Advertising doesn't cost, they say

Carolyn Gray Thornton

The cool days we are having now cause us to come inside earlier in the evening and therefore we watch a little more television than we did during the long days of summer. I have not seen many of the new shows yet to see if any of them will replace some of my favorites that were canceled last year.

But I have seen several commercials. Some may not be new, but I didn't see much of them during the summer.

A funeral home in Joplin has a nice commercial with a confusing message.

They tell us all the advantages that their funeral home has over similar establishments in Joplin then ends with the slogan; "You can't know the difference until you experience the difference."

Isn't it a little late then? I don't anticipate shopping around for better services AFTER I have been the recipient of such services. In fact I think they encourage the viewers to come experience the difference. Frankly, I would just as soon wait a while for that, so I think I will pass on their offer. Besides I always encourage shopping at home anyway.

Another commercial that touts the big advantage of taking a pill only once a month instead of once a week has me shaking my head. Are we so stressed for time that the action of taking a pill out of a bottle and swallowing one every seven days is a burden? Really, remembering to take one every month would be harder for me than remembering to take one (say) every Sunday morning. But then maybe my life is not as complicated as those women who are discussing these advantages while gathering to take a walk.

The political advertisements fill much of the airwaves this time of the year. Living where we do we have the advantage (?) of hearing the ads for two states, with occasional ones from two more. Often these ads turn me against the one running the ad instead of convincing me of the virtue of that candidate. Negative ads will never get my vote. I want to know the good things about the one who is stating his/her case, not the bad things about the opponent. Thankfully we don't see ads for our local politicians on television. I wouldn't want to watch two of our friends getting nasty about each other on regional television. Hopefully they wouldn't anyway.

Even though we are never their consumers, the advertisements for beer are often the most appealing of any shown on national or regional television. I know the large budgets they can use for this purpose make this possible, but wouldn't it be wonderful if equally enticing ads could be shown for more healthy products? The "got milk?" and the older "where's the beef?" are exceptions, but they still don't come up to the beer commercial that shows cowboys herding cats across the plains, or the frogs carrying on conversations with their croaks.

Isn't it interesting that advertisements with ducks, lizards and black birds get our attention quicker than those showing a neat housewife using a product in a spotless kitchen? All of this leads me to realize that word of mouth is probably the most effective advertisement there can be. For that to happen there has to be a superior product or service to start the process.

I'm Carolyn Thornton and I approve this column.