Why do so many people think advertising is evil?

[Deleted2BB3x9]

Hey guys,

Have you ever met someone who thinks that business is just about deceiving the buyer and screwing him over? Or thinks that advertising is evil? That's like my dad. I just had a discussion with him about this, but since I'm studying advertising myself I know this isn't true. Advertising is about giving the person what they already want and amplifying that desire, not tricking them into buying something. However he's convinced otherwise, I tried to talk him out of it but then he brought up an example about something he recently bought. The package said "BONUS includes 2 waxing pads" but they're was a picture of 4 on the box. So now he's convinced he's been screwed over, and tells me how this is what he's learned through his life, and that I have a lot to learn. Have you ever met someone like this? Why do so many people think this way? I think he just misunderstood, but is there any truth to what he's saying?

 

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[Jakeeck]

It's a gray area for me.. some of the best fitness books out there help people, yes, but they promise ridiculous results that people never achieve.

Unfortunately, it's hard to sell things without exaggerating claims since that is what everyone is doing.

 

[Silverhawk851]

You'll always have shady salesmen in every industry, that make the real businesses go bad.
Ask you dad, does he have a favourite brand? Of course, everyone does.

Why is does he choose to buy from them? They don't force him into it, but he still buys, why?

Because they provide value. Real business is about providing value where people have deep need, a pain point if you will, and advertising is highlighting to them that "Hey look you have a pain. We have a cure right here"

Now it's not advertising's fault if some people lie and don't actually have a good cure.

Btw, many people don't think that way. Matter of fact, very few do. You tend to see what you believe.

I see things like ...F*ck I paid $400 to get to Miami on a direct flight in a couple hours from Toronto? Holy shit. That wasn't even possible 80 years ago, or would've taken months and life-savings, probably get shot/robbed on the way. Now I get to sit in a heavy a$$ metal tube, roam the sky with the birds and arrive thousands of miles away in a couple hours and all I'm paying is $400. Life rocks.

Some see it as, F*ckers made me pay for my peanuts. Bastards.

perception is your choice

 

[Mattie]

I'm one of those people that probably would agree with your dad. Not necessarily evil, but if you're going to sell a product and advertise, you better make sure it is good quality and lasts. We don't build things better and to last longer. We build things for cheaper so customers have to keep buying. If it's something they need, they have to buy a new one. You can still find people with old fridge's that work from like the 50's, and washer and dryers. You buy one today it lasts a few years.

You can go to antique stores and see stuff that has survived from toys, dishes, furniture, etc, over the years. You buy stuff today and it breaks in a few days. When I go to the store, I know most furniture, and appliances are going to break down. Electronics as well. The ads might seem marvelous, but the product sucks. I had a mixer once that lasted a day. Brand new. lol

I'm sure we've all bought things and it was cheaply made, and wasted our money, and time.

 

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[The-J]

Because advertising is infamous for lying and using tactics for the very purpose of deceiving people.

We all see certain advertisements on TV that say nothing about what the person is actually getting. We've all bought an item because the advertisements seemed good and then the product was utter shit. If you're a consumer, this is your worst nightmare.

If you're a producer, this is like your birthday because it's a weakness that another company has. Someone has tried one brand, they hate it because the advertisements lied! You promise them what they want, and then you deliver, and WOW they're a fan for life.

Like @Silverhawk851 said: it's all a matter of perspective.

 

[SteveO]

A lot of advertising is insulting to our intelligence. Trying to tell me that sugar coated chocolate bombs are going to keep my kids "full and focused".... Or that I can buy one room of flooring and get another free (even though the price of the one room is triple everyone else's cost). Let's not forget that I could be sitting in a hot-tub filled with beautiful women if I guzzle Shmoe's Beer or that all the athletes like me drink Ultra.

I don't have anything against advertising and it is obvious that it works to sell products. But it is clearly deceitful.

 

[MJ DeMarco]

Why do so many people think advertising is evil?

