a very scientific survey

Whenever I talk to teens I can’t help but bombard them with questions. What do they watch? How much time do they spend on the net versus TV? Do they use DVR? If so, do they ever watch the commercials? As any sociologist will tell you mine is a very scientific survey.

And, then today I read an article in the NY Times about an independent report conducted by Nielsen.

I’ve read similar pieces in the trades. The common thread is the re-enforcement of the belief that TV commercials remain the most effective means to reach consumers. Maybe it is simply because there isn’t anything at the moment that is better. A win by default.

I liken these articles to when Bush told us a year ago the economy was strong. We were in for a soft landing. Recession would be avoided. The administration economists and leading indicators all pointed to this conclusion. Did anyone of these experts bother to talk to a business owner or go to the grocery store or fill up their car for gas? Stop analyzing and interpeting data to fit a predetermined conclusion and start accepting and understanding the major culture shift we are experiencing.

I'm the last to advocate the death of commercials. I believe audio-visuals to sell brands and products is wildly powerful if not downright ubiquitous. What I'm saying is, if we spent as much time developing new and effective platforms as we do justifying our existing systems, we’d have solved the problem by now. Maybe we need to pay more attention to our kids.

FYI – the Nielsen survey neglected to include anyone under the age of 18.