The perception that many people have who
are outside the advertising community is that
all businesses and their advertising agencies
use the latest and most effective forms of
advertising—that print and electronic advertising
is on the “cutting edge” of knowledge of
advertising (persuasion). With all due respect
to advertising agencies and others involved in
the development of advertising, this is not true.
An example will help with this misperception.
When it comes to television viewing, it is
common knowledge that about 75% of all TV
viewers do not watch the TV screen all the time.
Instead of constantly watching the TV screen,
these people listen to TV while they participate
in such other activities as reading, eating, playing
with children, and so on. As mentioned in
Chapter 14, the people who simultaneously
participate in two or more activities, such as
TV viewing and reading, belong to a category
known as polychronic behavior. In current
terms, these people are muti-tasking. The
people who do not participate simultaneously
in two or more activities belong to a category
known as monochronic behavior. People
exhibiting monochronic behavior watch TV
and do nothing else.
Since the majority of TV viewers are polychronic,
it is scientifically logical that commercials
should include both visual and audio
information. Audio information does not mean
music. It means spoken words. TV commercials
that include only visual information, which