Home > Snellville.Talk > Archives > 2007 > May > 02 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USThis report card brought to you by Equifax?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I was grabbing a bite at a popular Loganville lunch spot the other day.
While waiting for my cabbage, corn and biscuit, my eyes wandered, checking the place out since I hadn’t visited in a while.
Soon, my attention rose to the ceiling, where I couldn’t help but notice that the removable ceiling panels had been turned into mini billboards.
Advertising for real estate agents and other services loomed over the diners.
The next night I went to a Braves game. They lost. But the outing was not a total waste. I experienced the Piedmont Hospital Injury Report, the Delta seat upgrade, the Holiday Inn Look Again rerun, the AFLAC Trivia Question, the NAPA Cap Shuffle, the Delta Dental Smile Cam, the Termidor (termite defense) Defensive Play of the Game, the Rinnai Tankless Water Heaters’ “Who’s Hot?” and the Mastercard “What’s the Charge?”
On the way home, I heard the Coolray heating and air traffic report.
The encroachment is not new. Advertising is everywhere — in college bowl names, on downtown buses, at high school football games and on the fences at youth sports.
It got me thinking. There are few remnants of life untouched by commercial advertising. And maybe those that do remain could benefit by giving in.
Take schools. School systems need more money to meet growing demands. Instead of looking to taxpayers, maybe they could persuade Equifax or Experian to sponsor “The Report Card Moment.” The credit agencies could pay for their name to appear on student report cards carried to thousands of homes throughout Gwinnett.
If nothing’s sacred anymore, perhaps churches needing more than offering plates provide could open up advertising opportunities — think a Decca Records Doxology or NoDoz Pews.
Kleenex could weigh in at weddings and funerals, helping to dab up the huge expenses those emotional events bring.
In Gwinnett County, Morton salt could chip in for our stormwater runoff costs, in return for use of its slogan, “When it rains, it pours.” Home Depot and Lowe’s could sponsor a Code Enforcement Officer of the Week program. The county could give Kodak exposure through its red light camera program.
The opportunities are endless. Reality can’t be far behind.
What do you think? Will there ever be a saturation point for advertising? Is its growing presence effective?
Permalink | Comments (26) | Post your comment | Categories: Susan Gast
Comments
By jim d
May 2, 2007 5:23 PM | Link to this
It has been suggested in some circles that the school system sell naming rights to schools, footbal stadiums and auditoriums. They just don’t see much need since they simply can raise taxes when mo money is needed.
By Katie
May 3, 2007 6:00 AM | Link to this
I hate advertisements. I hate TV commercials and billboards. I make a point not to be a sucker for either and do my best not to purchase items I’v seen advertised on signs, commercials, buses or TV. Some suckers may fall for the catchy music or phrases but I see it as them (companies) looking apon the American public as idiots who will buy anything. Well, not this gal. You won’t see me buying anything off of TV or calling some loser, ambulance chasing lawyer. As for billboards, they’re an eyesore and a danger. Advertisers are doing their best to catch the eyes of the drivers below them. What happens when you take your eyes of the road??? Accidents, injuries, deaths. Do the marketers/companies/advertisers care? NO, they just want you to buy their products, they don’t care. So, I will not give them the satisfaction. I wish more people would take my example and do the same.
By What?
May 3, 2007 8:35 AM | Link to this
You won’t see me buying anything off of TV practically everything is advertised on tv, in one way (or on one channel) or another, so you would have to not buy ANYTHING to not buy anything off of tv. Now I agree that I won’t run out and buy something just because of it’s ad, but dang!! unless you are talking about *infomercials…..if so, then disregard my comment.
By JJ
May 3, 2007 8:40 AM | Link to this
What about the “Free” advertising when you purchase a new car, and drive around town with the dealer’s name on the front of your vehicle. That’s the first thing I do when I buy a new car is take the dealer’s cardboard advertisement off the front. And put my Denver Broncos laser cut plate on.
By Becky
May 3, 2007 8:50 AM | Link to this
JJ, I get laughed at when I tell people that I take the dealer’s info off of all parts of my car.. I don’t have the Bronco’s tag yet thoguh..
By Lyrazel
May 3, 2007 8:51 AM | Link to this
You dont know that your kids education is sponsored by the Military? Be all you can be! Try and get your kid through school without a recruiter!!! Just TRY!
