The Top 5 Ways Advertisers Are Tricking You The Devious Marketing Methods of Advertisers and Corporations Advertising <http://advertising.about.com/od/careersource/a/What-To-Expect-In-An-Advertising-Career.htm> is just like any other business; 99% of the time, it’s a good industry filled with great people. But occasionally, techniques and tactics are used that are designed to trick you into thinking something. Whether it’s thinking you’re getting great value for money, or getting something you’re not, they have ways to mess with your head. Here are the top 5 ways advertisers are messing with your mind.
*The Grocery Shrink Ray* This is probably the nastiest sucker-punch in recent years. Big corporations are looking to keep stockholders happy, and their bottom lines healthy. They also want to keep salaries for their executives nice and fat. But how do they do this without raising prices? It’s simple. They shrink the items you buy <http://consumerist.com/category/grocery-shrink-ray/>, but do it very deceptively. Most of the time, the packaging will stay the same size too. The only difference is the product inside. You’ll see yogurt pots that contain less yogurt,. Chip bags will have 25% less chips, but the bag and price will be the same. It’s a very easy and cost-effective way to squeeze every ounce of profit from you, and you are none the wiser. They’ll even turn it into a bizarre marketing gimmick – Now with 10% less fat! Yeah…because there’s 10% less product. Talk about sly. *Tricky Language* The insurance industry loves tricky language, <http://advertising.about.com/od/copywriting/a/The-10-Most-Powerful-Words-In-Advertising.htm> but every manufacturer or corporation is guilty of using it. Perhaps one of the most overused phrases comes from insurance though. You’ll here something like “never pay for a covered auto repair again” and you feel happy that you won’t be spending big bucks on your car. It's only when you have a problem that you find out that particular one, and about 75% of the other problems a car can have, are not “covered.” A covered repair is a deceptive phrase. If the ad came out and said, “never pay for a repair that our adjusters decide you don’t have to pay for” you’d be a lot more hesitant to move forward. And yet, millions of people fall for this kind of language <http://advertising.about.com/od/copywriting/a/Seven-Words-Overused-In-Advertising.htm> every day. *Deceptive Comparisons* You’ll see this a lot in the supermarket, but it applies across the board. In big, bold letters with powerfully inviting copy, you’re told “25% more” or “30% less sugar.” Great, you think. But unless you know what the “more” or “ less” is that they're referring to, it’s useless information. When you do a little digging, you find out the bigger picture. For example, in small print underneath “25% more” you see “than our regular 8oz bottle.” It's not 25% more for the same price. It’s just a bigger bottle, and you’re paying for every extra drop. Similarly, “30% less sugar” can be pointless when you realize they’ve replaced that sugar with a sugar substitute. It’s not less sweet, or healthier. It just contains differently weighted ingredients. Do your studying on every bottle and box you buy. *Reverse Psychology* Advertisers love to play tricks with your mind. One of the biggest ways they do this is to acknowledge that you have a choice (even though they want you to have none). A prime example of this is telling you to try competitor brands; or better still, buy them. “Hey, you’re welcome to try another vacuum cleaner, and compare the suction power for yourself.” You immediately feel like the brand is more trustworthy, and must live up to its own claims. “If they want me to try the other guys, they must be really confident that theirs is better. I’m buying theirs.” Sometimes, it’s true. Most of the time it’s a ploy. *Food Stylists* If you remember the scene from Falling Down <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkwQ6EjLdMQ>, you know the frustration people feel when they see the reality of the food they’re buying. A minimum wage worker in a fast food chain is putting food together quickly; it’s not supposed to be a work of art. But a lot of the time, they could never make it look like the advertising images. Special food stylists <http://mentalfloss.com/article/30195/11-ways-advertisers-make-food-look-delicious> are brought to shoots to make things look wonderful, and they have a lot of tricks up their sleeves. They will use yogurt or glue instead of mile, to stop the cereal going soggy. They’ll use hair spray and deodorant on grapes to give them that matte look. They’ll even use shoe polish or hot irons to make sear marks on steaks <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AwguD9ac-5A> and burgers. Do not be fooled. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Thatha_Patty" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
