Monday, August 10, 2009

Advertising has apparently gotten very cheap

I know that the economy is in the crapper but it's even more apparent when you listen to the radio. The products and services advertised wouldn't be able to afford advertising unless the rates were so low and the products and services seem to be custom-tailored for a time where 3 out of 10 people are perched on the ledge ready to jump from the nearest tall building. But what about the products? What are they and what do they promise?

Quietus: A product, in a chewable pill, that eliminates the ringing in your ears caused by machinery, electronic devices and loud music. The commercial even mentioned some sort of medical term for the "problem". I rank this one right up there with fibromyalgia and restless leg syndrome in the medical-problems-we-didn't-know-we-had-until-a-cure-was-invented file.

Bio-Life Plasma Services: Sell your plasma (blood). Hey, you can do it twice a month and pocket a couple hundred bucks. It only takes an hour each time and, let's face it, all you're doing is eating Ramen and watching a marathon of Spongebob Squarepants episodes. I have a feeling that business has definitely increased at places like this because two of the most popular ways for college kids to earn cash easily is to donate sperm or sell plasma - now those trends have just moved on to the general population.

ComputerTraining.com: In just 6 months you can become a certified IT Professional. It's easy and you'll become that person at your office who is irreplaceable. Wow, I didn't know that I could learn everything there is to know about PCs and the technology that supports them in a mere six months. Hell, I'm going to their website right now because I believe every claim I hear on the radio and if they have a website it lends that much more credibility to their business model.

And there are tons of others, too, who are taking advantage both of the rock-bottom ad rates on radio and the gullibility of Americans. Then there's Google AdSense. Since when has Google spent a dime to advertise anywhere?

But the best advertising is word of mouth and that's apparently how people find MinnPics. Awesome photos all about Minnesota!

3 comments:

Stephanie Faris said...

I'm noticing that with TV ads too...like the ones for Enzyte. A "male enhancement" product. The maker was sued for claiming it was like Viagra and now they're repackaging it and dragging it across our TV screens every 43 seconds. If I hear that whistling one more time I'm going to trade my TV in for a car and escape to a place where there are no TVs!

Pesky said...

Actually, the ringing-in-the-ears problem is called tinitus, I think. It's a real problem, caused by long term exposure to loud noises. Whether this crap works or not is another question. Pete Townsend of The Who has a bad case of it. After hearing them live in 1970, my ears are still not right. Man, THAT was loud.

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