A word from our sponsors

American capitalism finds its foundation in advertising. Consumers willingly pay a little bit more than the actual cost of products at the point of sale because almost every product carries a small percentage tied to the manufacturer's marketing expenses. For many years the three primary means of advertising distribution came through radio, television and newspapers. With advancements allowing digital information distribution, it seems that the newspaper industry has taken the biggest hit in the revenue stream from advertising. With the decline in advertisers who are willing to pay for static ads on the printed page, readers have seen a jump in prices for their daily news.

But even with the increase costs, decreased subscriptions mean that the fees for a newspaper subscription still come short of paying the production costs and staff salaries leaving a void that monies from advertising has to cover. This is because the smaller subscriber base results in smaller amounts that the newspaper can charge a business to take out an ad. Consumer research must show some negative correlation about how readers respond to printed ads because I cannot understand how broadcast media are able to get the advertising revenue from their sponsors.  I would much rather browse through a printed ad section at my leisure than have the advertisement interrupt my viewing or listening pleasure. I must be an anomaly because I prefer the printed ad to the television ad, mainly because I prefer to change the channel rather than watch a TV advertisement.

During the World Cup most Americans got a taste of limited advertising during programing. Now, to be fair, there was always a sponsor name by the scoreboard and there were digital ads at the bottom of the screen, but it doesn't require much effort to focus on the game and let the advertisements sit there and do their thing. While the broadcasters spent every moment they could before the match and after the match to advertise constantly, the 45 minute halves were continuous and uninterrupted play. I now know that I prefer watching a few diving midfielders during a soccer match over a commercial break every fifth time the ball goes out of bounds during the NCAA tournament.

The commercial break has become such an occasion, that legends circulate about the consequences of simultaneous toilet flushing during generally televised events, like the Olympics and World Cup finals. The commercial has become synonymous with bathroom or snack break. I know that there is research that shows that even consumers who think they are not paying any attention to the ads are still influence by them. Otherwise there would be no revenue stream. As a capitalist myself, I think it is time for me to get into this advertising scheme. I was thinking that I could wear ties and pocket squares promoting any number of products. And I am certain that my courtroom arguments could only be better if I added, "Your honor, this argument will resume after these messages from my sponsors."