Commercials! Especially those "as seen on TV" commercials! Don't they get you? "Order now and we'll send you a second one absolutely free!" Heh. "It's a $50.00 value for only $12.95!"I think not. Who are they fooling? Usually the very people who can least afford to lose the money on gimmicks and false promises.
Actually, commercials are the main reason that I don't watch television anymore. Most of them are repetitive, stupid, and some are downright offensive. Have I ever bought something because it was advertised on television? No. I confess that I'm usually the last one to know about a product or service. Eventually, a friend or family member will mention it to me. Then I'll ask stuff like, "Does it work?" "How much is it?" "How long does it last?"
And maybe in another six months or so, I might try it.
An interesting study was done a while back. The scientists involved in the study discovered that people EAT more when they watch television if they are shown more commercials for food products. People actually get up and go in search of food if they watch food product commercials. Interesting? I think so.
What else do they go in search of? I wonder if there's a correlation between internet shopping and commercials. I'm not talking about QVC, though goodness knows you could run up a hefty debt by watching that channel. I'm talking about the regular television channels. Hmmmm.
On the other hand, maybe I should try that sales pitch for my books. "Order now to get your $20.00 value half price!" Would it work??? Maybe.
Anny
www.ohgetagrip.blogspot.com
well, the whole food-commerical thing is obvious...makes me wonder how much they got paid to conduct that study. And generally I believe in the 'if it's too good to be true then it generally is.'
ReplyDeleteToday I sat mesmerized by this commercial where the guy was strain free scrubbing grout with a little thing that looked like one of those Sonicaire Toothbrushes. I felt like a total dumbass watching this and have only the heat to blame! I have never bought any of these products and if I'm mildly interested I know I can wait a few months and I can pick them up at Wal Mart.
ReplyDeleteRemember the Ginsu Knives? They had the funniest satires of those on Saturday Night Live back in the day.
My ex used to buy things from commercials all the time. And then he'd spend the next month complaining that it didn't work as advertised. Didn't stop him from ordering the next time.
ReplyDeleteWhen my MIL entered the nursing home, we found her QVC bill...maxxed out at over $1000! We paid that thing PDQ and cut up the card.
ReplyDeleteThe only thing I've fallen in love with via commercials is my dryer balls. I didn't buy them from TV; I saw them 1st at Walmart and now at Rural King.
And when I'm selling my books for $15 a piece, I'll sell both for $25. So far, people seem to like the bargain.