Who are the commercials really aimed at?

diversebydesign

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Jan 16, 2012
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Hello Everyone....

I am posting this here because, well, I thought that maybe this would be the right place. Even though as a "General Help Section" it is geared more towards helping those within the community with technical phone issues and other such problems, what I have is a question for that same community. Though some might even consider this a redundant question, I surely do not mean it as such. Here goes...

The Cell Phone industry (yea.. I am considering that a proper noun) is an ever-changing and very quickly growing industry. Some might even liken it to a living organism because it grows and changes according to the environment around it. In large part, that "environment" is the consumers who populate it. Make no mistake, the professionals working within the individual companies are the ones who make the rules, sure. But they base most of those decisions on the pulse of the community they service.

So.. as I sit around watching television and enjoying the fact that the holiday shopping season is officially upon us (though it did start earlier this year), I noticed something in the cell phone commercials. Now, I have noticed this before but it never bothered me as it did today. And what I am about to say actually happens everywhere. It happens here at Android Central, it happens over at PhanDroid, it happens, frankly.. everywhere. What I am referring to is the "New Phone Culture".

Every cellular company touts their new phones. They all spend millions on marketing of all sorts. Print, radio, television, the list goes on and on. If they can make an ad out of it.. they will. Trust me. So what are they advertising? Well.. they all advertise new phones for great "DoorBuster Savings!" They preface all of these ads by starting campaigns on the Internet with you and me here on these forums and elsewhere. They get us all excited about this phone and that. This feature and that one. In large part.. why do we care? Think about it. And here is the kicker.

Unless you are planning on spending loads of money.. what is the point of watching these ads at all? Really think about who they are targeting these marketing campaigns at. They aim these at the NEW CUSTOMERS! Take a look at any new cell phone commercial. What are they selling? They are selling that new GS-3 or Nexus 7 at huge savings over the competitor. But who is getting these savings? Not you or I. No.. it is only those who are coming in with a New 2-year contract and nobody else. Well.. sure.. you can upgrade. But again.. New 2-year contract.

So what are we all excited about? Better yet, what do the cell companies expect us to be excited about? Take a look at who they are really talking to with these ads and consider what the percentages really are? Think about it. Take 10 people you know. Out of those 10 people, how many of them fit the criteria to actually get the deals and savings advertised on ANY of these commercials? In my circles of friends and family.. I have about 1-2 people out of 10 that actually fit the bill. And you know what, I am not one of them!

So I ask you oh great Android Central community.. why should you or I be excited at all about ANY of these great phone ads we see? I cannot get an upgrade for another 10 months and I am NOT going to pay retail for any phone. No phone is worth $200 or more in my opinion. If I'm going to pay that much for anything, it is not going to be a phone.
 

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