Cheers!

I read an article yesterday that really struck a chord with me. Here’s a glimpse:

CHICAGO (AdAge.com) -- Public-service ads intended to reduce binge drinking may actually lead to more of it, according to a study out of Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management that's set for publication in the Journal of Marketing Research later this year.

….It has long been assumed, of course, that guilt and shame were ideal ways of warning of the dangers associated with binge drinking and other harmful behaviors, because they are helpful in spotlighting the associated personal consequences. But this study found the opposite to be true: Viewers already feeling some level of guilt or shame instinctively resist messages that rely on those emotions, and in some cases are more likely to participate in the behavior they're being warned about.

(Big thanks to AdAge.com for this information)

Could it be that ads that are intended to keep us from drinking too much or tampering with illegal drugs are actually making us do them more?

I don’t know if I should admit this on a public forum, but I have caught myself watching public service announcements on TV with people either high or at a party, and I catch myself wanting to be at a party….or I even catch myself thinking, that guy looks like he’s having a good time. (He’s stoned.)

If you want my opinion, whoever is creating the ads should take some advice from their target market. What would make me want to stop binge drinking? (If I were a binge drinker…)

Speaking of which, time to head on out, I got wine to drink.

Bottoms up.