Essay #4

TV Advertising

Students are asked to watch one hour of prime time television and 30 minutes either in the morning or mid-day and answer the following questions.  Students may also listen to the radio to obtain the information.  You will need a watch or clock with a second hand and undivided attention during commercials.

In a one-hour (60 minute) period, how many minutes were devoted to advertising? How were they distributed throughout the hour?
How many commercials were 60 seconds, 45 seconds, 30 seconds, or 15 seconds?
Was the same product advertised more than once during the hour? Were the commercials identical?
Is there a best position in a commercial session? Why?
How well do the commercials fit with the program? Do the programs and the products have similar target markets?
Select 10 of the commercials you saw, analyze the commercials and provide your opinion on whether the commercials were informing, persuading, reminding, or a sales promotion.
Did you see a difference in the types of commercials that ran during prime-time versus the morning or mid-day?
Provide examples of the types of commercials for each of the time frames.
Provide an overview of the commercials in regards to whether they were product advertising, competitive advertising, or comparative
Of the products that were advertised, were any of the products items you have or would purchase?
Did you see any new product that you were not aware of and are now interested in purchasing?