Badvertising

[Muffit]

I would like to coin a new term:

[CENTER]Badvertising

You see, one of the truly sad things about our modern world and chosen economic system, is the inevitable inundation of the public by questionable (and some might say tasteless) advertising. Even outright dishonesty.

Example one: I am watching the tsunami tragedy. They show 100's of thousands of people, people like you and me, whose lives have been ruined or lost by this terrible event. Horrific suffering, unforgettable loss.

And then they break for a commercial, and this insidious ad shows a well-to-do woman nonchalantly pathing the untouched crystal streets of San Francisco, and she intonates her misery as, "Ooh, feel sorry for me, I have arthritis in my knee and might have to move some place warm", ergo, Buy Our Ridiculously Expensive Drug so we can all get rich off your pain. (Sorry, essentially that's what it is). The dichotomy of the disaster and then a sponsor with incredible lack of taste, just hit me so hard. Poor us, we have knee pain. Buy, buy, buy. And now back to our show (of REAL suffering).

Please forgive, I know I'm too emotional, sometimes I just feel like such a hypocrite. (Do you ever feel that way?). In example two, I purchased a Video Professor product for my spouse who wants to learn about computers (I'm the only techie in my fam'). The ads all said, FREE! Only $6.95 shipping and handling! (Someone please explain to me how something FREE can cost money). So I bought it. Next thing I know, I am billed $69.95 for this FREE product. And receiving biweekly shipments of further "free" products for the same price. Um, funny, /nowhere/ in the advertising did it say it was for 10 day review only - it said it was free. And nowhere did it say I was joining a CD-of-the-month club. We were on vacation so we hadn't opened it yet. Hmm. Maybe it's a good product. Maybe the deception isn't so terrible. But shouldn't someone, somewhere, enforce perjury protection for the naive public, at least a little?

Daggit ranting on a disposable towelette box!!! (Hey, soap is out, towelettes are in ;) ).

So I call it Badverstising. Mental billboards that do to our minds and values, what billboards have done to our countryside.

Apologies to all for my candid-ness (candidacy??? :D :D :D)
:muffit:

[amberstar]

I know what you mean Muffit.......

I'm one of the niave public.
I've fallen into those traps before.... CD and Book clubs are the worst for things like that but, the most recent was just a week ago.

I bought a soda, under the cap it said "Free".

Wow, I had just won a free 20 oz soda! I really wasn't "totally free" the clerk still charged "sales tax".
6% sales tax on a soda won't break the bank, but it was susposed to be free :D

[BRG]

One incedent of Badvertising that pissed me off was in the run up to the Iraq war. I'm a postman, and we got this bulk posting of junk mail advertising a computer game called 'Operation Desert Conflict' THE DAY AFTER 30,000 BRITISH TROOPS WERE DEPLOYED! :mad: It really annoyed me that while British and American soldiers were putting they're lives on the line, and the families back home are going through hell, that a company would try and cash in by marketing a desert war computer game during this time.
Very poor taste.

A wee point on the Tsunami. Today at 12:00 GMT, the whole of Europe held a 3 minute silence for the victims of the disaster. This was observed in all schools, workplaces and public areas. Also all the TV channels interupted they're brodcast to observe the silence and display the donation hotline. About 1 minute into the silence my phone rings, it was some dude trying to sell BRG a new kitchen! :wtf: For God sake, you would think he could have waited 2 minutes! :rolleyes: To say that I was not amused is an understatment, and you will not be suprised to hear that he was unsucsessfull in selling me a kitchen. ;)
BRG

[bsg1fan1975]

I agree with you all on this!

[Excalibur]

I don't know if this fits in, in this thread, but it drives me crazy when studios and networks air these trailers for films and shows, showing clips all jumbled up, showing something you might like to see, then you spend the money and/or time watching it, and either it's completely different then what they told you it would be, or the three scenes worth watching were already shown or ruined in the ad.

Oh well. :rolleyes:

[unowhoandwhy]

I didn't like it that everyone in the States (and I am an American born & bred!) made such a big deal about the Janet Jackson thing. She had a pasty on her... er... ummmm... center portion... so it wasn't THAT bad (not my favorite view of the Super Bowl, I prefer quarterbacks in their tight little pants, lol!).

What REALLY bothered me about the whole thing, though, is that a teeny tiny flash of flesh, that almost no one would have seen if the didn't replay it a hundred million frickin' times, seems to have offended people more than all the REALLY offensive commercials about erectile dysfunction, etc! And has anyone seen European TV? It is what Americans would call soft core porn after 10 PM!

[BRG]

I also wonder how those who were shocked and outraged about Janet Jackson flashing her boob would cope on a European beach? Go on holiday on the Med, and women of all ages, shapes and sizes go around topless, and nobody bats an eyelid.

As for our TV, even our adverts are becoming more liberal. It is now quite common to see a bare arse in British adverts, as long as it is done tastfully.
BRG

[Gemini1999]

I also wonder how those who were shocked and outraged about Janet Jackson flashing her boob would cope on a European beach? Go on holiday on the Med, and women of all ages, shapes and sizes go around topless, and nobody bats an eyelid.

BRG -

If you note closely, the only people staring will be the Americans, or they try not to look like they are staring...

When I was stationed in Italy during my Air Force days, I saw this for my own eyes. For some reason, I looked once or twice, but when it's everywhere, you don't even pay any notice to it.

Kind of like every guy that I saw in Europe wearing the equivalent of a black speedo, no matter what they looked like in it.....! It gives the impression that when one goes to a European beach, you just need to take it all in stride.

Best,
Bryan