Atvertising Kills

[Silver_Owl]

...the beauty of a song.

Example: Where Is My Mind currently being used to advertise a holiday company or somesuch. Horrible.

Discuss.

[markfiend]

See also: that gods-awful cover of Human Fly being used in a Nissan ad.

[markfiend]

<rant>
IMO we need much stronger truth-in-advertising laws. You see it all the time with (for example) shampoo ads: the ad says "healthier-looking hair" and a subtitle pops up for about a nanosecond saying "customer satisfaction survey; 87% of 32 customers agreed". There's all sorts of things wrong with that...

1: the sample sizes are minuscule, and pretty much self-selected; who's likely to fill in a customer satisfaction survey if they just think "meh" about their new shampoo?

2: "healthier-looking hair" is a pretty vague claim, it's bound to be skewed by the fact that, having just shelled out a tenner for this supposed miracle, you're not that likely to respond with "no, I wasted my money, it's rubbish" (even less so if you got it as a free sample I expect )

3: all this crap like "nutra-ceramides", amino acids and provitamins. You can only process vitamins (or provitamins) and amino acids by eating them. Putting them on your hair is futile. And as far as I can work out, ceramides are a kind of fat...
</rant>

I could go on in this vein for hours. Advertising pisses me off.

[czuczu]

That 'where is my mind' ad gets on my tits, surely its one of those one where they're changed just enough notes to have to pay any royalties?

[Sita]

<rant>

totally agree. And why is it that in mascara advertising, the girl on the photo always has 2 layers of falsies glued to her lids?

The worst thing is, I work in marketing, and sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night because my conscience is pressuring me so hard

[Pista]

<rant>

& L'Oreal recently photoshopped Rachel Weisz to within an inch of her life to flog anti aging gunk.
Now, if photoshop really though about that, they could develop a way that allows people to photoshop their own (actual) mugs before going out.

Not heard the advert in question Hom, but will brave it on youtube or similar

[Machine Regime]

Advertisers should just come out with it and say 'We're a bunch of nazis and we hate everybody. Now buy our clients' crap.' Then they can spent the rest of their day pottering about with DIY or whatever it is these people do when they're not trying to batter our self-esteem into pea soup.

[stufarq]

To be fair, there's a whole regulatory body that ensures that ads are truthful and not misleading. the whole reason we know about the Rachel Weisz thing is cos the ASA banned it precisely because of the photoshopping. And the whole reason we don't hear about more of them is because most of the dodgy ones get banned before they ever reach the public.

I don't know anything about shampoo science but the ASA generally come down hard on ads making unsupportable scientific claims so presumably they've checked it and passed it. As for "healthier-looking hair", obviously that's a subjective opinion that they're entitled to voice rater than a scientific fact and anyone who doesn't get that doesn't deserve shampoo.

If it bothers you that much, make a complaint.

[Sita]

The "healthier feeling hair/skin/etc." claim is, I think, a so-called "soft claim". If you're interested, there's a hilarious blog by some chemistry geeks, it's called "The Beauty Brains". You can write them and ask them your pressing questions about mascara and deodorants.

You're right Stufarq, regulations are there, but there are still products out there that claim to make your lashes grow longer and fuller, shampoos against hair loss caused by breakage, moisturisers taking back the signs of time, and all that kind of bs...

[Salome]

Now, if photoshop really though about that, they could develop a way that allows people to photoshop their own (actual) mugs before going out.

Somebody already had that idea
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_vVUIYOmJM

[markfiend]

If it bothers you that much, make a complaint.

But it's a lot more fun to rant about it on the Internet.

[Machine Regime]

Sooner or later someone's gonna come up with instant, just-add water synthetic perfect skin and flawless bone structure nano-mites that come as free toys with your Shreddies. Everyone will look like a model, except the few wierdos who dare to not be all that bothered about such things... such as...

[abridged]

I use Lynx. The angels don't fall from heaven for me. I want my money back!

[Machine Regime]

I use Lynx. The angels don't fall from heaven for me. I want my money back!

You didn't read the small print: 'Angels not included'

[Sita]

Everyone will look like a model, except the few wierdos who dare to not be all that bothered about such things... such as...

I think, already these days, people who are so financially independent, successful, or just mentally independent, so that they could give a damn about what everyone else thinks - give a damn.
For instance, Liz Rosenberg, Madonna's publicist, is quite - let's say, heavy and asked about Botox she said "I wouldn't put that s**t in my face".

[Big Si]

http://youtu.be/gDW_Hj2K0wo

http://youtu.be/9QiMw1Q65d4

[DocSommer]

I don't really watch TV or listen to radio stations so the only advertising bothering me is everything that isn't blocked by spamfilters or browser plug-ins

I think it's easy to run a staudy to proof that a product x is healthier compared to what people would use instead. Just pick one of the poorest spots in the world and run your study there (it's not a joke from what I heard)

[stufarq]

You can run your test anywhere you like cos it's the statistical analysis that determines whether the results actually mean anything and, having had to take a stats course as part of my degree, I can confirm that there really are lies, damned lies and statistics.