The psychology of advertisers is a weird thing. But it seems to work. The idea is not necessarily to present you with a glorious opportunity to dash out and purchase something that will immediately gladden your heart and make you eternally grateful. The idea is to elicit a strong emotional response, even if it is a negative one. This, they feel, makes the name of the product or service stick in your mind. Then, at some time in the future, when you may have a need for such a product or service, their name will pop into your mind.

Part of a broadcasting course I took back in the late Sixties consisted of writing commercial copy. One of the students ask the question, "Why are so many commercials so damned irritating, and why do they keep doing it?" The instructor gave the answer I gave above, then went on to say, "My mother absolutely detests the Anacin ads, with the 'Fast, FAST, FAST RELIEF!!!!' voice-over. She says that she hates those ads so much that she swears she'll never ever buy Anacin, not never, not EVER! But that's the only brand she ever buys. When she gets to the drug store, that's the only brand she can think of."

"It's a strange, strange world we live in, Master Jack."

Don Firth