hence, the principles in the book relate to multiple forms of propaganda—religious, political, or any "cause"). The basic premise of the book: all people are benefit seekers; advertisers are benefit promisers.

 

Rank defends his point, stating, "Advertising may not be the most important aspect of modern propaganda..." and yet "advertising analysis is the best starting point for a better understanding of ALL persuasion. Ads are often the best composition of our age, skillful combinations of purposeful words and images." (p. 13)

 

The author adamantly subscribes that in his book, "Advertising is NOT seen as a conspiracy against the consumer, but as the corporation’s way of stimulating the demand for those products which can be supplied, efficiently, at a profit to the producer." (p. 13) Thus, the book is not intended to be slanderous diatribe against advertising, but rather a tool to raise awareness.

 

The five-point pattern of analysis known as The Pitch is the main thrust of the book; the following describes the most common forms of persuasion in commercial advertising:

  • "Hi!"—ATTENTION GETTING, using physical, emotional, and cognitive means.
  • "Trust me!"—CONFIDENCE BUILDING via celebrity, friend, or authority figures. These people are expert, sincere, and benevolent.
  • "You need!"—DESIRE STIMULATING, focusing on a specific human need or desire.
  • "Hurry!"—URGENCY STRESSING through commands that emphasize a time appeal or conditioning for later consumption.
  •  

  • "Buy!"—RESPONSE SEEKING, the final purpose of any ad; most effective if the response is made easy for the consumer.

 

The Pitch concludes with a quick reference guide to 39 categories of advertising, pointing out the most successful persuasion techniques and those most commonly used. For example, soft drink advertisements "intensify the good" about the product by

  • Repeating brand names.
  • Associating the item with human needs, such as relationships, sex, or an activity.
  •  

  • Highlighting the superiority or quantity of the product.

 

On the other hand, these ads "downplay the bad" effects of the product by

  • Omitting the disadvantages of drinking the product.
  •  

  • Diverting attention from health issues or other drink options.

 

Overall, this book provides valuable practical information and helpful insight into the world of advertising persuasion. Rank includes questions on the five-point "pitch" that can be readily used in group discussions.

 

IMPLICATIONS

  1. The basic rules of advertising are the same as people use when trying to persuade.
  2. Advertising has a strong and dominant place in American culture and easily grabs our attention.
  3. If society can admit that advertising understands individuals and groups better than we often understand ourselves, then we can learn from the techniques.
  4. Youth workers should take hints from advertising techniques and apply them to what they represent and are "selling" to the young people they work with, role model, or lead.
  5.  

  1. The author wants this book to raise awareness. Is that not what youth leaders attempt to do for young people? A goal for any youth worker is to raise kids’ awareness of what is around them and what strives to control them.
 

Cindy Minnich & Anne Montague cCYS


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