Re: Financing of media. "Doug Henwood" at Jul 28, 94 09:09:38 am

[Herbert Gintis <gintis@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Doug Henwood says,
>If advertising doesn't increase sales, then all those rational
>capitalists are wasting about 2.5% of GDP (in the US, much less
>elsewhere). Are all those clever capitalists misinformed?

	I didn't say advertizing doesn't increase sales. I said there
is no evidence it affects consumer preferences in one direction or
another, except for brand choice. I would like to hear from an expert
on this, since we are going around in circles. My recollection is from
research at least ten years old.

>A copywriter for MacNeil/Lehrer once told me that he felt like AT&T was
>looking over his shoulder as he wrote. And that's noncommercial TV.

	This is  is not an alterative for real evidence, of course.

Herb gintis@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx