Not To Make Anyone Feel Like an Old Fart...

[happypipester]

...but, I have a short paper I'm doing for a class on marketing targeting baby-boomers, and the common use of deception (or subterfuge if ya wanna be deceptive in labeling it) and I thought it might be interesting to get some experiences from some of the fine young members on our forum who fall into that category. Any interesting experiences?

Actually, were it not for this paper, I might have asked this question anyway, because it's an interesting one.. truth is (no pun intended lol), deception in some form or another is a part of marketing, but not all deception is created equal lol.. it can be quite interesting to hear about some of the stories people have, so please, share!

I've also noticed that many pipesmokers, whatever their age, tend to be a lot less easily deceived by BS in anything (though we routinely shovel it out ). This could turn into a rather interesting conversation methinks.

Cheers fellas!

P.S. I am currently a business major, but will be switching to English. What's scary is pretty much everybody I've told has said, "Yeah, I can see you as an English teacher or professor pretty easily" :lol:

 

[itsKot]

P.S. I am currently a business major, but will be switching to English. What's scary is pretty much everybody I've told has said, "Yeah, I can see you as an English teacher or professor pretty easily" :lol:

Funny you say that 'cause I got that a lot too when I switched my major from finance to history!

 

[Slow Puffs]

The first Black Velvet Lady was introduced to the world in 1969 as an advertisement tool for Black Velvet. Since that time, such famous names as Christie Brinkley, Cybill Shepard, Kim Alexis, Cheryl Tiegs, and Kelly Emberg have all been Black Velvet Ladies. The current Black Velvet Lady is Tami Donaldson, born and raised in Hollywood, Florida.

I got a business degree then switched to theology. I recall in the Ethics course that the prof pointed out how women were used in advertisements to sell cars. Here is an example of selling a brand of Canadian WhisKy.

 

[Slow Puffs]

BTW, here is Tami Donaldson, the latest Black Velvet Lady:





As a baby boomer this appeals to me. I bought two bottles.

 

[Carlos]

For the most part, I hate advertisements. I ignore them usually. I consider most advertisers to be truly one of the stupidest forms of life on this planet. Lower than some car salesmen.

For some reason advertisers think that flooding time slots with their ads generates increased sales. Perhaps among the equally stupid it does. For those of us with any decent amount of smarts, it is a signal to avoid their products. Avoid their businesses. You want to assault me with stupid ads while I am listening to a radio or watching a TV, you risk pissing me off. I have no trouble avoiding a business or a product on purpose for years, decades, or forever.

Ads need to be clever and make you laugh. They need to be ran as little as possible to be effective. Advertisers can gain more from being easily found on a Google search, than on the airwaves. Spamming my email addresses or calling my phone is a quick way to lose a customer permanently.


:sunny:

 

[Ol'Dawg]

Though I don't usually drink Black Velvet, that add will make me think twice the next time I'm shopping in the Canadian whiskey section of the liquor store!
Back to the topic,
Some marketing angles I like--
samples
simplicity in English wording
product practicalilty
senior discounts
warranties, US contact phone numbers, addresses

Some marketing angles I don't like--
reward or loyalty cards
ads not related to the product
deceptive ads, especially quantity discounts, i.e. 2 for a nickel, three for a dime
No acronyms, hype, foreign language etc.
coupons
telemarketers
email and regular mail ads
"as seen on TV"

Jim...one OFs opinions

 

[happypipester]

Very interesting comments, guys. The more I read, the more I realized I must fall into the category of old fart.. at 19 lol. Actually, I think I have for quite some time. I was always particularly attached to my grandpa who was the perfect example of a simple, yet highly intelligent, farmer. A lot of his kind natured, yet completely honest attitude towards life rubbed off on me.

The dishonesty in much of the business world, particularly marketing, is what made me decide to switch over to English. I realize dishonesty is everywhere to some extent, but the business world includes too much a** kissing and outright lying for the sake of a few extra bucks for me to stomach.

Plus I love English/Theatre, so at least I'll be a happy poor guy

 

[Iron man]

I am definitely in the old fart category. My wife doesn't like riding with me if I drive because I drive so slow, lol. I enjoy seeing the new commercials during the super bowl but other than that rarely pay attention to advertising. I tend to DVR the few shows I'm interested in and skip through commercials. Every now and again an ad will catch my eye and I'll think, okay, maybe I could check it out. For the most part I rely on customer satisfaction ratings when making a big purchase.

 

[Harlock999]

I hate those Carl's Jr ads. Just the sound of that guy's smarmy voice saying "If it doesn't get all over the place..." makes me change the channel before the ad is over. Kim Kardashian however...

 

[raghur]

Here are a couple of books you could read:

Hoodwinking Hitler, and Age of Propaganda

Neither are business books, but some of the lessons learned about deception can carry over into the business world. If nothing else they are quite interesting reads.

