Apparently I've been somewhat sensitive to advertising lately because I actually have enough advertisement-related complaining to make a post.
First, I present to you the following graphic that Boston Market has recently added to their advertisements:
Ok, so take a moment to let this graphic set in...'Boston Market: Established Since 1985'. Wow, established since 1985!? Well GOSH, that is really an achievement to be proud of, Boston Market. You were "established" before George H. W. Bush was president, before the Nintendo Entertainment System became popular, before Vanilla Ice! Boston Market, you've really dug your culinary roots deep into the heart and soul of American society over the past 22 years, haven't you? HA, what a joke! Look, Boston Market, you can't just throw the term "established" around and expect us to take it seriously when you put the year "1985" below it. The Ford Motor Company is "established" (since 1903); Macy's is "established" (since 1858); hell, even the toxic fast-food chain McDonald's is "established" (since 1940). But you, Boston Market...well, you're just craptacular.
The second target of my advertisement anger is none other than every weight loss company out there (Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, Trimspa, NutriSystem, etc.). Setting aside the fact that anyone who actually sinks money into one of these scams is pretty gullible, I think it's time we stop allowing companies like this to include the phrase "Results not typical" on their ads. "Results not typical"!? Then why the hell should anyone use your product!? If only 1 out of 100 people actually lose 20 pounds from eating your horrible food or sticking to your crazy points system, then isn't the entire premise of your product a tad misleading? Can you imagine this standard being applied to other goods and services...you go to a movie theater and buy a ticket to see The Departed, but when you take your seat inside the theater the movie Bio-Dome starts playing; unfortunately, even though the commercial said The Departed was playing in theaters it also stated in small, fine print that "Results not typical", so only 1 out of 100 movie screens are showing The Departed. Of course, this analogy somewhat falls apart when you consider that not losing weight as promised is a far better outcome than being presented with Bio-Dome when promised The Departed...to be quite honest, I'd agree to pack on 5 or 10 pounds if I could be certain that Bio-Dome would never be shown again.
Pauly Shore mocking aside, that's all the rage I have against advertising...for now.
First, I present to you the following graphic that Boston Market has recently added to their advertisements:
Ok, so take a moment to let this graphic set in...'Boston Market: Established Since 1985'. Wow, established since 1985!? Well GOSH, that is really an achievement to be proud of, Boston Market. You were "established" before George H. W. Bush was president, before the Nintendo Entertainment System became popular, before Vanilla Ice! Boston Market, you've really dug your culinary roots deep into the heart and soul of American society over the past 22 years, haven't you? HA, what a joke! Look, Boston Market, you can't just throw the term "established" around and expect us to take it seriously when you put the year "1985" below it. The Ford Motor Company is "established" (since 1903); Macy's is "established" (since 1858); hell, even the toxic fast-food chain McDonald's is "established" (since 1940). But you, Boston Market...well, you're just craptacular.The second target of my advertisement anger is none other than every weight loss company out there (Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, Trimspa, NutriSystem, etc.). Setting aside the fact that anyone who actually sinks money into one of these scams is pretty gullible, I think it's time we stop allowing companies like this to include the phrase "Results not typical" on their ads. "Results not typical"!? Then why the hell should anyone use your product!? If only 1 out of 100 people actually lose 20 pounds from eating your horrible food or sticking to your crazy points system, then isn't the entire premise of your product a tad misleading? Can you imagine this standard being applied to other goods and services...you go to a movie theater and buy a ticket to see The Departed, but when you take your seat inside the theater the movie Bio-Dome starts playing; unfortunately, even though the commercial said The Departed was playing in theaters it also stated in small, fine print that "Results not typical", so only 1 out of 100 movie screens are showing The Departed. Of course, this analogy somewhat falls apart when you consider that not losing weight as promised is a far better outcome than being presented with Bio-Dome when promised The Departed...to be quite honest, I'd agree to pack on 5 or 10 pounds if I could be certain that Bio-Dome would never be shown again.Pauly Shore mocking aside, that's all the rage I have against advertising...for now.
5 comments:
At what point does a business obtain the right to use the word "established"?
As for diet companies, where do you get your 1 in 20 number from? I'd guess that more than 1 in 20 receives some kind of favorable results. Even so, it's all about potential results, not guaranteed results. The reality is that it is practically impossible to create any diet or fitness system that will work for any sizable percentage of the population--and no one is being misled since we all know it. So what's the harm in allowing them to advertise the potential their product has to succeed for at least some individuals?
Oh, and Weight Watchers is not about the points. It's about the group support system created through weekly meetings.
want a viper?
hey anonymous, I think you may have taken this post a tad too seriously...and to andrea, i respond: want some money?
I have no problem at all with your bashing of the diet companies, your anger over the use of the term "established", or your obviously arbitrary "statistics". But WHAT GIVES YOU THE RIGHT TO BASH A CINEMATIC MASTERPIECE LIKE BIODOME?!!! Biodome is the defining movie of our generation, and some day it will be displayed proudly on the mantle of the average american, between classics such as The Graduate and American Beauty.
Well written article.
Post a Comment