lesson 9

Ads

It’s been said the average American sees or hears 4,000-plus ads per day.

4,000 ads — does it add up?

https://www.bizjournals.com/bizjournals/how-to/marketing/2017/09/do-we-really-see-4-000-ads-a-day.html

On TV

TV news: According to MediaPost, in 2015, Fox News averaged 16.52 minutes of commercials per hour. However, the other major networks' numbers were only slightly lower. In 2013, 30- and 15-second ads accounted for 53 percent and 44 percent respectively. This implies 48 ads per hour.

TV dramas/reality TV: According to Quora, programming runs 41 to 48 minutes on network TV. This translates to about 15 minutes of commercials per hour.

https://www.bizjournals.com/bizjournals/how-to/marketing/2017/09/do-we-really-see-4-000-ads-a-day.html

In the car

Drive-time radio: You likely listen. American commuters drive about 15 miles each way daily, for a total of about 46 minutes. A 2000 study referenced in a New York Times article indicated that after deregulation, commercials jumped from a dozen to about 20 per hour.

https://www.bizjournals.com/bizjournals/how-to/marketing/2017/09/do-we-really-see-4-000-ads-a-day.html

Online

Surfing the internet: According to Menmood Hanif, quoted in a Huffington Post article, the average internet user gets 11,150 ads per month. There’s an interesting logic involved in determining the number. It’s based on how often certain software blocks a banner ad or pop-up ad from appearing.

Outlook: As above, you usually get an ad on the right-hand side of the screen when you access Outlook or every time you view a different e-mail.

Social media: How about 111 impressions per person per day? That’s according to customerexperiencematrix addressing ad impressions from several different channels. That number might be low if the average Facebook user spends 50 minutes on the site daily, according to the New York Times.

https://www.bizjournals.com/bizjournals/how-to/marketing/2017/09/do-we-really-see-4-000-ads-a-day.html

What is the general ambience of the advertisement? What mood does it create? How does it do this?

What is the general ambience of the advertiseme...

What is the design of the advertisement? Does it use axi...

What is the design of the advertisement? Does it use axial balance or some other form? How are the basic components or elements arranged?

What is the relationship between pictorial elements a...

What is the relationship between pictorial elements and written material and what does this tell us?

What is the use of space in the advertisement? Is there a lot ...

What is the use of space in the advertisement? Is there a lot of 'white space" or is it full of graphic and written elements?

What signs and symbols do we find? What role do they play in the ad's impact?

What signs and symbols do we find? What role do they play in t...

If there are figures (men, women, children, animals) what are they like? What can be said about their facial expressions, poses, hairstyle, age, sex, hair color, ethnicity, education, occupation, relationships (of one to the other)?

If there are figures (men, women, children, animals) what a...

What does the background tell us? Where is the advertisement taking place and what significance does this background have?

What does the background tell us? Where is the advertiseme...

What action is taking place in the advertiseme...

What action is taking place in the advertisement and what significance does it have? (This might be described as the ad's "plot.")

What theme or themes do we find in the advertiseme...

What theme or themes do we find in the advertisement? What is it about? (The plot of an advertisement may involve a man and a woman drinking but the theme might be jealousy, faithlessness, ambition, passion, etc.)

What about the language used? Does it essentially provi...

What about the language used? Does it essentially provide information or does it try to generate some kind of emotional response? Or both? What techniques are used by the copywriter: humor, alliteration, definitions" of life, comparisons, sexual innuendo, and so on?

What is the item being advertised and what role does it play in American culture and society?

What is the item being advertised and what role does it play ...

What about aesthetic decisions? If the advertisement is a photograph, what kind of a shot is it? What significance do long shots, medium shots, close-up shots have? What about the lighting, use of color, angle of the shot?

What about aesthetic decisions? If the advertisement ...

What sociological, political, economic or cultural attitud...

What sociological, political, economic or cultural attitudes are indirectly reflected in the advertisement? An advertisement may be about a pair of blue jeans but it might, indirectly, reflect such matters as sexism, alienation, stereotyped thinking, conformism, generational conflict, loneliness, elitism, and so on.

