Does anyone actually react to advertising ?

This morning, some sheets of folded coloured paper were pushed through my letterbox, I picked it up walked to the waste paper bin and dropped it in it. I didn’t read it, I never read it, and I get one EVERY week. Its from a local supermarket, and not one I shop in. I never go in that shop, I am not interested in their special offers. I shop in Tesco, and to honest that’s only because its the nearest nice supermarket to where I live, and if the nearest one was Morrisons, Sainsburys or Waitrose, I would shop there. Much as I am pleased with Tesco I don’t feel that I would pass by other similar supermarkets to get to it.  So the advertising that the local supermarket does is a waste of time as far as I am concerned, and yet they pay someone to put the advertising together, they pay the printer to print them, they pay someone to deliver them, and I pay the council to take the paper away in my refuse as it goes to some landfill site somewhere. But they still continue to do it. I am purposely not mentioning their name, so they’re not even getting any advertising via me for saying their name. So that lead me on to wonder if advertising actually works? I don’t buy anything because its advertised on television, I once bought some soap power in the 1980’s because the TV advert showed fairies in a woodland setting and it looked pretty but the soap powder was rubbish and didn’t clean very successfully so I went back to my usual soap powder. If I see an advert on the TV for perfume, I wouldn’t buy it unless I liked the smell of it, and I would find that out by going into a shop and sniffing at all the fragrances there and buy the one that suited me the best. If I see an advert on the TV for biscuits I won’t go and buy them because I choose biscuits because of them sitting on the supermarket shelf and I will pick it because its I like the taste and its in the right price range. I wonder why choclate bars are advertised, I like kitkats, crunchies, snickers and mars bars, so will happily buy them if I fancy some chocolate, but won’t buy double deckers, wispas, milky ways, or fudge because I don’t particularly like the taste. Its nothing to do with advertising, its down to my preference.  I don’t buy clothes from a particular shop because of an advert, I buy clothes from a shop because I happen to be in a certain town and their shop happens to be there, they have the item of clothing I want, that fits, and is the right price for me.  There is a particular shoe shop that I love, and will buy their shoes happily from them because they make me happy but I have never seen an advert for them, ever. I just happened to be in Derby one day, and walked past their shop and went in because I liked their display.

I don’t use a particular bank because of their advertisting, I use my bank because its the one I’ve had since I was ten, and that was because their branch was in the village I used to live in (in the old days when villages had banks!).

I bought my car because it was the right size and interior for my lifestyle, it was in the right price range and was hopefully more reliable than some other makes of car (its a Ford).

I buy music because I’ve heard it somewhere – on the radio, or at someones house, or in a public place. Not due to an advert on TV.

I buy my art materials because one of the two companies I use sell them, have extensive calalogues and stock, and deliver to the house.

I can’t think of anything I buy directly through advertising. Not clothes, wine, shoes, food, toiletries, household items, maintenance items, stationery, garden items.

So, why do we do it?

And should I do it, more to the point? Regarding selling my art, I mean. Does me paying for advertising bring in more work, or am I more likely to find work through exhibiting (which is a form of advertising), or through other outlets (like exhibiting my work at other places like tea rooms, or galleries), recommendations,  or will I always find work via knowing people, writing my blog, having a website, and chatting to people? That is my question.

Does advertising  make any difference to you, tell me…