June 27, 2012

Marketing

I was watching the news this morning and thinking about how dumb commercials really are. Do people really fall for this stuff?

Do I fall for this stuff and not realize it?

I consider myself rather product-savvy. I have a degree in Business Administration which required me to take a couple marketing classes. I know how it works.

Create a problem for the consumer, present your "solution" and make a huge profit.

I like the mouthwash commercial that says it "cleans virtually your whole mouth, while toothpaste alone cleans only 75 %".*

Really? You can't just swish your toothbrush over your gums, tongue and cheek and clean what's virtually left to clean? Why does your mouth have to be sterilized with alcohol anyways??

Or the new handy plastic food storage baggies that allow you to grab your raw meat with the baggie turned inside out over your hand, wrap the baggie around the meat, and freeze it individually in the larger brand name baggie. Allowing you to buy in bulk, store in smaller portions and "save" money.
(I believe this is also the commercial where a wrecking ball company shows up on the woman's doorstep to apparently help her separate her frozen chicken that she didn't freeze with said name brand baggies. Overdramatic much??)

Ok, hello, I grew up watching my mom do that with sandwich baggies for years. Do I really need to buy your name brand? I could also use plastic wrap. From the dollar store. And save money.

I think products that are green or more environmentally-friendly have an edge over ones that aren't these days. But I've not always found the same performance in those.

I'm more of a price shopper, rather than brand shopper. But that does vary with each product I buy for our home. When J and I got married, we made a deal that if he never ran out of t.p., I would never run out of paper towels. I'm brand-loyal for those two products, even though I dislike anything else that brand makes.

I'll try a store brand at least once. I know we can't buy one certain store's milk, coffee creamer or coffee.

I mighthaveusedtomaybe fallen for the makeup commercials for foundation that makes your skin smoother, more even, and fewer blemishes; the mascara commercials that promise triple length and thickness (hello, those models are SO wearing fake lashes, if they aren't CGI); and maybe some lotion or other beauty products that make a gal smell good and look better.

But I can't tell you how many half empty foundations are in my bathroom. None worked. How many mascaras did I try before I finally settled on an oldie-but-goodie? At least 6 or 7. Multiple times. And don't get me started on lotion. Lotion I don't even want to use anymore because of the chemicals and stuff in it.

(Just can't bring myself to throw it out yet....there's probably expiration dates for that stuff, but I think more importantly, there's the law of diminishing returns {or whatever--I said I had a business degree, I didn't say I like economics}--how long should I wait before I can safely say I will no longer want to use that lotion and toss it?)

So I definitely believe I'm getting smarter about that stuff. Do you guys have any commercial examples you can think of that just made you think, "Really?"

*emphasis mine; and the quote may not be exact either--my fault

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