Meet the Press commercials: Aimed at who? Me? Politicians? Investors?

[jazzjunkysue]

Can the DU TV people answer this question for me?

The Meet The Press commercials were public relations campaigns for Chevron, Conoco Phillips, Boeing, Microsoft and Bank of America.

Exactly what are they trying to accomplish?

Are they trying to get my patronage as an individual consumer? How do I buy something from Boeing? From Conoco Phillips?

Doesn't Microsoft already own everyone?

Are these commercials, very expensive ones, for sure, aimed at other company CEO's? Politicians?

Do they make it easier for a politician to accept campaign donations from these companies?

Who, exactly, are they trying to persuade and for what purposes?

I'm serious, here.

It's weird, how these infomercials are played and then ignored by the hosts of the shows. What am I, the typical american worker/consumer, supposed to take from them, or do they go go over my head because I'm really irrelevant?

[underpants]

1. MTP is primarily sponsored by ArcherDanielsMidland-thus no discussion of ethanol

or any agriculture issues

Note the source here --the CATO Institute

The Archer Daniels Midland Corporation (ADM) has been the most prominent recipient of corporate welfare in recent U.S. history. ADM and its chairman Dwayne Andreas have lavishly fertilized both political parties with millions of dollars in handouts and in return have reaped billion-dollar windfalls from taxpayers and consumers. Thanks to federal protection of the domestic sugar industry, ethanol subsidies, subsidized grain exports, and various other programs, ADM has cost the American economy billions of dollars since 1980 and has indirectly cost Americans tens of billions of dollars in higher prices and higher taxes over that same period. At least 43 percent of ADM's annual profits are from products heavily subsidized or protected by the American government. Moreover, every $1 of profits earned by ADM's corn sweetener operation costs consumers $10, and every $1 of profits earned by its ethanol operation costs taxpayers $30

http://www.cato.org/pubs/pas/pa-241.html

[Wetzelbill]

2. Much of it is for image

They all want to give the impression that they are innovative and working for us. The last thing these companies want is a populist revolt, they don't want us to identify with populist candidates who have concerns about things like CAFTA, NAFTA, environmental regulations, windfall profits etc. At the end of the day, they want voters to identify with that innovative company from those commercials and not that firebrand who rails against them, so when we go to the polls we vote for the status quo. Or that we don't influence the status quo to change from their already established positions.

[NightWatcher]

3. BoA's sponsorship prevents them from trashing the banking sector

Big Oil ads prevent them from airing stories about how terrible they are for the environment or alternatives.
Big Pharma ads prevent honest discussion of national healthcare.
If they air stories that piss off the sponsors, they will threaten to pull their money, thus ensuring that they can control the "news"

[OffWithTheirHeads]

4. They buy the air time to make sure no one important says anything bad

about them.

Report on Chevron rape of the environment? No funding for you! Keep your mouth shut and do as your told or we take the money away.

Corporate media control. You'll hear what we want you to hear.

[jwirr]

5. PR - hoping us suckers will fall for their 'goody' image bs.

[jazzjunkysue]

6. Got it. Extortion. Control the message. Temporary insanity.

I foollishly forgot that TV commercials are not really attempting to do that they say they're doing.

[global1]

7. I Was Thinking The Same Thing The Other Night When I Saw A GE Commercial........

They are image ads. They want people to feel good about them. It is manipulation at its best. While they are telling us how wonderful they are - at the same time they are doing everything in their power to cheat us, lie to us, rob us and just generally take advantage of us - all at our expense.

[HamdenRice]

8. In finance courses, you will learn, among other things, those commercials are aimed at investors

That's why they are so general. It's to plant in the investors' mind that company x has these exciting and potentially profitable innovations coming down the pipeline.

[Berry Cool]

11. They are also aimed at politicians.

Politicians are heavy viewers of these shows. The ads are a form of lobbying. They say "We're good guys. Don't vote for anything that might hurt us."

[HamdenRice]

13. Also true. They are not selling products, for sure nt

[KharmaTrain]

9. "Institutional Advertising"

Two part answer here. The first is that large corporations feel that by sponsoring "serious" programs, they are showing "concern" over serious issues. They do a lot of this with public broadcasting...many show you'll see are underwritten (and some present the point of view of those who pay the bills) where they then claim to investors and others how they're taking an "active" involvement in the community or the nation.

The other is to spread infulence. No surprise there. It wouldn't be the corporate media without it. Showing on a national show of such "prominence" (I never watch it) shows they're a player, a corporate with deep pockets that will spend to build up their image, lobby for their pet projects and buy off Congrescritters and political candidates. The corporates watch over their own.

[Bozita]

10. 1st Commandment of the corporate media: Thou shalt not piss off advertisers.

If you can't say good things about your advertisers, say nothing at all.

It's carved into stone.

[Uncle Joe]

12. Those commercial buying corporations are their

clients, the American People are only consumers or customers; to be sold a product or down the river.

Clients have preeminence over customers.

The client goal is two fold.

1. Public relations as a means of subliminally implanting warm and fuzzy images of said client in to the American Peoples' minds; in the hopes this will pan out on political issues affecting them.

2. A bribe to the network; so they in general and Meet The Mess specifically doesn't grow a journalistic conscious and air critical programming of those corporate clients.

Thanks for the thread, jazzjunkysue.

[jazzjunkysue]

14. Thanks, everyone. This is why I read DU. Truth.

:hug:

[Canuckistanian]

15. It ensures compliance

Any anti-corporate content (real or perceived) on MTP will be swiftly silenced.

I just wish Labor Unions or Environmental groups could get their ads on and enjoy the same benefits.