Annoyance
Marketing
It's weird that we are generally so predictable, as far as advertisers
are concerned. To market products you must first attract. Trouble is
using noise, shock, repetition, and other unpleasant tactics of simple
annoyance work very well. It could be a bit to a whole lot sickening,
but it will likely reside in our heads for a while. Perhaps until we
are ready to make a purchase of that item.
There are many irritating ways: Dinner time telemarketing. Commercials
on store PA systems and while waiting to talk to a live person.
Magazine indexes hiding behind several pages of ads. Loud, obnoxious,
repetitive TV commercials. Preview clips ahead of the feature on a
movie rental. PCs pre-loaded with junky software and trial
issues. Junk mail. Spam.
The Listings Guide channel on my TV service has a split screen. The
left side scrolls through bunched up listings while the right half
continually blasts commercials. This rates a 10 on my annoyance scale.
A complaint to my cable company in 1995 (wow 10 years ago!) resulted in
an explanatory letter full of air including, “ . . .
is a proven system which has been in operation in a
large number of cable systems for the past two years
. . .”
I find irritable promotional methods to be an obnoxious way of dealing
with people. How smart is this in the long run, what are they thinking
about us?
I wish our governments would do something about the state of this type
of marketing, and the good guys in the business should speak up.
Is it unethical to return junk mail if a postage paid return envelope
is enclosed?
|
return
Greed
Profit Consumerism
|
|
~ 