Ye Olde Media

Hollywood was booming by the late 1920s when sound was first added to the motion pictures. Sound pictures, or talkies, proved popular. Hollywood was on its way to what is now looked upon as the Golden Age of Cinema, a time of experimentation and many cinematic releases. At the time, the major Hollywood studios owned their own movie theaters and could therefore control distribution. Big stars like Clark Gable and Gene Kelly were signed to major contracts, and Hollywood churned out many great cinematic works. Some notable hits from the 1930s include King Kong, Gone with the Wind, and the Wizard of Oz.

https://www.interexchange.org/articles/career-training-usa/2012/12/13/history-of-u-s-media-television-and-cinema/

Public Property

1934: The Communications Act of 1934, the basic landmark agreement between commercial television and the people of the United has become the unifying thread of all telecommunications laws since then, establishing the following basic principles: The airways are public property; Commercial broadcasters are licensed to use the airways; The main condition for use will be whether the broadcaster served "the public interest, convenience, and necessity."

From Film to TV

Three major radio networks NBC, CBS, and ABC began putting on regular television programs in the 1940s. An early factory-made television with a small 16-inch (41cm) screen could cost $795 in 1948 – equivalent to $7,633 in today's dollars.

The idea of paying for additional television channels existed as early as the late 1940s with a kind of subscription service that allowed you to get additional channels. Cable television as we have come to know it now came about in the 1970s.

https://www.interexchange.org/articles/career-training-usa/2012/12/13/history-of-u-s-media-television-and-cinema/

Reliance on and distrust of TV

1963: Polls show more Americans report that they rely on television rather than newspapers as their primary source for news.

1966: The Freedom of Information Act allows any citizen, including newspaper reporters, to get information from government records. Read more about the Freedom of Information Act.

1965-1973: TV coverage of the Vietnam War took on new significance. The media reporting in Vietnam directly challenged the government, drawing attention to the "credibility gap" — official lies and half-truths about the war.

Audio-visual dominance

With increased specialization, when videocassettes and cable television began to reach critical mass in the 1970s and 1980s, one might have predicted the death of reading because there was now a channel or videocassettes for just about every interest imaginable. However, just the opposite occurred. The magazine industry used television advertising and videocassettes as promotional giveaways providing added value for subscribers and attracting new ones (Dougherty, 1982). The classic example is Sports Illustrated offering different videos “with your paid subscription”, depending on the time of year and specific sports season. Subscribing to the magazine was almost an afterthought to getting the free video. So in essence, videocassettes were used to expand the magazine market. Magazines also used the cable television medium as brand extensions, producing instructional tapes and television shows designed specifically for the magazine’s audience (Knoll, 1984; Learner, 1982; Pool, 1983).

https://www.interexchange.org/articles/career-training-usa/2012/12/13/history-of-u-s-media-television-and-cinema/

Into every home

1970's: During Nixon's presidency, two events brought the press a new prominence: the Pentagon Papers and Watergate. At the same time, television news was expanding. 60 MINUTES became the nation's most popular program.

From this point forward, media began expanding rapidly. By 1990, more than half of American homes had cable systems, nationally oriented newspapers expanded their national reach, and with the introduction of technological change in the newsroom (including the Internet), a new emphasis on computer-assisted reporting and a new blending of media forms emerged, with one reporter preparing the same story in print, on-line, and on camera for a newspaper's cable station.

Now entering your timeline...

1990s – Internet access opened to general public; changes everything

1996 – Telecommunications Act of 1996 brings the V-chip, deregulation, and dramatic increase in mergers and takeovers.

And, that's what brings us to the BIG 6.

Who Owns the Media?

There are currently 6 major corporations that run all the media outlets (and internet and phone services) in the United States. That's consolidated from 50 companies back in 1983.

Head: Sumner Redstone

Sumner Redstone is current owner of National Amusements and all of its properties. While his daughter Shari has the title of President, Sumner Redstone retains most of the control over the company.

NA was first founded by Sumner Redstone's father Michael Redstone, making National Amusements one of the most powerful and successful corporate dynasties in the United States.

