Obnoxious Commercials, are They Effective at All?

December 30, 2014 by Leave a Comment

too loud! image with text for slice, signed

By,

Suzanne Coleman, MD, BS social psychology

It seems that the advertising community has decided that screaming at the audience increases sales, but does it really?  I wonder what the research shows on this.

What I have read actually shows that the best way to get and hold someone’s attention, besides actually saying something they want to hear, is to whisper.  Screaming is not whispering, so why are they doing it?

Besides screaming, they have added random loud noises with no real rhythm or melody.  Do they think that everyone has ADD (attention deficit disorder)?

Another prevalent ad technique which doesn’t make much sense is when the presenter is talking really fast, and the speech is edited to eliminate the normal pauses in conversations.  It’s really hard to follow this and again I wonder, is there actually any research that shows that this leads to sales?  I would think that the basis of any sales would be getting the consumer to listen to what you are saying to them, but maybe I am wrong about that.

When any of this noisy distracting craziness is going on, I simply reach for my remote, and hit my favorite button, “mute.”  Ah, that’s better.  Am I the only one?

What about the bright white backdrops they are using so often these days?  With the new backlit televisions, this just blinds me, am I alone?  I literally block the screen when those commercials are on.  Is that effective marketing?

So conversely, what are the best commercials?  Well, in my opinion, the ones that are enjoyable.  Now I know I am not alone on this when I say that the ones with the best music are at the top of the list.  Add to those the ones with interesting and enjoyable visuals and you have my top characteristics of TV ads that hold my interest.  These tend to be things like high-end car ads, some other car ads, Target ads over the last few years or more, some Apple ads, and others.

So I want to know, is this an age thing?  Maybe a cultural background issue?  Or is it just that advertising executives are making the wrong choices when it comes to really getting their audience to sit, watch, and listen to their ads?  I wonder what the research shows.

What do YOU think?

Please add your voice in the comments (see the link at the top by the title, or below).

Filed Under: Stocks and Economics, We LOVE TV! Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

An important, yet little-known day in history, Religious Freedom Day, January 16th

December 28, 2014 by Leave a Comment

Opinion Piece

by Guest Contributor,

James A. Kulacz

Religious Freedom Day in the USA was first declared in 1996, in honour of Virginia’s landmark Statute for Religious Freedom. That statute was written in 1777, and enacted by the Virginia Assembly on January 16, 1786. The statute was written by Thomas Jefferson, and was the precursor to the Establishment and Free Exercise Clauses of the I Amendment of the US Constitution.

The statute was a landmark of disestablishmentarianism, severing the Anglican Church from the Commonwealth of Virginia. No longer would the Commonwealth use taxation as a means to support the Anglican Church, and going forward all religious faiths and none were recognised under Virginian law as being equal.

Those who promote antidisestablishmentarianism (there is a word I have never used in a sentence before) today, the Religious Right who would tear down the Separation of Church and State, would prefer this particular day and proclamation go unnoticed.

One might argue that those who favour the Secular State, which permits religious belief but favours none, should shout this proclamation every year from the rooftops.

It was the Baptists who argued for the inclusion of those clauses into the Bill of Rights: in those days Baptists were a tiny minority, and were punished, exiled, jailed, or killed for their beliefs. Baptists today, now powerful in the USA, seek to impose a regime of antidisestablishmentarianism (gotta use that word twice) on all those who disagree with their particular colour of belief.

Every year the President issues a proclamation in honour of Religious Freedom Day, reminding all that this is a nation of all faiths and none. The Presidential Proclamation of the day for 2014 can be found here.

Make sure you celebrate the separation of Church and State on January 16, the Religious Freedom Day which allows both the flourishing of religious belief, and the right to have none, without the interference of the State, nor the interference with the State by churches.

Filed Under: What You Need to Know Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

What Do YOU Think?

December 28, 2014 by 2 Comments

What do you think? box with blue around and blue letters, graphic, SI, 700x700

by,

Suzanne Coleman

 

So here’s the story.  There are a bunch of us sitting at a table in a popular restaurant having dessert when one of the guys brings up something that happened to him in his dating past, and asks what the women think about what he did and what happened after that.

