Louisa Collison: The ads are everywhere

What's red, round and sticky? The latest form of advertising: a circular sticker promoting Superbank's interest rates.

But it was not in my letterbox, or in the newspaper, or in a magazine. It was on the lid of a bottle of milk.

Advertising is becoming increasingly aggressive and invasive. Information concerning a bank's interest policy is completely unrelated to milk, yet it has found its way into homes this way

And what better way to reach the target consumers than through a commodity used by many? It's ingenious.

In the morning, having just woken up and rolled out of bed, minds are not at their sharpest, and people are easily influenced.

While they are pouring the milk, the simple, bright sticker - and its innovative placement - immediately grabs the attention. Superbank has achieved an advertising coup - a difficult feat in New Zealand's marketplace.

We have one of the most saturated media markets in the world. There are many television channels, radio stations, magazines, newspapers and websites, and most are dependent on advertising revenue to survive. Companies are fighting for attention and constantly trying to find new and interesting ways to promote their wares.

Sophisticated technology means complex advertisements can be created, with highly developed digitally enhanced or animated features.

"Shock tactics" such as sex, violence and political incorrectness are used to attract the attention of the increasingly desensitised consumer.

Or advertisers can revert to simplicity, as in the case of the milk-bottle-billboard, which has one dominant colour - red - and is small and uncluttered, with only the logo of the bank and its offer.

The abundance of attention-grabbing adverts is causing consumers to become immune to traditional advertising ploys. So companies must have not only have the best product at the best price, but also implement the best marketing strategy to push their brands into the minds - and products into the hands - of potential customers.

Advertisers are recognising that their usual outlets and methods are losing their effectiveness, so they are starting to circumvent the media middle-man.

Up until now, we have been able to control our consumption of advertising material by changing TV channels or radio stations or throwing away junk mail.

But that choice is being removed. Promotional material is being sneaked straight into our homes in the hope that we will be caught unawares.

Advertisements are forcing their way into our lives and our comfort zones, making aggressive in-your-face pitches when we least expect it. Nowhere is safe from the targeting tactics of advertisers; their boundaries have been eroded by desperation.

What will we see next - rolls of toilet paper promoting the latest Mercedes-Benz?

* Louisa Collison, a student at Rangitoto College, has been a regular contributor to the College Herald.