Commercials think we're all stupid...

[Vodstok]

Okay, I have been sitting on this for a while, but I finally feel like I need to get it off my chest.

There is an "Herbal Remedy" quit smoking commercial on the radio that says to try this:
Go into a drug store and ask for a aid for quitting smoking, the tell the person at the counter you want to take it home and use it, and then if, and only if you actyually quit smoking, then you will come back and pay for it. Here's what gets me:
"Now, if you do this, you would probably get arrested".

WHAT?

No, you wouldnt.

It would probably go like this:
Customer: I want to use this nicotine gum, but i dont want to pay for it unless it works.
Worker: No


See? No cops.

I also hate "banter" commercials, especially for TV shows that run on the radio...

"Hey, dont you like TV shows on FOX?"
"Yes I do, I sooo love House."

Echhh....

[Demonique]

Oh I could rant about this all day. I'll try to keep it short.
Commercials bug me to no end.
The infomercials are hilarious- have you noticed that the people on them are so stupid, inept and incapable of simple motor skills that I am surprised they can walk. Like the knife commercials where the 'before' person tries to cut a tomato and it looks like they hit it with a brick. They can't open a bag. make juice or boil spaghetti without a major disaster.
Mainstream commercials all target what they think are the public's core values. If you buy our product it will make you more attractive, smarter, more popular and you will have more time to spend with the family (you bad parent you).
It disgusts me to see a commercial where the ad-people show a "happy mainstream family" going into paroxysms of joy because a cartoon character put a slice of bread on a sandwich.
Try reading the fine print on banking, insurance and drug commercials. If you are a fast reader - you may notice what they write often negates most of what they say.
I hope people aren't quite as greedy and vain as our advertizing industry portrays us.
Ok - I'm done.

[novakru]

Ditech-the anti-christ of re-financing

Fast food commercials with their 'healthy menu':rolleyes:

[Vodstok]

Please rant more :) that was fun to read. And I completely agree.


I hate the commercial sterotypes they have created, too. The biggest one for me is the "Smiling shoulder-length clean dreadlocked black guy".

[ManchestrMorgue]

The commercials that really irritate me are the ones that try to come across as an independent test or report on a product.

Obviously, many people are so stupid that they can't realise that someone has to pay for commercials, and it is probably going to be the people who stand to gain financially from the sale of the good or service advertised.

[Vodstok]

Originally Posted by ManchestrMorgue

The commercials that really irritate me are the ones that try to come across as an independent test or report on a product.

Obviously, many people are so stupid that they can't realise that someone has to pay for commercials, and it is probably going to be the people who stand to gain financially from the sale of the good or service advertised.

this reminds me of the "Reality" commercials, mostly put out by Truth.org about smoking, where they are supposed to be these "hardcore" anti smoking people doing something in public, they even go so far as to blur a face or two to make it look more real...


the others that kill me are when they have the "people on the street" reacting to a huge banner being draped over the side of a building, but if you look at it for more than a second, the banner is digital, as is the "hidden camera" grain.

[urgeok2]

all advertising assumes the vast majority of people are stupid - and have a herd mentality - and they are 100% correct.


all you have to do is print a big red FREE on a product and it flies off the shelf.

(or MORE)

they continue to advertise the way they do because it works.

sure if you possess an intelligence level somewhat above that of a water chestnut you'll take exception to the insulting stupidity of 90% of all forms of advertising ...

but guess what...

if you possess that degree of intelligence you're in a small 'priviledged' minority.

[Vodstok]

So you are saying I am an inherently superior human being... I like your thinking :)

Oh, and I know most "sheeple" fall for the crap on tv. Its amazing how similar to rodents and crows most people are: If its shiny, it must have an objective value and is worth covetting, who cares if its plastic (Be it jewelery, a vehicle, or models...). Maybe thats why we always talk about how smart rats a crows are, it makes the vast majority of people feel less stupid to be compared to reletively smart animals. hmmmm..

[ManchestrMorgue]

Yeah that's it. Companies wouldn't spend the vast amounts of money that they spend on advertising if it wasn't paying off.

And the majority of people, I am convinced, are incapable of critical thought. Look at all the people that lose vast amounts of money to Nigerian scammers via spam mail. And these are people with reasonable sums of money to be scammed out of.

[Vodstok]

Originally Posted by ManchestrMorgue

Yeah that's it. Companies wouldn't spend the vast amounts of money that they spend on advertising if it wasn't paying off.

And the majority of people, I am convinced, are incapable of critical thought. Look at all the people that lose vast amounts of money to Nigerian scammers via spam mail. And these are people with reasonable sums of money to be scammed out of.

Very very true. And how in the HELL does anyone fall for these any more? This assumes they A. Have a computer, B. Can read email, C. are incredibly stupid, and D. Never watch the news or even Dr. Phil (Which is surprising because this kind of moron is exactly his demographic)


Modern advertising has shown that P T Barnum was more than just a showman: he was a philosopher of exceptional wisdom.