Okay, why do Boeing and Lockheed-Martin run TV commercials?

[karlrschneider]

How many people watching cable television will see one of these commercials and decide to buy a 747 or a traincarload of missiles?

Am I missing something obvious here? If I were running an airline or a war I'd know where to buy the hardware. Hell, I do NOT run either and I know....
:eyes: :wtf:

[mitchtv]

1. to sell stock

We used to ask our company the same(a regulated public utlity)

[spindrifter]

2. Because they are trying

to make you think they are household names? Because they want to lure you into buying their stock--even though you can't afford to buy a whole bomber or passenger plane?

[karlrschneider]

6. I reckon you're right. I sold off my stocks 30 years ago & invested in

land. I like to be able to walk around on the shit I own. And watch the critters that live on it.
:D

edit: by the way, we had several 'evacuees' from Katrina staying on the property, gratis, for several weeks (we have some basic housing on the land). They were welcome to stay as long as they wanted...the last family just left Monday, they were on their way home.

[evlbstrd]

3. Public Relations.

They have to keep their Benevolent Presences known. You're not the only one who watches TeeVee.

[ragin_acadian]

14. PR.....that was my first thought,

maybe there is something big and unavoidable about to hit the news, and they are just shoring up the levees of public opinion?

[evlbstrd]

15. Now, don't get too carried away.

Every corporation does it. It's line item in the budget. They have to put up a friendly front.

[Lindsay]

4. Because their ad money gives them a good deal of say

in what goes out over the air/cable.

I'd asked the same question you did, and that was the answer that made the most sense to me.

[punpirate]

5. It's not just about stock...

... it's about convincing the public that they're essential to the public's security. That way, if a Congress critter suddenly starts thinking it might be a good thing to cut the defense budget in order to have enough money for food stamps, the public will help shout the offender down--"that doesn't support the troops!"

It's all about making the public think they're indispensable.

[gratuitous]

7. Same reason prescription drug firms do

They have more money than they know what to do with.

Do a count sometime during the network evening news of all the products that are advertised that you can't just run out and buy off the shelf.

[Jara sang]

8. Every small suburb outside D.C. has a Lockheed Martin building.

If you stacked them up they would be taller than the Empire State building.

[Atman]

9. Advertising expenses are tax deductible

As if these guys are actually paying taxes in the first place.

[countmyvote4real]

10. Those Lockheed-Martin "Thanks for laying down your life" ads

are pretty shabby PR at this time. The military-industrial-entertainment complex seems to be in desperate denial. If it were not for the gruesome truth, their phoney-baloney sentiments would laughable. “We must have noble wars or we’ll go out of business.”

[Marr]

11. I'd be shocked if they don't essentially advertise for free.

Probably get some sort of "domestic advertising subsidy" or something. I know Coca-Cola had a multi-million dollar ad campaign run totally on the taxpayer's dime. And then there's the tax deductions on top of it so... hell, they may actually *make money* by running that shit.

[Captain Hilts]

12. The radio broadcasts of Redskin games would have ads for ...

cruise missiles and stuff.

They know folks with Pentagon links listen to the games.

[jim3775]

13. A reward to the network and cable news for their years of service

selling wars to the people so they make billions and billions of dollars. At least thats Randi Rhodes' theory, I'm inclined to believe her. I first noticed it when I was watching meet the press and they had pretty much an all republican panel selling the war and then they went to commercial the commercials were GE and Lockheed Martin both big defense contractors.