If you want to be responsible for your own thoughts, this
page can help you. Think for yourself, don't be influenced by "hypes," "empty claims," and "fads."
I got a little wordy on this page but I hate it when people are influenced
by ads to make decisions that are hasty or not in their best interests and
keeps them from realizing their dream.
Did you know that advertising companies get paid big bucks for messing with your head? And they
know how to do it, too. They conduct surveys and studies that tell them what works for what group and
why. They can pinpoint an audience and direct their "attacks" accordingly. They want to make you
think what THEY want you to think and they will use many methods.
Below are some examples of how ads try to lead you around by the nose. These points can
apply to buying anything from a manufactured home to a can of paint.
The "Guilt trip" is one method. If you don't buy their product you will
be a bad parent/never be successful/never be attractive to the opposite sex etc.
They don't say this directly but it is inferred and subconciously makes you think the way they want you to.
Say for instance that you see an ad for a germ-killing product. It might show the
neighbor's kids being sick and infer that if YOUR
kids get sick it is because you didn't use their product and you are a "bad parent" like the people next door.
Their product might actually help prevent sickness - but another product might be just as good or even better.
Use, or non-use, of their product does not make you a good or bad parent but in the back of your
mind that is what they want you to think. Using the "Guilt Trip" method is not necessarily "nice," but it works.
Don't buy out of guilt. Buy because it is the best for you - if it is.
The "Ours is Better," (empty claims), method works, too.
Learn to question EVERYTHING!
"Buy a Brand New Home for only $229.99 per month!"
But what does that include?
(Be sure to read any fine print - you may need to put down a HUGE downpayment to get that
price and it may not include ANYTHING but the base price of the home. You'd hate to have to call the dealership after the home is setup and
the salesperson says to you, "You mean you WANTED doors and windows?!").
What about extras and options?
Don't forget to get all of this
IN WRITING!
"New Fluffo Fabric Softner* is BETTER!"
Better than WHAT?
Plain water? Baking soda? Battery acid?
"50% MORE!"
50% of WHAT?
Let's see... 50% x 0 = uh....ZERO!
"C4Miles Window Cleaner* is FASTER!"
Faster than WHAT?
Grandma using plain water and rags? A turtle? Concrete and a squeegie?
You get the idea...
Don't forget to ask:
- WHY is it faster/bigger/better etc.?
- WHO says so? Them? A national study? Their Aunt Sadie?
- WHAT are they comparing it to?
- HOW is it improved/better/tastier etc.?
- WHERE did they get their information?
- WHEN - might as well throw that one in, too!
"FREE!" Beware of this word. It rarely means that. There is usually ALWAYS a catch.
But it works because we are so conditioned to reacting to this word that it is overused and abused quite often.
It is an attention grabber, intending to draw our minds towards the product that is NOT free.
Be very careful and read everything, listen to EVERYTHING said to find the catch in this word.
(Sometimes a "FREE" gift is offered to take your mind off the real product - which might be highly overpriced. But then, they have to pay for those free gifts somehow).
How about all of those 9's you find in prices? Know what they are meant to do?
If you see "$99.99" that is supposed to make you think, "WOW! That's
less than $100!" And it works. Or how about "$24.99?" That's less than $25.00, right? Sure it is, but only by one cent.
What can you buy with one cent nowadays? They will even use the phrase, "Less than $25.00!" and they won't be lying.
So - what do you do? Retrain yourself to instantly compute all such numbers and round them off to the higher price. In
other words, add one cent to the amount you see and you will have a better
idea of what it actually costs.
- $24.99 + .01 = $25.00
- $99.99 + .01 = $100.00
- $149,999.99 + .01 = $150,000.00
- Etc.
We can't forget that SEX is used a lot in advertising. "If you use Hair Brite Shampoo* all the
Guys/Gals will love you!" Or, "If you drive a new, shiny Sleekmobile* all the Guys/Gals
will want you!" Notice that they only use gorgeous/handsome models
in these commercials. Let's get real, most of us want to be wanted for
who we are - not for what we look like, drive or how much money we have. But we are
continuously convinced that these things matter more by the ads we see. They work. Don't let them.
Fads are one of the worst methods of advertising. They rely on desperate people who will
snatch at anything to get help. This is sad but it works. Someone who has been
obese all of their life, has a lot of pain, has grown bald or anything that
makes their lives hard to live with can be so desperate that they will try almost
anything.
Instant weight-loss products, hair-growth renewal products and miracle cures are usually not what
they appear. The ads for these products make lots of claims but this is one of the times you
need to ask all those questions. Especially when you are putting something in or on your body.
For example - you might order some pills that claim that they will help you lose weight and when they arrive you
find that you must also follow a diet and exercise plan - which would have worked on its own without
the pills. So - you just payed $49.99, ($50.00), needlessly.
If you really want to improve yourself, start from within. Be honest with yourself and see clearly what
areas need to be improved. You probably have a great person inside yourself. If you haven't let this
person out, now is the time. Take an objective look at yourself, work on what needs fixing, and you
won't feel like you need so many desperate measures. Take responsibility for your thoughts - and actions.
What this all boils down to is this:
- Read everything carefully.
- Listen to every word and look for empty claims or half-told truths.
- Educate yourself and know the truth.
- You usually get what you pay for.
- Use your head.
- GET EVERYTHING IN WRITING!
Start looking for these things when watching TV, listening to radio or reading the
paper or a magazine. You'll be surprised how fast you will pick up the habit of automatically
seeing or hearing the half-truths in ads and be able to determine, for YOURSELF, how
good or bad something may be. Realize your dream.
*These are NOT real products. The names have been changed to protect the innocent. We do not
offer these items for sale. The information found on this website is
FREE!
(OOPS! Well,
it really is. We are one of those "exceptions to the rule." But, we like being different!)