So as best as I can recall it, he tells us the following story:

______________

I had met this woman and we went on a few dates together.  We were getting along fine and she was in my apartment one day when I played back a message on my answering machine.  I shouldn’t have done that with her there, in retrospect!

It was my wife calling about the divorce we were going through.  I hadn’t told the woman I was dating that I was still married.  It never came up.

My date left after hearing that message.  The next day I opened up my front door and found out that she had come by and left the flowers I had given her recently  outside of my apartment, turned upside down.

______________

So after telling us this story, he turned to us, a questioning look on his face, and asked us what we thought.

“Well,” I told him, “you were still married and you didn’t tell her that.  That comes across as pretty creepy.  You weren’t being honest with her, it was like you were lying to her the whole time.”

Another woman spoke up, agreeing that he should have told her his exact status, as it matters to many women.

Some other opinions were voiced, and it was interesting that some of the people there were only concerned with how SHE responded to his behavior, and not with what HE did to her in the first place.  There were comments about how she shouldn’t have left the flowers there, how could she do such a thing!

One man found it particularly upsetting and shocking that a woman would enter the man’s building and leave the flowers that he gave her outside of his door, upside down, returning them to him, no longer wanted.  He felt that her behavior was some great violation.  He was upset that she was “trespassing,” though I don’t recall any mention of a secure building during the story.  But even if she entered a secure building, she was buzzed in by him or someone else.

I found these responses interesting, to say the least, and very telling about these people’s views on women and their “rights,” as well as men and their behaviors.

Above all, I thought that this woman’s message was clear, “you are a jerk and I don’t want your flowers.”  Personally, I applaud her reaction.  She stood up for herself against what she thought was a violation of her trust, and a lack of respect for her as a person.  She made a statement that she had every right to make, as we all do.

So now I turn to you, ladies and gentlemen, what do YOU think?

(Click on “Leave a comment” above to let us know.)

Filed Under: What do YOU think? Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Chocolate for Christmas

December 28, 2014 by Leave a Comment

The greatest thing about Christmas is when you get something as a gift, the calories totally don’t count, right?

Enjoy!

Tasty! By David Leggett (originally posted to Flickr as Truffles) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)%5D, via Wikimedia Commons

Filed Under: Extra! Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Flu Season is Here

December 28, 2014 by Leave a Comment

 

Doc's Corner, larger

 

 

by,

Suzanne Coleman, MD

 

The flu is here, and it’s earlier than usual this year.  I wanted to take a moment to talk with you about the flu because I have found that many people don’t know what we mean when we say “the flu.”  Many people have told me that they think that the flu means they will have stomach problems, like vomiting, and intestinal problems, like diarrhea.  While this can happen, it usually doesn’t happen with the flu.

What we call “the flu,” short for” influenza”, can be caused by many different viruses which can be circulating around among us at different times.  If you catch one of these viruses, the main symptoms are coughing, runny nose, sore throat, fatigue (feeling very tired), fever, achiness, and sometimes headache.

If you are feeling these symptoms, especially if you are older, have other medical issues, or if the sick person is someone very young, you should go to your doctor to see if you can take a medication that can make the illness less severe.  You should go as soon as possible, the medication is best started within the first 2 days of feeling ill.

This winter the flu virus causing most of the illnesses is a strong one, and they recommend that everyone who can, gets vaccinated to help reduce the symptoms of the illness if they do get sick.

Also, it’s very important if you do get sick that you do your best to not pass the virus on to others.  Be wise, stay home from work, don’t go to the store or other places where you might spread the virus to others.  Especially do not visit older people, babies, women who are pregnant, or anyone who is already fighting any type of serious illness; catching the virus could make them dangerously ill and even lead to their death.

Hopefully you won’t get sick, but if you do, take good care of yourself, drink lots of fluids, stay warm, and get well soon.  Medications like tylenol and ibuprofen can be helpful in reducing symptoms like pain, fever, and aches.

I have included a link to the Center for Disease Control’s (CDC) weekly flu-tracker website map.  It shows how widespread the flu is in each state, on a weekly basis.  It is interesting and I thought you might enjoy taking a look at it too.

http://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/usmap.htm

 

_____________________

Please note that the above is for informational purposes only, if you need medical advice, please consult a physician directly.

