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I assume there must be some effect in getting new drinkers. I’ve tried lots of colas. I’m never buying a Pepsi if there is Coke. I will always buy soft drinks

I assume there must be some effect in getting new drinkers. I’ve tried lots of colas. I’m never buying a Pepsi if there is Coke. I will always buy soft drinks in this order: Cherry Coke, Cherry Dr Pepper, Dr Pepper, Coke, maybe I’ll just have water. At this point no amount of advertising will change my mind.

InitialLastName 5y ago
The advertising doesn't simply need to affect your personal preferences to affect your buying habits. If you were buying a few different packs of soda for a group of people (e.g. for a party), how much cheaper would the case of Pepsi need to be than a case of Coke for you to buy it instead? Could that be affected by advertising that made you feel like, regardless of your personal affinity for Coke, Pepsi is the acceptable default choice? Imagine further that this isn't a product category that you feel quite so strongly about (most people don't have a 4-deep ordered list of brand preferences for common product categories). If you were making a quick choice between Sprite and 7-up (again, for a party), are you sure that advertising couldn't possibly influence which of the brands is most accessible to your brain?
avalys 5y ago
This is a common anti-pattern when smart people start thinking about (brand) advertising. “I have such strongly held opinions about my favorite soda! No amount of advertising will change my mind. I am immune to advertising!” And then they go to the grocery store, and remember their girlfriend told them to pick up some fabric softener, which they know nothing about. So they look on the shelf and they think “Ok, Downy, I’ve heard of that one. It’s probably fine.” And away they go. And the next time they need fabric softener, they reach for it again, because it worked fine last time, and what’s the point in spending any more time thinking about fabric softener? This is what brand awareness advertising is meant for. It’s meant to change your weakly held preferences, not your strongly held ones.
- 2muchcoffeeman 5y ago
  This is precisely my point about getting new buyers but couldn’t think of the terms. There must be some clear up shot to spending so much on advertising.

InitialLastName 5y ago

The advertising doesn't simply need to affect your personal preferences to affect your buying habits. If you were buying a few different packs of soda for a group of people (e.g. for a party), how much cheaper would the case of Pepsi need to be than a case of Coke for you to buy it instead? Could that be affected by advertising that made you feel like, regardless of your personal affinity for Coke, Pepsi is the acceptable default choice? Imagine further that this isn't a product category that you feel quite so strongly about (most people don't have a 4-deep ordered list of brand preferences for common product categories). If you were making a quick choice between Sprite and 7-up (again, for a party), are you sure that advertising couldn't possibly influence which of the brands is most accessible to your brain?

avalys 5y ago

This is a common anti-pattern when smart people start thinking about (brand) advertising. “I have such strongly held opinions about my favorite soda! No amount of advertising will change my mind. I am immune to advertising!” And then they go to the grocery store, and remember their girlfriend told them to pick up some fabric softener, which they know nothing about. So they look on the shelf and they think “Ok, Downy, I’ve heard of that one. It’s probably fine.” And away they go. And the next time they need fabric softener, they reach for it again, because it worked fine last time, and what’s the point in spending any more time thinking about fabric softener? This is what brand awareness advertising is meant for. It’s meant to change your weakly held preferences, not your strongly held ones.

2muchcoffeeman 5y ago
This is precisely my point about getting new buyers but couldn’t think of the terms. There must be some clear up shot to spending so much on advertising.