Over the last 5 years, social media has exploded all over the world. It’s allowed the everyday consumer to come in contact with everything from chic fashion trends to popular music all within a matter of seconds and from the comfort of one’s own home. However, though the advent of technology has given us many liberties and luxuries in recent years, on a different note, has it made marketing more and more difficult?
Inspired by my classmate, Jasna Kamenjas’ post on Celebrity Endorsements, it’s my opinion that the explosion of information on the web, on billboards, on city television screens, passing busses, cereal boxes, and even school agendas is frighteningly overwhelming. What’s more, in reference to my friend’s post, how does one single out Drew Barrymore on a Cover Girl commercial if immediately after there’s an ad for an iPad 2? and following that an Open Happiness Coke Commercial? Who was the celebrity I just saw? I don’t remember, but the iPad 2 is out, and I’m thirsty!
Like we learned in class, a lot of marketing is based on selective retention and honing in on certain ads that appeal to us based on interest, values, and even our current situation, but with so many mediums out there for social media, it gets consistently more difficult to hold on to one ad by a well admired celebrity. Celebrities get paid millions to appear for 30 seconds in a commercial, but how reliable is that commercial when millions of people in that company’s target market carry cellphones, travel with laptops, listen to iPods, and other objects all capable of distracting a consumer in a matter of seconds. Is it actually worth it to spend so much, when the result might only last for a few seconds? Would the effect be any lesser if a non-celebrity was hired?
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