 

[MDPipeSmoker]

The term, "Pre Approved" in any credit card mailing is a good example.

"if you act now" is another, then there is "you get a 60 dollars value for 19.99" selling it at 19.99 makes it a 20 dollar value not a 60 dollar value, its a play on words.

 

[Dmntd_1]

"if you act now"

And we’ll send you another one free, just pay separate processing and handling.

It's all horse crap!

 

[LIPIPE]

I'm a boomer. I hate "Penzance.....I can only send you two foil 8 oz packs." There is no shortage of tobacco leaf just as there is no shortage of oil in Saudi Arabia. Just alot of marketing phoney shortage crap. I always have plenty of Penzance cellared and I'm not divulging my sources. I smoke it often and in very large bowled pipes. I was a business major in college. MBA...I am allergic to marketing hype that is all around us. Any vendor that screws with me is on my "S" list.

 

[Markx]

I make it a special point NOT to buy stuff that's advertised.
The more it's pushed in my face the more certain that I won't buy it.

 

[hobie1dog]

I'm a boomer. I hate "Penzance.....I can only send you two foil 8 oz packs." There is no shortage of tobacco leaf just as there is no shortage of oil in Saudi Arabia. Just alot of marketing phoney shortage crap. I always have plenty of Penzance cellared and I'm not divulging my sources.

I knew you were my best friend, ole buddy ole pal...Penzance buddies for life.

Scarcity....and the Illusion of Need. When I win the Lottery, I'm going to the British Isles and buying the Penzance factory.

 

[Anonymous]

deception in some form or another is a part of marketing, but not all deception is created equal lol.. it can be quite interesting to hear about some of the stories people have, so please, share!

I've also noticed that many pipesmokers, whatever their age, tend to be a lot less easily deceived by BS in anything

Selling raped-by-cost-accountants tobaccos under their original names would qualify.

The most obnoxious, to my mind, are some of the pipe dealers at Flea Bay. The most annoying of them headline stuff with trigger words like "Rare" (it isn't), "Award Winning" (he just gave it one) and "Pristine" (if you don't look too closely at the bite zone) and want the highest possible prices for the same pipes they outbid me on a month before at one bump over lowball wholesale. I genuinely enjoy seeing this stuff close at "Reserve Not Met" after one bid of ten cents. You'd think they'd give up after a while but, sadly, this is not the case.

Probably the most deceptive are the outright pigs that ask way more than stuff is worth with straight faces and, unfortunately, sometimes get it from naively trusting people who don't know any better yet. One case in point was a pipe I watched Marty Pulvers sell an example of for $50 at his site that's been offered at $175 for a couple years now.

:face:

 

[LIPIPE]

And to quote Jackie Gleason...." How sweet it is " ! No better way for men to stink up a room with manliness. A long slow smoke in the largest bowl. As a boomer I have no problem telling any chick that doesn't like my " Penzance cologne aroma" to buzz off. My signature is my motto.

 

[Dmntd_1]

In Inferno, a science fiction take on Dante's inferno by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournell. There’s a level of hell reserved for advertisers where they spend eternity wading through neck deep crap, where does all this crap come from, it spews from their mouths every time they open them, as in life.

 

[forsooth]

OK, so I'm going to own up. It is not as if I ever claimed to be that smart anyway.

So, we don't own a television and haven't for over 10 years. However, someone recommended a Youtube video of the now famous Old Spice commercial, which I thought was amusing. The next time I went to Costco, the Old Spice bath gel display appeared in front of me. I picked up a container, sniffed it, and, evidently, thought that it might make me smell like a stud. I bought some.

While waiting in line to check out, an older gentleman peered into my cart and saw the Old Spice bath gel. He said, "I know why you bought that." I said, "Yep, the commercial." We both laughed as he pointed into his cart. He had picked up some, too.

Oh, well. Gotta go. I'm on my way to the liquor store to buy some Black Velvet. Damned good stuff. I hope.

 

[blade]

For the most part, I hate advertisements. I ignore them usually. I consider most advertisers to be truly one of the stupidest forms of life on this planet. Lower than some car salesmen.

For some reason advertisers think that flooding time slots with their ads generates increased sales. Perhaps among the equally stupid it does. For those of us with any decent amount of smarts, it is a signal to avoid their products. Avoid their businesses. You want to assault me with stupid ads while I am listening to a radio or watching a TV, you risk pissing me off. I have no trouble avoiding a business or a product on purpose for years, decades, or forever.

Ads need to be clever and make you laugh. They need to be ran as little as possible to be effective. Advertisers can gain more from being easily found on a Google search, than on the airwaves. Spamming my email addresses or calling my phone is a quick way to lose a customer permanently.


:sunny:

I could not have said it any better.