Counting Media Calories

The author uses the laws of Weight Watchers to describe the natural laws of advertising: - (1) don't pig out - moderation makes advertising work better; (2) don't skip dinner - more continuous advertising brings increasing marginal response; (3) eat a balanced diet - diminishing marginal response describes media as well as Weight Watchers; (4) count the calories honestly - this is the law that screws things up and what the article is about.

Counting Media Calories

Erwin EphronEphron, Papazian & Ephron

We are just beginning to understand the natural laws of advertising.Don't panic, they could have been written by Weight Watchers. 

THE WEIGHT WATCHERS' LAWS OF MEDIA

  1. Don't  pig out
  2. Don't skip dinner
  3. Eat a balanced diet
  4. Count the calories honestly

The first law seems to be don't pig out: moderation makes advertising work better. Consumer markets show decreasing marginal response to high levels of advertising each additional exposure contributes a little less, so shovelling it in in bursts or flights is not costeffective. Weight Watchers tells the...

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