Filed Under: Doc's Corner Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Brrrrr….. Chicago! Too Cold!

December 20, 2014 by 4 Comments

 

Montrose Point, Chicago, Winter 2013-14. By Suzanne M. Coleman, all rights reserved.

Montrose Point, Chicago, Winter 2013-14. © Suzanne M. Coleman, all rights reserved.

by,

Suzanne M. Coleman

Do you remember this?  Just last year we were braving the icy freeeeezing cold weather along Lake Michigan in Chicago.  This year pales in comparison, so far… Even though it was ridiculously cold last winter, I’m glad I bundled myself up to go out because being there was an experience I will never forget.

It was an amazing ice scape.  Standing at the edge of the lake, cracking sounds surrounded me as masses of dark, unstoppable water moved back and forth under the covering layers of ice.  Below me, pieces of broken ice piled up like pale blue puzzle pieces, a puzzle that was WAY too cold to complete.  The sounds were eerie, yet fascinating.  The power of that water overwhelmed me and I stepped back even farther from the edge, afraid of what it could do to me.

Winter water birds sought out the limited remaining open water to desperately try and survive the coldest winter we’ve had in our area in a very long time.  Here at Montrose Point, a group of colorful red-breasted mergansers were getting ready for bed at the edge of the lake.  I marveled at their ability to withstand the cold temperatures.  As I watched them, I heard tinkling and jingling sounds coming from under the overhang of ice which had developed along the concrete edge of the sidewalk.  Below, it seems, a bird had bumped into a bunch of hanging icicles, causing them to fall and create amazing music in an otherwise very empty atmosphere.  It was very pretty.

I had come down here to this very famous Chicago birding area, to see an uncommon bird, the Long-tailed Duck.  This particular bird was a male in breeding plumage which means it was a very pretty bird to see; full of strokes of black and white all over its body, with a long, thin feather tail trailing behind.  I found it thanks to the reports of other birders on the Illinois birding listserv (IBET); it was bobbing in the small bit of open water near the mouth of the harbor, along with a dozen or so other birds of various types.

This little guy stood out.  Not only was he beautiful, but he was really fun to watch.  He would jump up into the air and then quickly tip his head down, at the same time folding his wings up like a fighter jet, and then dive down into the water to disappear completely from view.  He would stay down there for quite a while, 20-30 seconds it seemed, then resurface in another location.  I hoped that he was successful in finding something to eat, as I didn’t see any food in his mouth while I was there watching him.  Of course, he could have been eating it while he was still underwater.

 

Long-tailed Duck, male in breeding plumage. By Emily Willoughby (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)%5D, via Wikimedia Commons

Also nearby was another special type of bird, the White-winged Scoter.  In fact, there were quite a few of them there, several as close as 20-30 feet away, watching me watching them.

 

White-winged Scoter. By Vince [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)%5D, via Wikimedia Commons

All of these different types of water birds were there because it was the only small bit of open water that they could find which would allow them to dive down into the water to feed as they worked to survive the brutal winter.  Because it was such a difficult winter, many birds did die.  A few were seen here on this day, scattered on the ice, nearby the living.  It was hard to look at, a real, honest reminder of the realities of life.

But I tried to focus on the living.  It was exciting for me to see both of these uncommon birds, and so close-up; they tend to stay far out in the water.  So when I heard about the chance to see them, I knew it was a rare opportunity and I had to take it.

Looking back at the pictures I took of the icy water at the end of the day, it amazes me how beautiful life can be, even in the most adverse of conditions.  Take those little opportunities to stretch your comfort zone and you might just be surprised at what amazing experiences you can have.  Last winter taught me that lesson, and I am glad.

 

Filed Under: Extra! Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The Friend Test

December 18, 2014 by Leave a Comment

OK, life is hard, and one of the things that makes it the hardest is knowing who your true friends are.  After watching “Go On” on nbc.com today, I’ve come up with The Friend Test and wanted to see what you all think.

Ok so, a true friend will tell you when there is something you need to know in order to save you from embarrassment or harm, right?  They wouldn’t let you go around looking like a fool or acting like one.  For example, if you have something stuck in your teeth, a real friend will tell you that you do, so that you can get it out and not look like a dork.

