ABSTRACT
This chapter considers the notion that a critical measure of commercial effectiveness is the probability that a commercial will be watched when it occurs in a competitive television environment. In the United States, people generally watch television to experience the programming, not the commercials. There is therefore little positive motivation to expend effort to watch commercials. As leisure time decreases, people have more and more to accomplish and that likely means that time dedicated solely to watching—rather than watching interspersed with other activities—is lessened. Commercial “breaks” are just that, a break time during which people can do something else without missing the programming. Remote controls allow people to “channel surf during commercials, and the increasing number of cable channels available increases the time spent “surfing.” Videocassette players allow the prerecording of pro-gramming, making it possible for individuals to fast-forward through the ads. In addition, the environment in which people “watch” television is a busy one, and competing events no doubt distract attention from watching (e.g., see Krugman & Rust, 1993).