Could be stuff like this...

http://designyoutrust.com/2012/01/fast-food-advertising-vs-reality-full-series/

 

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[GuestUser113]

Hey guys,

Have you ever met someone who thinks that business is just about deceiving the buyer and screwing him over? Or thinks that advertising is evil? That's like my dad. I just had a discussion with him about this, but since I'm studying advertising myself I know this isn't true. Advertising is about giving the person what they already want and amplifying that desire, not tricking them into buying something. However he's convinced otherwise, I tried to talk him out of it but then he brought up an example about something he recently bought. The package said "BONUS includes 2 waxing pads" but they're was a picture of 4 on the box. So now he's convinced he's been screwed over, and tells me how this is what he's learned through his life, and that I have a lot to learn. Have you ever met someone like this? Why do so many people think this way? I think he just misunderstood, but is there any truth to what he's saying?

 

[SBS.95]

A lot of people don't realize that most good advertising is the stuff you don't realize is happening. It's all subliminal and built up over time.

My favorite are the people that say "advertising doesn't work on me". Bullshit. Advertising works on everyone. Some people are more skeptical than others, and different people are convinced of things in different ways, but everyone has subliminally been sold on something because of advertising and marketing.

"Advertising doesn't work on me." - While wearing an American Eagle t-shirt, a Levi's pair of jeans, holding an iPhone 5S with an Otterbox case. Climbing into a Chevy pickup truck, lined with Rhino-liner, and equipped with WeatherTech floor mats. Sure, advertising played a role in 0 of those purchases.

 

[MJ DeMarco]

Curious... is this good advertising? Or deception? I wonder if anyone can spot what I'm talking about.

http://www.amazon.com/Chefmaster-KTGR5-Smokeless-Stovetop-Barbecue/dp/B000O8YIZQ

PS: The reviews are atrocious.

 

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[sle3pyguii]

Curious... is this good advertising? Or deception? I wonder if anyone can spot what I'm talking about.


PS: The reviews are atrocious.

The product sucks, without a doubt...but if you can get roughly 2000 sales (I got 2000 because i read somewhere like 10% of your customers leave reviews on Amazon) when you have such horrible reviews...that's gotta be some great advertising at play.

 

[AllenCrawley]

Could be stuff like this...

http://designyoutrust.com/2012/01/fast-food-advertising-vs-reality-full-series/

I'm actually surprised that every one of them remade it!

 

[AllenCrawley]

Curious... is this good advertising? Or deception? I wonder if anyone can spot what I'm talking about.
http://www.amazon.com/Chefmaster-KTGR5-Smokeless-Stovetop-Barbecue/dp/B000O8YIZ

PS: The reviews are atrocious.

LOL at those grill marks.

 

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[AllenCrawley]

The product sucks, without a doubt...but if you can get roughly 2000 sales (I got 2000 because i read somewhere like 10% of your customers leave reviews on Amazon) when you have such horrible reviews...that's gotta be some great advertising at play.

So what are you saying?

BTW, it's more like 1% of customers will leave you a review unless you are very active in asking for them.

 

[sle3pyguii]

So what are you saying?

BTW, it's more like 1% of customers will leave you a review unless you are very active in asking for them.

I'm saying there must some good copy or something mystical at play to get that many people to buy.

Ohhh...I thought the 10% was too high. Thanks for the correction.

 

[AllenCrawley]

I'm saying there must some good copy or something mystical at play to get that many people to buy.

Ohhh...I thought the 10% was too high. Thanks for the correction.

Ok, yes, that make more sense. I was confused. Copy good, photos good, product bad, reviews bad and yet people still buy the product.

 

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[RHL]

The thing that always blows my mind is the way that the internet (and society in general) has boosted the "free" culture. People happily pay $30-60 for a new video game on which they spend 100 hours, but people who spend the same number of hours (or far more) playing a game on their phone won't even pay a dime for it. They'd rather bitch about ads and tracker cookies, not realizing that if they just paid for the content they consumed, and not even a big fee mind you, both the content creator and they themselves would have a far happier arrangement. Most of the privacy invasion/tracking/monitoring/advertising scam stuff comes from the fact that people want something that takes a lot of time and energy to create, but won't even pay a penny for it.

If you don't want invasive or predatory advertising, just pay for what you use. No programmer with a game or song writer with a song that has been downloaded eleven million times should not be a millionaire, but in many cases they are, because people would rather complain about "like us on Facebook" type ads or scrolling banners than pay $0.25 for something they play 2 hours a day for ten months.