SO HOW MUCH TIME DO AMERICAN SPEND WATCHING ADVERTISEMENTS?

SO REALLY.. HOW OFTEN DO THEY SPEND THEIR TIME WATCHING TELEVISION?

This is the latest statistic, updated 9.7.2013, by BLS American Time Use Survey, A.C. Nielsen Co., shows that an average American spends 9 years of their standard lifespan watching television. Commercials and advertisements are slipped in between each television program, so unmistakeably that is also the rough amount of time they spend watching advertisements after advertisement during commercial breaks.

But after spending 952 days actually observing media consumers, the study found that while watching 8½ hours of video content per day, viewers are exposed to 61 minutes worth of commercials.

But, nowadays the number of people watching televisions are slowly decreasing, due to the new technologies such as iPad, Galaxy Tab and etcetera that enables consumers to simply download ad-free videos and movies. Unlike Youtube, which has the commercial before you can 'skip' after the 5 second-rule, videos through torrents and online streaming lack commercials nowadays.

What Types of Commercials Attract More Attention?

You don't require a TV to see a commercial these days. Thanks to the Internet, commercials can now be e-mailed, shared on Facebook, blogged about and tweeted about - all potentially resulting in millions of additional views.

To receive more views and lasting impressions, companies are competing in this advertising arms race using two primary tactics: Comedic Commercials and Bashing the Competition Commercials.

In their constant quest to attract consumers and associate products with “cool” or luxurious and 

hedonistic lifestyles, some advertisers have consistently pushed the boundaries of what is ethically and socially acceptable. American advertising has always embraced erotic suggestiveness while usually staying clear of full nudity and explicit sexuality. Campaigns that blur that distinction often arouse controversy and even protest. 

By Erica C.

*This post is strictly unofficial. For educational purposes only and is based on student opinion and research. Not for any other uses.

References

“Television Watching Statistics – Statistic Brain.”
2012 Statistic Brain Research Institute, publishing as Statistic Brain.
17 November*
http://www.statisticbrain.com/television-watching-statistics/.

anon. 2006. The Economic, Social, and Regulatory Aspects of Advertising. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.aef.com/pdf/arens_ch03.pdf. [Accessed 17 November 13].