Comments | lunatic59: Ad blog schmad blog

lunatic59

Ad blog schmad blog

Jan 15, 2005 23:17

I saw an advertisemnt this weekend that put an idea in my head.It was the latest ad from H&R block[heads] where, if you play thier scratch-off game you can win double your tax refund. This struck me as very predatory. Perhaps it is my 20+ years in the advertising business but i see EXACTLYwhat they are trying to do and it, in my opinion, is ( Read more... )

Comments 7

sisiphus January 16 2005, 12:17:29 UTC

Since when are private companies allowed to sponsor lottos? Is it because the prize is not technically cash?

lunatic59 January 17 2005, 08:01:12 UTC

Because it is a promotion that is a bonus ONLY if you use their service,like the McDonald's monopoly sweepstakes. I suppose you will be allowed to enter "no purchase necessary" But i would suspect that they would have to verify your tax refund if they didn't prepare them for you ... for a fee, of course. It struck me like ads for getting a car when you have bad credit, or Techinical Schools [or any schools for that matter] promising success if you only pay them for the the "priveledge".

monkeymetz January 17 2005, 10:10:36 UTC

Yeah I've noticed that many commercials contain one or more of the following fallacies:
Post Hoc Ergo Propter Hoc (This is the biggest one)- because this happened, this must have caused it. They are almost always wrong!
Bifurcation - good or bad. The competition doesn't work but we do.
Slippery Slope - blowing things out of proportion to make you think you NEED this or you'll die or something.
There are others but those are the main ones. Almost every commercial I see, I think "What the hell was that?" And Americans are stupid enough to fall for it, too. It is a sad sad world.

lunatic59 January 17 2005, 11:09:10 UTC

Good points all. But, it's not just us weak-minded Americans [pronounced Uh-merr'-kinz] who succumb to the allure of snake oil. Most European television is equally inundated with huckstering, but they at least have the honest to outright SAY this product or that service will get you laid, rather than using tawdry innuendo. Of course neither is true but a good honest lie is much better than one cloaked in puritanical values or nationalism. Given the opportunity for excess and the [incorrect or exaggerated] information to justify it, any human being [pronounced hoo'-mun been] will indulge. It is the gross nature of the species.

sisiphus January 17 2005, 11:19:29 UTC

And Americans are stupid enough to fall for it, too. It is a sad sad world.

I agree, and I think we need to reeducate our fellow citizens on the proper to view commercials. Forget a logical approach -- most are too dumb to ever understand. Instead, we must first reduce the number of hours spent in front of the television and other media. Then, on the off-chance that they do watch TV and stick around on the couch for a commercial, they must learn to appreciate the comic value, like Geico commercials for instance. If a commercial doesn't make me laugh (either because it is truly funny or desperately sad) then on goes the Guide. Since I spend such little time in front of the TV, it must be quality time -- commercials included. Our fellow TV-watchers must cultivate a relationship with the commercials. That is the only way. If we cannot improve their stupidity, at least we can improve their heart health.

lunatic59 January 17 2005, 11:41:10 UTC

Naively spoken. I do agree that any form of logic to explain or expose a commercial's subliminal influence would be wasted on the ignorant, lazy, or uninterested, but i do not think changing the viewing habits of people is either practical or likely. We are increasing people's exposure to ads every day, including on the TV guide channel. In order for people to understand what is being done to them and how they are being influenced, you must first grab their attention. What better way than to propose conspiracy? In fact, at the root definition of the word, "a secret agreement between two or more people to perform an unlawful act", if you remove "unlawful" almost any transaction is a conspiracy. People usually tend to infer that it is perpetrated by large organizations [ie.governments or corporations]against unsuspecting and innocent victims.] That would encompass a large segment of the advertising community ( ... )

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