ABSTRACT
Ads now have usually been carefully researched via focus groups (see Chapter 15). More recently ‘viral’ or ‘peer-to-peer’ advertising is attempted. This is said to work like a virus (in the community or in a computer) – ‘infecting’ one consumer who spreads it to others. This uses the idea of a cumulative ‘tipping point’, here in the spread of good ‘word of mouth’ for a product. You probably notice the resemblance to ideas of ‘the wisdom of crowds’ (also explored in Chapter 8). It’s all a long way from simple 1950s psychological or ‘effects’ models applied to single ads, or to myths of the power of subliminal advertising.