By Dale E
May 3, 2007 9:04 AM | Link to this
Like it or not, I percieve it to work. Look at NASCAR—alot of brand loyalty there.
By Mike
May 3, 2007 9:20 AM | Link to this
Advertising is becoming so saturated now that consumers see it as white noise. So, companies have moved to sponsorships to get their name out. If people want to watch the Sugar Bowl, they’ll be constantly reminded it is really the Nokia Sugar Bowl. The same happens with any sporting event, which is why companies have found ways to translate this type of advertising to other arenas, like the restaurant ceiling tiles.
They have a far more captive audience than television, print, and internet advertising because we as consumers have found ways to block out, either physically or mentally the message from these sources. We don’t have to watch commercials (especially with DVR), we don’t have to read ads when flipping through a magazine (why some ads are made to look like an article), and we have many methods of blocking or ignoring internet advertising.
By Mike
May 3, 2007 9:31 AM | Link to this
What about the “Free” advertising when you purchase a new car, and drive around town with the dealer’s name on the front of your vehicle. That’s the first thing I do when I buy a new car is take the dealer’s cardboard advertisement off the front. And put my Denver Broncos laser cut plate on.
So, JJ, you’ve replaced one advertisement for another. Nothing wrong with that, you’d rather be an advocate for the Broncos like I’d rather be an advocate for the Falcons. Advertising works better when consumers give free advertising for products they support (as long as it reflects well on the company).
By molly
May 3, 2007 9:56 AM | Link to this
I love it when people start talking about the annoyance in their lives that advertising creates. I majored in advertising in college. So as an out of state student at Georgia, advertising as a field pumped all of my tuition money into YOUR economy. Then I worked for an advertising firm where people LOVED to tell me how much they hated advertising. A few facts to consider. Did you know why you aren’t paying to view content on the ajc.com website? Advertising. The advertising pays for it. You like buying a magazine for $20 a subscription? Thank advertising, it would cost $500 an issue (I’m not kidding) to produce the average magazine without advertising shelling out most of it. You like paying 50cents for your newspaper? Thank advertising again, it pays for it, your newspaper would have cost you $75 without those ads. Advertising is what offsets the cost of a LOT of things that you enjoy on a daily basis. It makes your cable bill only $100, and you can still get network stations free with an antenna - all because of advertising. Furthermore, the Ad Council of America has given back more than you realize as well. All of those Public Service Announcements such as “this is your brain on drugs” and the like have contributed to public awareness and change. These advertisements are all the result of parties involved - the tv station, the advertising agency, the media planners and the actors, etc. DONATING their time and services to make. How many of you go to work and do part of your job for free for the betterment of society? Even if you volunteer, chances are you don’t do it through doing your paying job for free. As for the Braves game, hey - if you want a sponsorship-free game, go to the backyard game. Not the same experience without a beautiful park, hugely talented and well-paid athletes and Jumbotrons beaming the up-close shots to your nosebleed seats, is it? Those $5 and $1 seats in Turner Field? Mostly subsidized by advertising.
If you really want something to moan about, really, lobby for DFACS reform, or do something about Darfur or saving your planet. As far as I’m concerned, moaning about advertising is just wasting space, energy and time. A final thought - when you say that you don’t buy anything off of TV? First of all, I doubt it unless you’re living in a hole or in a cabin like the Unabomber. Second of all…ever think that that’s what they want? You launch into a diatribe about a particular brand in front of your family and friends, and wham - you’ve just given that advertiser another brand contact point.
By dj
May 3, 2007 10:21 AM | Link to this
It’s already overdone/saturated. I’m almost turned off of basketball now because of the tirade of ads like the ones you mentioned for baseball. The Hertz Halftime Report, the Ernst & Young Stat of the week, the AT&T call of the game. I now hear that jails/prisons are interested selling naming rights to security companies like ADT and Schlage.
You almost miss the true subject matter hidden beneath all the ads.
Additionally, you would THINK with all the endless ad revenue, consumer ticket/cable prices would eventually decline. Hmph!
By Katie
May 3, 2007 10:54 AM | Link to this
Hey ‘What’, try reading my post again. I first said I “do my best not to purchase…” Please read carefully before making an a* of yourself.
By Cletus Snow
May 3, 2007 12:27 PM | Link to this
Enough already.