None of the Redstones publish their salaries. After all, National Amusements is a private company.

However, finance experts can guess at Sumner Redstone's overall net worth.

His net worth refers to the total financial value of what Sumner Redstone owns, minus any outstanding debts.

As he nears his 94th birthday in 2017, Sumner Redstone (and his estate) is worth an estimated $4.6 billion, according to Forbes.

Head: Bob Iger

Disney announced Bob Iger as CEO on March 13, 2005, following the departure of Michael Eisner.

Since then, Iger has run a campaign of mergers and acquisitions to expand Disney into an even greater media powerhouse, especially with the acquisition of Marvel ($4 billion) and Lucasfilm ($4 billion).

His published salary is $44.9 million. That breaks down to:

$1.73 million per paycheck

$172,692.32 per day

$21,586.54 per hour

Head: Jeff Bewkes

Jeff Bewkes is the CEO of TimeWarner. He makes $32.5 million per year.

That works out to:

$1.25 million per paycheck

$125,000 per work day

$15,625 per hour

Head: Brian L. Roberts

Brian L. Roberts became President of Comcast in 1990, back when the company only earned $657 million in annual revenue.

That may sound like a ridiculous figure to use with the term "only," but under Roberts' leadership, the company now earns $74.5 billion annually.

As a result, Roberts is compensated well. He earns $40.8 million per year, which works out to:

$1.57 million per paycheck

$156,923.04 per work day

$19,615.38 per hour

Head: Rupert Murdoch

While News Corp underwent a split in 2013, Rupert Murdoch remains the head of most of News Corp's current assets.

With a hand in television, film, music, and print, Murdoch is perhaps the most successful Australian entrepreneur to build an international empire.

As a result, Murdoch earns something to the tune of $22.3 million per year, which is roughly:

$857,692 per paycheck

$85,769.20 per work day

$10,721.15 per hour

Head: Kazuo Hirai

"Kaz" Hirai started work at Sony Music Entertainment Japan in 1984, and he's been with the company ever since.

He climbed Sony's corporate ladder quickly, eventually culminating with his CEO appointment on April 1, 2012.

Since then, Sony has had some problems, but it's also had some successes. Most notably, Sony recently posted a 666% increase in profit as it launched a turnaround plan. The announcement came almost exactly four years after Hirai become CEO.

At 55, Hirai is one of the youngest leaders of a global conglomerate. But still, he clearly knows what he's doing.

For his vision, Hirai earns about $4.9 million every year.

Compared to the other CEOs and presidents on this list, that's pretty modest. But it's still life-changing money for 99% of the world.

Hirai's salary breaks down to:

$161,540.80 per paycheck

$16,154.08 per work day

$2019.23 per hour

Totals

Ask a Doctor

Examples of Media Hysteria

You might recognise some of them. A la Listverse.

Violence

The level of attention given to violent crime is so far from the reality that it’s almost laughable. In 2010, a study found that positive stories about peace and so on made up a pathetic 1.6 percent of the mainstream media’s output. This would be understandable if horrible things were happening 98.4 percent of the time, but they’re not. According to official statistics, the US murder rate in 2013 is the lowest in a century, with violent crime also reaching near-record lows.

War

If there’s one thing even better for sales than violence, it’s the threat of war. Mere months ago, the world watched on tenterhooks as North Korea calibrated its missiles and threatened to rain nuclear destruction on the West. Every news outlet was full of breathless analysis and maps showing how the US lay within striking distance—despite there being no possibility of war whatsoever. As in none—zilch, zero, nada. The fact is, a North Korean “attack” would almost certainly end with the missile failing to launch or falling into the sea, for the simple reason that their technology sucks. Analysis confirms that Pyongyang has yet to build a bomb small enough to fit on a missile, while experts agree that Kim’s recent bluster was just that: bluster. So, we essentially have a non-story about a fat little tyrant bawling for attention half the world away, and our media spins it into a narrative where we’re all on the verge of annihilation.

