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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Advertising

46 replies

ppeatfruit · 21/02/2010 08:56

AIBU to wish that people would not believe what the adverts want us to. for example; "I only use .....brand 'cos it's the best"

Even when it generally contains the cheapest ingredients 'cos the company wants to make huge profits.

OP posts:
SPBInDisguise · 21/02/2010 08:58

Well you can't really blame us for falling for the advertising hype - advertising works! It's only when we either stop and think or ar prompted to that the reality dawns.

Original poster
ppeatfruit · 21/02/2010 09:00

You said it SPB "Stop and think"!!!

OP posts:
l39 · 21/02/2010 16:57

Adverts irritate me immensely.

"Styled with hair extensions"

"Enhanced in post production"

"Model wears lash implants"

In other words "We couldn't make any human being look like we wanted them to even with the best makeup artists and lighting. But you'll look just like this photoshopped image! Just buy our goo!"

There should be courses at school on how to pay attention to adverts. Oh, and

"93% of 35 women agreed."

You want to sell thousands of packets of this stuff and you tested it on 35 women? Were they your aunts and cousins?

badgermonkey · 21/02/2010 17:01

"There should be courses at school on how to pay attention to adverts"

There are! At least I teach it in Media Studies GCSE, but of course it's a completely pointless subject and a waste of time

edam · 21/02/2010 17:05

Excellent point, badger.

l39 · 21/02/2010 17:06

I'm glad they do exist, Badgermonkey. Still if the students don't choose Media Studies most of them are left easy prey...

ImSoNotTelling · 21/02/2010 17:11

The thing that I find unnverving is that even though I know that advertisers are preying on our fears, or indeed trying to instil new ones for us to need their product for, while I know they are using models and enhancements and so on and so on the adverts still work.

I still desire some of the things they are trying to flog me, I still think "hmmm yes maybe I could do with a new mascara" or "if only I had shinier hair"....

And that scares me. I am not stupid I hope, and am reasonably savvy, but they are so clever and know exactly what buttons to push.

Like a teenager, I say "snoffair".

kitcat1977 · 21/02/2010 17:13

Kids study thi stuff in GCSE English.

Nancy66 · 21/02/2010 17:29

I read something this week that was pretty scary - from next year Sky+ viewers (that have not opted out) will receive adverts that directly target them according to who they were, where they live, their income etc.

Eg a single person with loads of money will be getting ads for cars and holidays while a family with young kids will get ads for nappies and washing powder etc...

Original poster
ppeatfruit · 21/02/2010 18:19

yeah that is scary nancy..I think Kitcat that you have to start the awareness much younger than GCSE age; The ads do!!!

When my dos were in front of the telly (we had one in our house!) I always pointed out that the ads were trying to sell things and were not nec. telling the truth.
I also tried to avoid them if poss.

OP posts:
edam · 21/02/2010 20:35

yeah, ds has been well trained in cynicism. We only let him watch Cbeebies when he was very little but now he has discovered channels with advertising he occasionally pipes up 'they are just trying to trick us Ma, aren't they?' That's my boy! (Grandson of a copywriter and son of two journalists...)

JaneS · 21/02/2010 20:40

Er ... let alone media studies, if you have basic common sense and a smattering of maths it's absurd. 'In our tests, 90% of women agreed Dove made them look 10 years younger', when applied to a group of 10 women, means bugger all.

southeastastra · 21/02/2010 20:42

blimey not all advertising is bad.

tethersend · 21/02/2010 20:52

It's the deliberately bad adverts a la Cillit Bang etc which are genius.

squeaver · 21/02/2010 20:56

What an odd thread.

You're all talking like 13 year olds. Edam/SEA/Badger excepted, of course.

tethersend · 21/02/2010 21:02

Whatever.

Mumcentreplus · 21/02/2010 21:32

so why is everyone but Edam Badger and Sea talking like 13yr olds?...

Original poster
ppeatfruit · 21/02/2010 22:00

yeah squiff off squeaver we's so not

OP posts:
BigWeeHag · 21/02/2010 22:13

My DS thinks you can turn gold into grass.

Seriously, those ads strike me as the height of cynicism - put ads for borrowing/ making money on during programmes aimed at under 5's!

edam · 21/02/2010 22:42

Blimey, what did I say?

SPBInDisguise · 22/02/2010 07:30

Why squeaver? That was fairly insulting
I think of myself as as clued up as the next person but advertising (direct and subtle) does work! I think looking down your noses at the plebs who fall for it is trying a bit too hard to prove how intellectual you are.

Original poster
ppeatfruit · 22/02/2010 07:57

of course they can't push high sugar rubbish at the dos now can they??

do you think that the do's understand the f..ing financial ones??

OP posts:
l39 · 22/02/2010 08:05

What a peculiar comment to make, Squeaver. No one had even disagreed with Edam/SEA/Badger before you rushed in to defend them. A suspicious person might think the thread was too lacking in conflict for your liking...

SPBInDisguise · 22/02/2010 08:05

what's a do?
What an odd thread this is

SPBInDisguise · 22/02/2010 08:14

come on,can someone explain this highly intellectual thread to me? I is thick see