"I saw the commercial"

I heard this quote this morning on NPR. It was a story on everyday American citizens getting swept up in candidates' marketing efforts. I think the quote was mentioned in relation to Obama's TV campaign. A woman had seen the commercial and therefore trusted (?) Obama and his message a bit more. Does advertising work? I think so.

My posting reason was not to high five advertising but rather to make note of its simplicity with middle America. It made me think about planning > we're smart people; we've got a good pulse on culture; we have conversations about strategy for pete's sake. But sometimes I think we might forget that the average person "doesn't get it." Advertising is on TV. It's what they see; what they experience unknowingly.

I don't like to admit that advertising does something to people. I like to think of the active consumer. I'd like to give them more credit than mere marketers do. I want to engage them. But... I need to think about this post: It will bring me back to reality. Advertising is a message and middle America gets it. They saw the commercial.

ps: the small print in the picture says: the Simplest solutions are often the cleverest. They are also usually wrong. - I wish the second part would meet Planning. :p