Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Truth in Advertising


I have decided to repost of few of my older posts just for the fun of it.  If you haven't read them, hope you find some humor. If you have already read it, please don't be bored.

Here is a post from about a year ago...



You may remember in  a previous post called, appropriately enough,  I Have a Few Questions  that I ask questions. Usually, a lot of questions.  There is hardly a topic tossed my way that I can't come up with a myriad of questions to ask.  Though, I still try to ask only the well thought-out, topical, relevant questions, while adhering to my question-asking protocol that I refer to as O'QUAP. (Official QUestion Asking Protocol) I certainly don't want to become  SO QUAPPY (Stupid Obtuse Question Asking Person Perpetually Yammering)

With my penchant of asking questions, you might not be surprised to know that commercials....or for that matter any advertising, leads my questioning mind on a quest to figure out the truthful part of "Truth In Advertising".  

Because, I happen to be in sales, I can tell you that I find  the phrase "Truth in Advertising" a bit of an oxymoron.   If advertising was totally truthful, I don't think it would be good for business.  The ultimate goal of sales is after all, to sell.

As I sell houses...well to be perfectly truthful...when I used to sell houses.... when houses were still selling...there were/are those pesky disclosure laws that I talked about in Tuesday's post.  

For example: If I show you a house with a flooded basement, I would be forced (imaginary gun to my head) to tell you that the basement leaks.  An inventive, creative agent might try to pass it off as in indoor swimming pool.  More often than not, a real estate  agent that wants to make a sale might tell you that all those old cinder block basements leak and if you put some drainage tile around the foundation, it will be fix. There is a speck of truth in that statement but just a speck.  Basements aren't supposed to leak.  A lot of them do.  AND, yes they can be fixed if you are prepared to dig up your yard and spend a LOT of money.  I think you might find it cheaper to call it an indoor pool. 

Some other creative "not entirely truthful" but also "not entirely a lie" either.

Cozy... Small
Quaint....Old
Charming ...Small and Old
One of a Kind...Odd and there is a reason it was never duplicated
Easy Access to Shopping and Schools...backs to a highway
Needs some TLC...dump
Fixer Upper ....total dump
Opportunity for Investors...needs to be condemned


With my somewhat skeptical view of all that is sales, is it any wonder that I question some of the newest products that seem to have appeared on the horizon.

Lately I am hearing all kinds of advertising concerning rejuvenation products.  It didn't go undetected by the marketers of the world that all the baby boomers are coming to the point of wanting to look like they did when they were 20 but now have a whole lot more cash than they had back then.

Red Light Therapy

This is the use of LED lights to help your skin produce collagen and according to the ad, it will make you look 10-15 years younger.  WOW...I am totally on board to look 10-15 years younger.  There is a cost to this though.  I am just asking....would a cheap LED light bulb with red cellophane do the trick?  There is about a $350 difference in price.

Cool Sculpting

This therapy is a non-invasive treatment that "freezes" the fat cells, kills them and they disintegrate into the bloodstream or at least that is how I understand it in the commercial.  I am trying to be open minded about this as they say it will reduce fat by 20 percent.  However, I have to question, why is it that I lived in Nebraska for 6 years...that would be 6 winters....cold winters... and my butt got bigger not smaller.  It took me moving to Texas where it is hot to get my fat off. 

Weight Loss Pills

I didn't put a link here, my blogee friends as I don't want to point out a specific brand. There might be some cranky lawyer out there that wouldn't want me being dubious about their miracle pill.

Besides that, there are a lot of brands of these pills that have the warning. IF YOU LOSE MORE THAN 10 POUND IN LESS THAN  10 DAYS, DISCONTINUE USE.  Really?  People are taking these pills and dropping 10 pounds in less than two weeks and there isn't a stampede for these pills?  Why? 

Stretchy Look-a-Like Denim Jeans

Again, don't want to call them by name as they are a registered trademark and all... but there is a jean that is out there that claims to fit everyone perfectly, look like designer jeans and so comfy that I will want to sleep in them.   Is this totally the truth???  Will they truly look like designer jeans?   Will they lift my butt as the commercial claims?  If so, where are they lifting it to and are they going to set it down again at some point? Too be clear, I am not saying that these knit jeans aren't comfy. How could something that is so willing to stretch over our body parts and never question shape or size be a bad thing.  I am suggesting..perhaps...just perhaps, they don't look quite the same as the designer jeans that would cost mega bucks.

So I continue to question things beyond my understanding but the advertisers continue to try to persuade me to not ask questions and just buy their product.



You must admit, that some advertisers are pretty clever.


Insect spray leaves no insects behind

I guess when UPS has to ship overnight they know who to call

Now here is one that is a great example of "Truth in Advertising".

Here is a person that believes in "Truth In Advertising"


Could be true.... 






I know I have used this video another time but there seems to not be a ton of songs about sales. 



20 comments:

Kimberly Wyatt said...

"Will they lift my butt as the commercial claims? If so, where are they lifting it to and are they going to set it down again at some point?" I read this and snorted because I was trying not to laugh too loudly (it's 12:30 a.m.). And Josh just made fun of me for it.

