Blog #6

I think that product placement in TV shows and movies is very effective. People can turn off commercials and ignore a lot of other forms of advertising, but when it is put into the show it becomes unavoidable. Most of the time you don't notice it's there, kind of a subliminal message thing. Making it less noticable makes people accept it more because they aren't being bombarded with the product and told to buy it. With teenagers they have their shows they watch that they think are cool and anything that is shown on that particular show has to be the coolest new thing so the teens buy what they see the people on the shows using. It is also more effective because it shows the products in closer to real life situations so people can relate better to the show and the product than to a tv commercial.

Blog #5

Billboards and text ads make up a large amount of the media. We see them everywhere. Out of personal experience I know that I look at billoards all the time when I am riding in a car. The bilboards use many different advertising devices. There is a lot of repitition because you only see them for a short period of time so in order to get the point across they have to make it clear and short and use it many times. They also use direct orders to get people thinking about their products. Billboards also use weasel words because they enable the producer to use very few words and still get a point across. Weasel words tie in with the unfinished claim, short phrases that grab your attention. These different techniques are effective because they grab your attention and make you remember. You see hte advertisements so many times that you subconciously remeber the logos or sayings and when you go to the store you will be drawn to the product that was on the billboard.

Radio advertising is a little different. Radio ads use hidden fears. Since they can talk and it isn't just a picture, the ads can sound like they are directed right at the person listening so the producers can play up fears because they can put more emotion into the ads. They also use either-or, asking people questions at the end of hte ad. They also use repetition. The repetition could be with a song or a saying that gets stuck in your head. Radio ads also use vague claims because they are short and easy and capture your attention. Radio ads are effective because they get stuck in your head and you remember them. This helps the companies because if you are looking for a certain product you might remember a radio ad and buy that kind. They can also play on emotions more than bilboards and this helps suck people in.