4 ms·

I'm genuinely shocked at how many people think advertising doesn't work. Just because it doesn't make a person consciously stand up and say, "I want a Snickers

I'm genuinely shocked at how many people think advertising doesn't work. Just because it doesn't make a person consciously stand up and say, "I want a Snickers" does not mean the ad didn't work. Like, honestly, are there people here suggesting viral ads don't work? Or don't understand the point of Coke or Mercedes Benz ads are for? Coke establishes themselves as the defacto soda. There is no other soda, or if they are, wish they were coke. MB ads among other things reinforce to MB owners the wisdom and luxury of their brand. To own an MB is to be part of a club, one that is advertised across the media spectrum. If MB didn't advertise at all, they would either become another commodity brand, or have to be so luxury that only word of mouth is necessary (Bently, etc). Now, maybe that's what cortesoft is saying "get you to waste money" but if it got you to waste money on their product, it worked.

cortesoft 6y ago
Sorry, I think you misunderstood my point a bit... I think I am agreeing with you. My point was that advertising's purpose (from a consumer point of view) is for the ADVERTISER to waste money, to signal that they have confidence that their product is good enough to recover the cost of wasting money on advertising.
- zymhan 6y ago
  They weren't disagreeing with you in their reply, just emphasizing the same point.
pmontra 6y ago
I understand the point but the MB example could be off the mark. According to their site [1] they sold more than 2 M cars in 2019. Luxury yes, at least a bit, but a pretty large club. Maybe Ferrari and similar brands? But they do a different kind of advertising. [1] https://www.daimler.com/investors/key-figures/markets/ https://www.daimler.com/investors/key-figures/markets/
- curryst 6y ago
  I don't think they meant that it's a private club. Personally, I think it's less about luxury and more about value signalling. Having a Mercedes says that you're comfortable financially, and they're "dignified". I'm not saying it's true, but it's what their marketing generally implies. Luxury is generally just a dog whistle for value signalling merchandise. Ferrari does different value signalling. They imply wealth because of the cars performance, and they're generally a much more obvious signal. They're usually a bold color like red in the ads, and the body styles are distinctive. You could miss a Mercedes in a group of sedans; you're not going to miss the Ferrari. The private club brand, to me, is Rolls Royce. I would guess because I never see ads (and rarely see them in person), so my only references are pop culture where they're associated with the ultra wealthy.

cortesoft 6y ago

Sorry, I think you misunderstood my point a bit... I think I am agreeing with you. My point was that advertising's purpose (from a consumer point of view) is for the ADVERTISER to waste money, to signal that they have confidence that their product is good enough to recover the cost of wasting money on advertising.

zymhan 6y ago
They weren't disagreeing with you in their reply, just emphasizing the same point.

pmontra 6y ago

I understand the point but the MB example could be off the mark. According to their site [1] they sold more than 2 M cars in 2019. Luxury yes, at least a bit, but a pretty large club. Maybe Ferrari and similar brands? But they do a different kind of advertising. [1] https://www.daimler.com/investors/key-figures/markets/ https://www.daimler.com/investors/key-figures/markets/

curryst 6y ago
I don't think they meant that it's a private club. Personally, I think it's less about luxury and more about value signalling. Having a Mercedes says that you're comfortable financially, and they're "dignified". I'm not saying it's true, but it's what their marketing generally implies. Luxury is generally just a dog whistle for value signalling merchandise. Ferrari does different value signalling. They imply wealth because of the cars performance, and they're generally a much more obvious signal. They're usually a bold color like red in the ads, and the body styles are distinctive. You could miss a Mercedes in a group of sedans; you're not going to miss the Ferrari. The private club brand, to me, is Rolls Royce. I would guess because I never see ads (and rarely see them in person), so my only references are pop culture where they're associated with the ultra wealthy.