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Too Much of an Annoying Thing

22 October 2009 4 Comments
Too Much of an Annoying Thing

During an appearance last night on Larry King Live, comedian George Lopez reached a point of embarrassment over the sheer number of promos for CNN’s upcoming special, Latino in America.  The network has been running promos for the show incessantly, seemingly in every single commercial break.

During King’s show, there was a bumper in which they sat on a wide shot of the desk with Larry and George, and on the right third of the screen, a graphic image came up promoting the same show.

“This is getting to be like TBS,” Lopez quipped, “where they run promos for my show, and then in between they air a little baseball.”

It drives me crazy.

Here’s where some of my longtime readers might pause to say, “Wait a second, don’t you do promos for a living?”

Yes, I do.  But when I schedule them to air, I never schedule them the way these cable networks do.  Twice in the same half-hour, frankly, is overkill as far as I’m concerned.  Five and six times per half hour, to me, is insulting to the audience.

While I agree with the marketing experts who say that for an ad — promo or commercial — to really reach a viewer, it has to be seen several times, I am also of the opinion that seeing the same spot too much in one sitting can make someone defiantly opposed to using the product or watching the show being promoted.

There have been shows I’ve lost all interest in because I was so bombarded with promos.  Nothing is worth that much attention, after all, and I begin to wonder if they’re overcompensating for a genuine lack of quality with far too much hype.

4 Comments »

  • Anthony Mendez said:

    Hi Patrick,

    I, for one, am happy there are so many promos running for LIA; so is my wife. Oh… and my kids as well (they get more mac-n-cheese). I say, “the more the merrier!” You see – I narrate them. Never mind. That makes me biased.

    Great blog! I’m glad I found it.

    -Anthony

    # 23 October 2009 at 8:32 am
  • Patrick (author) said:

    Thanks, Anthony! Just so I’m clear, there’s nothing wrong with the spots themselves — and certainly not your narration. :)

    # 23 October 2009 at 8:38 am
  • Anthony Mendez said:

    Thank you, Patrick. I was just poking fun, but I definitely see your point. Unfortunately, it seems like what might be “over-saturation” a year or so ago, is exactly what is needed in an increasingly fragmented media environment. I could be wrong. I hardly get out of this “padded cell.”

    Thanks again for this blog and for generously sharing your insight!
    Enjoy your weekend!

    # 23 October 2009 at 12:09 pm
  • fdtate said:

    Yeah, they’re getting carried away with the promos, but they did the same thing with their “Black in America” series too. But great narration, Anthony. I hope you’re getting paid by how often they air.

    # 24 October 2009 at 4:38 am

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