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From: torek@umich.UUCP (Paul V. Torek )
Newsgroups: net.women,net.motss
Subject: Re: offensive advertising
Message-ID: <393@umich.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 11-Jan-86 20:58:10 EST
Article-I.D.: umich.393
Posted: Sat Jan 11 20:58:10 1986
Date-Received: Wed, 15-Jan-86 08:02:15 EST
References: <237@birtch.UUCP> <1825@cbsck.UUCP> <78@midas.UUCP>
Reply-To: torek@umich.UUCP (Paul V. Torek )
Organization: University of Michigan, EECS Dept., Ann Arbor, MI
Lines: 23
Keywords: sex in adv
Xref: watmath net.women:8349 net.motss:2451
Summary: 

In article <78@midas.UUCP> jeffw@midas.UUCP (Jeff Winslow) writes:
>It might interest the advertisers to know that I can remember a number
>of ads that used this formula where I can't for the life of me remember
>what they were advertising. 

Indeed, I saw something on 20/20 about advertising and some guy who evaluates
advertising for its effectiveness.  He uses a machine that tracks a person's
eye movements while they watch an ad; on a separate screen a dot appears
where the viewer is focusing.  The (male) 20/20 reporter tried out the 
machine, and was shown a Pepsi ad (I *think* it was Pepsi -- I can't remember 
the product but I remember the model!) with an incredibly sexy woman holding 
the Pepsi.  It was amusing to see the screen with the dot on it -- you can 
imagine where the dot spent most of its time.  Anyhow, the ad evaluator said 
that it was a bad ad (from a sales perspective) because the viewer *never 
looked at the product*!

Until that time, I had thought that the ad (which I had seen before, many
times) was effective -- after all, it certainly got my attention.  But what
that advertising evaluator said does make sense.  Of course, it may be that
the ad was directed at women (I think the ad was for *diet* Pepsi, and we
all know which sex does most of the dieting in this culture).

--Paul V. Torek							torek@umich