Media
What Goes Around Comes Around…
August 5th, 2009
Written by: Admin
As a child of the 80’s, I loved to watch Smurfs, Scooby Doo, Snorkels, and the Care Bears for my Saturday morning cartoons. With my favorite shows also came commercials. I loved watching commercials; they always fascinated me and also influenced me towards certain products. I remember Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes due to Tony the Tiger. They made me want to say they’re “GRRREEEAT” while eating them for breakfast.
I also remember the leprechaun from Lucky Charms was able to help me convince my mom to buy them for me at our local grocery store because the marshmallows came in different colors. My mom always told me that I was the perfect target for advertisers, because their messages appealed to me and made me want to purchase their products.
As I got older, the commercials still interested me and I love watching them for their funny lines and TV characters, but I now watch commercials in a different way.
After college, I started my career as a Media Buyer, and seven years later I’m still in the business. As part of my job, I watch & track commercials for our clients. I follow certain criteria:
- Are the commercials that I placed running in the right position?
- Do they have enough separation (this means that there is more than 30 minutes between our spots)? Is there competitive separation (my spot isn’t running next to a competitor)?
- Is the commercial positioning at the start of the commercial break or at towards the end?
I watch television commercials differently from when I was a little girl, but it seems as if my life has come full circle on commercials. I get excited when I see our client’s spot during premium placement. I also have a sense of pride that I am advertising to the right demographic for our clients so they can see a ROI (return on investment) and that their advertising dollars are working.
I still do find myself getting caught by creative commercials and at times it still makes me want to purchase them. Instead of Tony the Tiger and Lucky Charms, I get intrigued by ice cream commercials. If they show a commercial for a Dairy Queen Blizzard, it makes me want to go out and get a little treat.
At least I know I have found my calling and as my mom always told me, you are definitely in the right occupation.