So here it is, The Friend Test.  I want you all to try it out and tell me if it works for you.  Get together with one of your friends, have something in your teeth, and make it obvious, like a piece of spinach or some oreo cookie crumbs.  See if they tell you about it so you can go and get it out.  If they do, they are a real friend, and you should hold on to them.  If they don’t…. well, are they a friend at all?  Who wouldn’t tell you that you have something stuck in your teeth?  Maybe someone who pretends to be your friend to take advantage of you in some way, maybe you drive them places, or pay for things for them, or introduce them to people who they need to meet, the possibilities are endless.  Anyways, if they don’t stick up for you I would reconsider how you view them in your life.  Life’s too short to be around false friends, don’t you think?  Comment below.

Filed Under: What do YOU think?

The Very First Annual Official Unfriend Day

December 17, 2014 by Leave a Comment

unfriend day fb graphis, Jan 1st with blue border around white

by,

Suzanne Coleman

I hereby declare January 1st as the FIRST OFFICIAL ANNUAL “UNFRIEND DAY!”  On this day we are all free to unfriend all of those CRAZY, ANNOYING, BORING, whatever “FRIENDS” we have added over the years on facebook and have realized that we just don’t want to keep them around anymore.

No more “custom” posting, hiding posts, making secret groups, now you can feel free to come out in the open and say “I am going to unfriend all of you suckers!”  LOL!  Ok, maybe not quite like that, but… I say go for it.  National Unfriend Day has now gone OFFICIAL!

Wouldn’t life be just that much more awesome without having to scroll by the endless political posts of those obsessive-compulsive types?  What about no longer seeing loopy, goofy posts by those schizotypal personalities, oh boy!  Yes, yes it would be MUCH more awesome.  And this day lets you do just that WITHOUT ANY GUILT!

That’s right, this day is 100% GUILT-FREE!  No one can ever come back to you and whine “why did you unfriend me!?” and go and badmouth you to all of your mutual “friends.”  Nope, not anymore!  National Unfriend Day is the PERFECT way to get them out of your life, no strings attached.  Go for it!

This way all of those narcissists who never ONCE commented on or liked ONE of your posts, but expect your COMPLETE attention on their incessant self-centered posts are GONE from your life!  And that’s GREAT!

Go ahead and enjoy your “unfriend” clicking this January 1st, you even get a whole DAY OFF for it!  It’s PERFECT!  And when you’re done, sit back, let out a huge sigh of relief and give me a smile, that’s all the thanks I need.  🙂

Filed Under: POP News Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

OMG Danger, Insanity, Awesomeness!

August 14, 2013 by Leave a Comment

OMG this is amazing.  You have to watch this!  This video shows the tsunami as it comes inland in Japan and then as it gets sucked back out.  The power of the force of the water is scary.  There is water, there is fire, there is destruction.

I can’t believe the people who stayed around as this was happening, I wonder if they were advised to leave or not?  Maybe the structures were known to be safe?  But you have to wonder about electricity and gas as dangers, I mean look at the ending!  How could you survive if you were stuck in that?!

 

http://www.redflagnews.com/headlines/shocking-new-japan-tsunami-video-found-released

Filed Under: Shocker! Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

America Today…

August 4, 2013 by 1 Comment

What we saw happen on wall street is what is happening in the rest of America.  We are no longer a people concerned about right and wrong, ethics, customer service and satisfaction, reputation can be bought, companies can close and reopen under another name.  No one expects to have the products they buy actually function or arrive in great condition anymore.  Recently reviewing my larger purchases over the last 10 years or so, I realized that over 70% of them had to be returned due to damages or dysfunction.  Customer service was often a nightmare and human English-speaking assistance was very hard to come by.

The same lack of honor and commitment is seen from labor to professionals.  We read about bought judges, lawyers who don’t do anything for you yet expect to be paid massive amounts of money, hospital systems claiming non-profit status and charging $2 for a gram of acetaminophen!  What happened to honor, ethics, reliability, social responsibility?  I don’t know when or where it happened, but greed overtook humanity.  Now we have to take it back.

 

 

Add your thoughts below.  Have you had similar bad experiences?  What did you do about it?  Why do you think our government doesn’t seem to care about the people anymore?  What should be done?

Filed Under: Extra! Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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