this is why I can never break up with the internet.

I have been reflecting a lot lately on the nature of how advertising affects me. I have never been one to have a favorite ad on television. I have never been the type of consumer to rush out and purchase the things advertised on television. I generally do a ton of research or buy things out of their inherent cuteness.

I am however extremely affected by packaging. When a package is somewhat novel or designed in a concise manner I have a strong desire to consume. From chocolate to socks to green beans. I will purchase things shaped like animals or in an orange packager over their similar counterparts, even if the product is inferior to the a poorly packaged twin.

Which makes me think maybe I am not a savvy consumer at all.

In our required text it breaks down advertising into categories like print, television, radio and traditional media. It also briefly mentions non-traditional or guerilla advertising. Which gets me wondering about the effectiveness of traditional advertising in an age where the younger demographic is too cool for things like commercial radio and or watching prime time television. Does that leave the burden of advertising solely to the internet? What about word of mouth – does it pay to popular with the vice magazine crowd?

I see guerilla advertising all over my Los Angeles neighborhood that I perceive to be quite trendy. Posters for records I would never purchase and parties that are too cool for me to attend. Which makes me think I am not in the cool crowd where is my guerilla advertising? Then I remember a story that broke a little over a year ago.

http://pr.typepad.com/pr_communications/2007/02/aqua_teen_hunge.html

Guerilla advertising for the people that don’t know how to party.