COMMON SAINTS: Piggy Back Pavlov

We all know the famous story of Pavlov and his dogs.  We laugh at how silly this is – to be “trained” to act on impulse.  And yet this is exactly what we do all the time.  Advertisers know this which is why we are now becoming victims of what I call “piggy back” advertising.

I have noticed three types of piggy back advertising most often.

The first I call “déjà vu” advertising.  This is when an advertiser runs either the exact same commercial, or an abbreviated form of the commercial, with only one or two commercials sandwiched between them.  It’s déjà vu, because you sit there and wonder if you are going crazy.  “Didn’t I just see an ad for Walmart 30 seconds ago?”  You wonder if you are seeing an identical commercial or if you are losing your mind.  I have seen the same commercial 3 times during one commercial break.  Very annoying.  But it must work, otherwise they wouldn’t do it – BARK BARK!

The second variation is what I refer to as “Little Jack Horner” advertising and we see this one all the time.  You’re watching a delightful episode of Monk and then suddenly, Michael Scott from The Office pops up in the corner of the screen and tosses a wad of paper at you!  At first you wonder if Steve Carell has made a guest appearance on Monk but then you realize – ahhh, they GOT me!  They tucked a little ad for The Office in the corner of the screen and now I don’t know if it’s a knife, hatchet or hammer poking out of the victim’s head.  Again, these are equally annoying but, apparently, effective – BARK BARK!

Finally, we come to the one I think I hate the most.  I call this one the “McMovie” method.  Your TV screen comes alive with excitement as Indiana Jones swings across a cavern clutching a vine.  He lands safely on the other side of the ravine, where he is met by Ronald McDonald who hands him a Big Mac and a Coke.  (Ronald is donning the famous fedora to alert us to the fact that he shares his buddy, Indy’s, love for adventure.)  Then the tag line – “See the movie and find Raiders of the Lost Ark toys in every Happy Meal!”  The promotional tie-in drives me nuts.  It’s probably the closest thing we have to a bait-and-switch in advertising that I can think of.  BARK – BARK – BARRRRKK!!

What’s next?  Perhaps, very soon, we will see Dr. Gregory House pop open a bottle of Bayer aspirin and casually mention to Dr. Cutty how “…four out of five doctors recommend Bayer Aspirin to their patients who use aspirin…”

Let’s hope not!

Dan McGowan is a comic and actor living in Denver and working anywhere people will pay him. Dan, who was a contestant on NBC’s “Last Comic Standing,” has appeared in several television commercials and most recently was a finalist in the search for the new Maytag repairman. Dan performs clean comedy and musical parodies in churches and corporations nationwide and is a published author, songwriter and music composer.