Immigration

In 2012, a study by the National Hispanic Media Coalition found that a disturbing number of people assume at least half of all Hispanics are in the United States illegally, as opposed to the actual figure of less than one in five. Even more worryingly, the same report found a significant link between staunch anti-immigration rhetoric and how people view Latinos in general. But it’s not just lazy stereotyping the media encourages—often the debate is run on outright lies.Take the myth of immigrant violence: pundits love to talk up the link between violent crime and immigration, despite the mind-boggling number of studies showing high-immigration areas often have lower crime than anywhere else. But expecting bored journalists to run a simple fact check is apparently too much to ask.

The “PC” Myth

Nothing gets people riled up like a story about “political correctness gone mad.” Like the report that people were being asked to say "Winterval" instead of Christmas.

Take the Winterval example. In the UK, this was a source of outrage for years—until the paper that first reported it finally admitted they’d made the whole thing up. The same goes for pretty much every other “War on Christmas” story you’ve ever heard, and plenty of others besides. Remember that story about how atheists are trying to ban religious broadcasting because it offends them? Sure sounds like PC gone mad—until you realize Snopes debunked it years ago.

The “Health And Safety” Myth

Glance through a [tabloid] and it becomes apparent “health and safety” is ruining the country. From acrobats being forced to wear hard hats, to bunting (street flags) being banned, and children told to wear goggles when playing, it’s clear that “health and safety” is out of control. Or is it?As you’ve probably guessed, literally every single one of those examples is completely unfounded. Along with graduates being told not to throw their hats in the air and park benches being lowered three inches, they’re nothing more than made-up stories journalists cranked out before a deadline without doing a single fact-check. In fact, the media’s penchant for totally making up stories about health and safety got so bad the UK government was forced to set up a website with the specific aim of debunking these myths—because just asking the press to stop acting like fools would obviously be a step too far.

Islamification

Put simply, “Islamification” happens when an influx of Muslims changes the culture of a city or country to such a point that it appears Islamic. And, judging by the media’s coverage of it, it must be happening at a phenomenal rate. So, want to guess what percentage of the US population currently identifies as Islamic? Ten? Twenty?Try less than one percent. Yeah, in 2010 the Muslim population of the United States stood at a terrifying 0.8 percent—a number so minute it barely outstrips Scientology. Well, how about Europe then? Things are surely worse there. Nope. In the whole of Europe, including the Islamic-majority Balkan states, the Muslim population stands at six percent—six. To give you some perspective, more people in Europe work in the concrete industry than worship Allah. Yet the media persistently delivers an image of Islam as radical, violent, and intent on bringing sharia law to America.

The EU

Since Europe’s bizarre system of governance is currently responsible for bleeding the Greek and Spanish economies to death, it’s somewhat understandable. Or at least it would be if the stories made any sense at all.

Rather than focusing on the real problems of the EU, tabloids from England to Switzerland to France have made a market out of peddling absurd tales of Brussels banning yogurt, jailing Austrian grandmothers, and forcing the Swiss to give up their favorite sausage. Since you’ve read this far, you can probably guess how much truth these stories typically have in them. That’s right: zero. Just like “PC gone mad” and “health and safety,” stories about the EU have metamorphosed into a bizarre form of European fan-fiction—to such a degree that the EU, like the UK before them, has been forced to set up a website to debunk the dumbest.

Examples

Example #1:

It seems like we are constantly hearing about crimes committed on our streets. America is a very dangerous place.

Explanation: The media reports on stories of interest, which include crimes. It does not report on all the non-crimes. Assuming from this, “American is a very dangerous place” is fallacious reasoning.

Examples

Example #2:

I am seeing more and more miracles being reported on respectable news programs. The other day there was a story about a guy who had trouble walking, prayed to the recently deceased Pope, now walks just fine! Miracles are all around us!

Explanation: People love stories of hope and miracles. You won’t find stories about how someone prayed to be healed then died. These are not the kind of stories that attract viewers and sell papers. As a result, the spotlight fallacy makes us think the rare cases, almost certainly due to normal and necessary statistical fluctuations, seem like the norm. Believing that they are, is fallacious reasoning.

Exception: Complete coverage of a small, manageable class, by an unbiased media outlet, may accurately be representative of the entire class.