What percentage of advertisements in fact convince you to buy the product?

[Bossy Monkey]

Or vote for the candidate, or sponsor the child, or join the Mormon Church, or contribute to the cause, etc., etc., etc. Obviously, even if you're pretty credulous, the number's going to be quite low unless you're calling Geico or Progressive to buy insurance every 10 minutes in between trips to McDonald's and ordering Video Professor software and E.D. treatments, but for argument's sake I took the poll all the way up to 100%. Freeper lurkers need something to vote for, after all.

[Bossy Monkey]

1. Forgot to say, "Be honest" :) n/t

[gyopsy]

2. 1-5% honestly

And most of that is usually very subconscious. I'll never go out and actually say: "Hey, here's that crappy thing I saw on TV. The commercial was fun so this must be too."

But I think that I might try a brand that I saw advertised without realizing it.

[AllyCat]

3. Rarely, but just ordered one of those Oreck air cleaners

they advertise on AAR. The neighbors are smoking us out of our new place, one cat having asthma attacks, one with runny nose and sneezing, and the two humans are coughing, red-eyed, and sneezy.

Hope it helps! Money back guarantee and gift with purchse...

[tjwmason]

4. Far fewer than those ads which stop me buying it

I take the attitude that if a company fills my eyes and ears with pollution then they can get their business from other people.

[benny05]

5. I am seldom on the cutting edge of buying products

I admire those who do. I tend to err on the side of "bleeding" edge, which means I read reviews on epinions.com, consumer reports, etc.