I've always gotten a kick out of the idea of "truth in advertising." Our house is definitely cozy, and in my opinion it needs some serious TLC. It's not that it's in bad shape, it's just not my style at all. The only way to fix that is to gut it room by room and fix it to my liking.

Annie (Lady M) x said...

The truth in advertising - ain't that an oxymoron indeed. But that said, I absolutely love the picture of the Fedex lorry carrying the UPS trucks - inspired!! It's also interesting to hear that Real Estate agents are the same the world over ;-)

Cheryl P. said...

I love laughs that snort. That makes whatever is funny even funnier.

I totally get the needing a redo. With all those 21 moves of ours, I was always tinkering with makeovers. I am thinking of starting a second blog about all the quick and easy fixes and decor on the cheap that I have discovered. As a Realtor I am always having to stage rooms to make them look more updated or less taste specific. I just talked to a homeowner yester day that is very much into Tiffany lamps, victorian antiques and funky colors. Teal and Mauve just don't trip most buyers trigger. Her house isn't even getting showings. It isn't that her taste is bad but that there aren't too many others that find it pleasing to their tastes.

Cheryl P. said...

I, too thought that was brilliant advertising. Any salesperson working on commission has to be manipulative to a degree. I am always amazed that people wouldn't question at least some of what any salesperson says. I think there are honest ones for sure but they don't go out of their way to point out the negatives of whatever they are selling. Cars, houses, appliances, whatever....everything has some type of negative. The phrase "Buyer Beware" was created for a reason.

Aleta said...

Oh my! It appears I'll have to stop calling my husband's house "charming little fixer upper".... we're trying to paint and fix it up enough to sell it. We can't afford 2 mortgages. Unfortunately, there are too many homes for sale out here - a lot of competition!

bodaciousboomer said...

I went to look at a" Handyman's Dream" once. It had holes in the walls I could walk through.

Cheryl P. said...

Sounds more like a nightmare to me. People can get very creative. I saw a house listed where the people had painted all the woodwork bright turquoise with some type of crappy paint that showed every brush mark. The agent description said something about the owners being artists and they had an eye for color. That would have been a blind eye. It took over 2 years and a whole lot of price reductions to sell the place.

bodaciousboomer said...

Sounds like they put latex over oil based paint. Sometimes people can be such idiots.

oldereyes said...

I'm continually amazed at the assortment of weight loss and rejuvenation products on the market. It's pretty obvious that if any of them worked ... and didn't cost 2 zillion dollars ... we'd all be thin and look young. Fun post.

Bud

Cheryl P. said...

Hi Bud, I am glad you liked the post. Actually, it is going to serve as a learning experience for me. I had this brilliant (????) thought that through the rest of the summer I would do a "Wednesday re-run" and repost some of my old stuff. I set the time to publish it for Wed. morning but of course, I did it wrong and it launched immediately. So my re-run usurped my Tues. post. UGH... Now I know how not to do something.

Michele Eigler said...

I looked at a "Handyman's Dream" once. There were holes in the walls big enough to walk through!

meleahrebeccah said...

*Your real estate definitions = hilarious, because they're true!

* I've never heard of the LED light, but I can assure you, I will NOT be spending 350.00 on it!

* Ahahahahah! I think I would end up packing on the pounds if I lived in the freezing cold too.

* Losing 10 pounds in less than 10 days, doesn't sound all together healthy!

* PAJAMA JEANS!! They are real, they are amazing, in fact, they are GREATEST INVENTION EVER. I have several pairs. And I wear them ALL THE TIME. And they really do lift your butt, and they really are so comfortable you can sleep in them.

NO JOKE.

Also, I've gotten a lot of other people on board too. I sent a pair to Nicky from We Work For Cheese [because for some reason they don't ship to Canada] and she can vouch for their awesomeness. My mother, my brothers girlfriend, and my BFF Sarah also bought pairs after seeing mine.

meleahrebeccah said...

PS: here's a photo of my brother's girlfriend leah, my mom, and me WEARING them

http://www.flickr.com/photos/meleahrebeccah/7204704158/in/set-72157628141404447/

meleahrebeccah said...

PPS: And here's my blog post about Pajama Jeans!

http://mommamiameaculpa.com/the-good-the-great-the-grand/

Cheryl P. said...

I so knew I would hear from you!!!! When I pulled this old post out of the stack to repost, I remembered your post and picture. Seriously it is crazy all the stuff I remember (but seemingly I won't be able to track down my car keys later today).

Cheryl P. said...

Yes, I do remember this pic...even at the time I was thinking the reason you three look great in Jama jeans is that you three would look good in anything. That goes for Nicky too. (Who knew that Canada doesn't have a connection to knit jeans)
Really, Meleah... Had you and your people, put on hot pink spandex jeggings, we would all still be say "Oh, look how cute they are!" . Still I will admit that in hindsight...after writing that post and reading your post...that the jama jeans are, in fact a great thing.

Cheryl P. said...

I am telling you I remembered this post...Even then I was thinking perhaps I should be eating my words.

meleahrebeccah said...

Hahahahahahhahahahahah!

Happy 4th of July!

meleahrebeccah said...

Awww... You're very sweet to say that.
But I really wouldn't swear by Pajama Jeans if they weren't TOTALLY-SUPER-AWESOME!

meleahrebeccah said...

:)