By Michael Covington
May 3, 2007 4:23 PM | Link to this
When I was in elementary school in Moultrie in 1963-64, the classroom clocks and our 12-inch rulers advertised Coca-Cola, except that the clock in the lunchroom advertised Bulova watches (because you can’t advertise food or drink in a government-subsidized lunchroom, apparently). In Valdosta in the mid-1960s, report cards were in jackets with advertising from a bank and a very depressing exhortation saying that if you can’t save money, you’re a loser.
By S. Williams
May 3, 2007 9:49 PM | Link to this
How many of you bought a product because someone else had it and you liked it? Made you think didn’t I. See the fact of the matter is we are all influenced by advertising be it through word of mouth, billboards, TV commercials, magazines and newspapers. I am sure you don’t go to the store and just pick up anything. I’m 99 percent sure ads influened that purchase.(You want to know a BIG secret: The color, lettering, packaging, design and shelf placement of a product is considered ADVERTISING. It implies the same thing as commercials, billboards and newspaper ads. It sells the product) Companys are well aware of that and you should be too because that’s simply how the human brain works. I will not sit here and believe that you are not influenced by adverstising unless you are both blind and deaf.
By fer
May 3, 2007 10:12 PM | Link to this
JJ, why do you buy a car from a dealer you don’t want to advertise for. Find a good dealer, and then you’ll be glad to help him/her out.
By JustMe
May 3, 2007 10:58 PM | Link to this
fer, you’re a moron. there is no auto dealer on the planet that ANYONE should be giving free (mobile) advertising to. especially after paying tens of thousands of dollars to them for a vehicle? get a grip!
By Deborah Lee
May 4, 2007 6:52 AM | Link to this
I have seen advertisements on egg shells. Toilet paper will be next.
By Lisa
May 4, 2007 9:16 AM | Link to this
I will only keep the dealer tag on my car if they give me an extra special discount to advertise for them. I’ve gone so far as to ask them to remove that adhesive sticker off the truck.
By JJ
May 4, 2007 10:39 AM | Link to this
Mike I never thought of it that way. Interesting……..thank you for that….
By Harriette
May 4, 2007 12:07 PM | Link to this
Hypothecially speaking - and borrowing from the professional sports concepts…Can you imagine the competition among high schools IF they were outright sponsored by some biggie corporations… …the Coca Cola Parkview Panthers, etc., vs. the Southern Company North Gwinnett….etc. Talk about buying teen/family loyalties. Vying for corporate perks at the different schools………….maybe that would be a way to get government out of the public schools……..but would it still be public?….oh, that’s right, they don’t want private dollars to promoate excellence in education, right?
Just a thought.
By Harriette
May 4, 2007 12:09 PM | Link to this
…make that “promote”…….typo - oops.
hkj
By Harriette
May 4, 2007 12:12 PM | Link to this
…..there really needs to be an “edit feature”…..I am having a bad typo Friday…..great day - I really can spell - “hypothetically”….
Great dialogue on this post - especially from the student, Molly.
By Dingaling
May 4, 2007 8:14 PM | Link to this
Why the hostility Molly? Good for you, you majored in “advertising” (didn’t know that was a major…. marketing, maybe?). But you’ve said nothing to refute what Susan is saying.
Things like TV and newspapers have been dependent on advertising from the start… no one is really offended by that, especially not Susan. The point is, she is describing that advertising is encroaching (read: taking over) parts of our lives that existed without advertising. IE: ceiling tiles, traffic reports. The problem is that now everything is completely overdone with advertising. As someone who majors in “advertising”, wouldn’t you know that more effective advertising-per-dollar is preferable?
By DJ
May 4, 2007 11:47 PM | Link to this
I have to say, I completely agree with you. Actually, in my school, Central Gwinnett, there is loads of advertising. I am an avid reader and I often go to the media center to check out books, and with every book you check out, you get a bookmark, with an ad on the back.
By D
May 5, 2007 6:42 PM | Link to this
There is a place for advertisement, and there is a time to limit it. There is one advertisement that really irritates me more than anything else — and that is the Georgia license plate. Look at how many of us are now driving around with an advertisement for a lousy website on our cars. I don’t appreciate paying around $200 a year to say go look at this lousy website. If I’m driving out of state and they really want to know about Georgia, they can simply Google it. Don’t make me pay to tell you how to get information.