About the only time I watch TV is when eating.<\/p>\n
Methinks it’s a bad habit from growing up as a Gen X “latchkey kid.”<\/p>\n
But, it’s kind of useful, too.<\/p>\n
Here’s an example of why I say this:<\/p>\n
For a while now, I’ve been noticing how certain stations obnoxiously<\/em> jack up the volume during commercials. So in other words, you could be cheerfully watching Seinfeld and then, when a commercial comes on — BOOM!<\/strong> — the volume pumps up way louder than the TV show.<\/p>\n I can only assume advertisers do this on purpose.<\/p>\n But, is it a good idea?<\/p>\n I haven’t seen any tests or data on it, either way.<\/p>\n But I will say this:<\/p>\n Pumping up the jam of a terribly crafted advertisement ain’t gonna help their sales any more than when a goo-roo fanboy writes and ad that “screams” (in all caps) giant, obnoxious claims that bear no resemblance to reality whatsoever.<\/p>\n In fact, the result is the same online as it is on TV:<\/p>\n The consumer simply turns the channel<\/strong>.<\/p>\n (Or clicks away).<\/p>\n So what’s the moral of the story?<\/p>\n It’s far better to jack up the quality of your salesmanship<\/em> in your ads than to jack up the “volume” on your claims. Because online or on TV, if you blast your prospects with a “sonic boom” that’s also a terrible sales message, the channel is instantly changed.<\/p>\n Or, at least, the “mute” button is pushed.<\/p>\n And either way, the sale is silenced<\/em>.<\/p>\n Ben Settle<\/p>\n