Surveys tell us that most people think that advertising doesn't work on them.
[Surverys are good for finding out what people think they think.]
Here's a recent example of this, about Facebook.
This is partially due to what I call I'm Special Bias [a variant of the Lake Wobegon effect], and partially due to the more general idea that Calvin captures so well above.
We don't like to think we are subject to influence.
We believe we are rational and we know that advertising is trying to influence us but that our minds see through it and make decisions based on what we want and need and price and that.
I suspect that one of the reasons it works is because people think it doesn't.
4 responses to “Advertising Doesn’t Work [On Me]”
+1 for Calvin and Hobbes, and another +1 for Lake Wobegon shout out!! Smart thoughts – thanks Faris.
Amazing work–I followed the trail back to the Bacon chocolate bar and splime (talk about forward thinking in 2008)! How much does affect work here in the I’m special bias? When we have an emotional connection to advertising do we change/put the advertising into a different category?
I believe that direct advertisement doesn’t really work on people. Hidden ads can in fact affect us to buy something but when we encounter an imposing promoter we usually tend to get rid of them.
see, this is why i don’t watch TV