Is There Truth in Advertising?
The marketing industry has its fair share of deception and bullshit. From “Do-Nothing” infomercials to self-proclaimed “Gurus,” it seems like everyone’s out to beat you up and take your lunch money.
Well personally, I think it’s time to wake up and smell the coffee. If people are begging you for cash, they clearly don’t know how to get rich fast.
And let’s not kid ourselves about those supposed free iPhones. If time equals money, then spending 50 billion hours on online surveys ain’t exactly free.
Sure, I’ll concede that there’s an ounce of truth in advertising. Hell, pharmaceutical commercials are too honest. I mean, have you ever seen those commercials? One minute you’re watching a cheerful montage of newfound vitality, and the next you’re bombarded with a laundry list of potential side effects…
“RELAXOFT may cause nosebleeds, baldness, memory loss, swollen ankles, facial boils, excessive earwax, uncontrollable cursing, an urge to play in the mud, road-rage, snoring while awake, perjury, atheism, and a compulsion to spit at small pets.”
Well, isn’t that lovely? Next time, I think I’ll just tough out the headache.
All of these side-effects lead to bigger questions. Like, if I’m feeling under the weather and my partner offers me medicine, should I fight him? Should I slap it out of his hand? After all, the medicine might have caused the sickness in the first place.
And while pharmaceutical ads get points for partial honesty, they’re not entirely off the hook. In many other ways, they’re just as confusing and misleading. For example, they often feature scenes unrelated to the product.
Vagisil commercials have cheerleaders performing routines. Male enhancement commercials have politicians playing golf. Every herpes commercials can be summed up as: “I have herpes.” “I don’t.” “Let’s ride bicycles.”
Ultimately, when it comes to medication, I don’t pay much attention to the advertisements. It’s best to let the doctors decide what’s right for me. They usually know what they’re talking about. Well, emphasis on usually. I once had a doctor whose office plants were always dead. I couldn’t help but wonder if I could trust him with my life.
127 Comments
Chloe
haha i know, its funny what the crowd comes up with, you know when the twin robots call that guy (from the dorm) "pussy" (only seen it once cant remember the names of them all) everyone cracked up laughing, i laughed so hard i snorted. i rarely do that, everyone started laughing at that then.
Nessa
LOL! You crack me up! 🙂
Thanks, I needed that after all that's happened today. Thanks for the comment.
I just read your bio. Interesting! Dang, why do you have to g*y? I like you! Hahaha
Oh well. Thanks again for dropping by 🙂
Dominique
LOL! Good post! I love have a love/hate thing for infomercials. I hate to see the bs they advertise, but I love to make fun of them. I definitely don't buy into that get rich quick schemes, especially those "buy cheap a cheap house" commercial. I wonder how much those actors get paid to do those commercials? As far as medicine being advertised, I look past it. There's always a damn side effect. And who would trust a doctor with dead flowers in their office lol
Chloe
lmao i clicked to leave a comment and i didn't realize that it was in a popup so i thought it wasn't working. *smacks head*
anyway thanks so much for the long comment. Yea yesterday wasnt brilliant but after we had dinner it was good. I agree about transformers completely though. It wasn't as good as the first one, it was too sudden at the start, and that decepticon at the start was fucking overkill. way to big.
I love everything to do with bumblebee, especially when he was crying, i nearly started crying myself.
Laura
Haha yay I love long comments :D. I would LOVEEEE to be affies:). I will add your link just now and add you to the affies page soon hehe :).
Laura
Haha, that would make me feel special :P. Thank you :). Awww thank you.
It is really sad. Your a dancer? Wow that's impressive :). He is truly a loss to the music world. I suppose difference people's deaths will affect us all in different ways. I suppose his will have a fairly big impact given that he was so famous and his music was so well known. I remember telling my Dad last night after reading it online and he didn't believe me until he had checked the news channels himself. It was a big shock
Arghhhh what is it with products that cause all of these nasty side effects. I agree, sometimes the effects are worse than the thing you're trying to get rid of in th first place. Yeah, I can imagine that being a good excuse for not going to school. Going in the next day and telling your teachers you were absent due to your medicine.
If the commercials aren't totally unrelated then they are so ordinary people cannot understand them. They talk in this very confusing manner so anyone without some sort of Honours degree in biology cannot understand them!
His plants were dead :|? I wouldn't have trusted him :|. My doctor is quite good although because he isn't a very young doctor his typing is not brilliant and I always want to giggle when I see him typing up stuff with one finger *gigles*.
Kate
oh emm gee. I completely agree with your blog.
I mean, why sell products that have HORRIBLE side affects? : Dumb asses. That herpes advert that your talking about (i've never seen it) but it reminded be of something that happened to me once.
I was walking home with my brother and my friend, and they were talking about herpes. And then they kept saying I had it, even though my coldsore wasn't a coldsore. And this guy walks pass, and I yelled out "I DON'T HAVE HERPES!" I flushed tomato red when the guy started cracking up laughing P:
Sure, i'd love to be affiliates, i'll add you now ^^
Sophie
Sure, we can be affiliates! I'll add your link.
I always laugh at those sort of adverts 🙂 I haven't seen the ones you mentioned, but there's a few for heartburn relief or something and in on a woman is an air traffic controller (I think) and in another a bloke is driving a Formula 1 car or something. They both get heartburn and start clutching at their chests, it's hilarious. But honestly, how many people drive racecars for a living?
Thuyy
Woot! I'm adding your link hopefully by the end of tomorrow(:
Oh…because my layout only works if you're using IE…and I was just wondering. 😀 So you're right now using Firefox or something?
AnneMarie
Lol, that's so true about infomercials, that's why I hate them.
Cools, you're a dancer? That's awesome! It is really sad that he's died…. I'm still in shock because he's made such a huge impact in everyone's life. I always pictured him dying when I was in my 30's or something, not even close yet.
I'd be interested in being affiliates if you filled out the form I have on my site. ^^ I like to keep that part of my site a bit professional. So if you don't mind, could you fill out the application? ^^
Thuyy
LOL I have never seen the commercials you mentioned in this once-again hilarious blog. >.<
I don't think, I know. Haha, thanks.
Thank-youu again! xD
…do you use IE?
Haa, that was an unexpected question.
Of course I would! 😀
Bre
of course we can exchange links — i just got you up already. :] yaaa.
thanks for thinking i'm more graceful than the soldier boy, whoever that is. i was never really into that song so pshhht to him!
Sean
You stole the words right out of my mouth honey. haha. My favorite has always been the Herpes ones too. So funny. I love you. I really have nothing left to say other than that. I have ran out of words…damn you. haha
Aimee
LMAO! I hate those commericals especially the herpes one. The one that has herpes looks way too happy to have it and the one who doesn't looks like they're thinking "fuck this bitch is nasty!" I hate how they're sexist too, they ALWAYS make the woman have it. What kind of shit is that?!
Lillie
lmfao, side effects 🙂
Your doctor seems to be a good caretaker *nugdenugde* He'll save you from the medicines :o.
And give you shots ^^;
Leave Comment