Jared Lansky Ad BuySell Blog

Author: Tim Bryce
We may not be fully aware of it, but advertising has crept into the American psyche. For example, we used to name sports stadiums after prominent citizens and Presidents, now they are named after the highest bidder, usually a company involved with financial management, energy, or telecommunications. It wasn’t good enough for them to just have the largest billboard in the park, but instead companies found it necessary to hijack the name and turn it into a trademark.

We also see advertising on the roadways, not just billboards and buses, but on our own vehicles as well. It’s not uncommon to see cars and pickup trucks sporting advertisements describing a person’s business. such as a realtor, plumber, electrician, pool supplies, etc. I actually don’t have a problem with this; people are simply trying to promote their businesses on a rolling billboard. What I have a problem with, and I am mystified when I see it, is when people with no connection to companies place ads, decals or bumper stickers on their cars to promote a business. For example, “Follow Me to ABC Company who offers the best deals on this or that.” I’m sure we’ve all seen examples of this. I particularly chuckle when I see fans of professional sports decorate their cars with stickers and signs promoting their favorite team. Not only did they have to pay to see their team play, but they have to pay to promote them. No wonder these athletes are millionaires, they soak the little guy for every nickel he has.

We also see a lot of advertising on our clothes, including shoes, shirts, jackets, and hats. It’s rare to find a plain white shirt anymore or some article of clothing that doesn’t have some sort of corporate logo on it. Not only have our cars become rolling billboards, but we have become walking ones. To take it even further, I find it amazing when I see someone who tattoos a corporate logo on themselves. Talk about taking advertising to the sublime!

Frankly, I think we’ve got it all backwards. If companies really want us to advertise their products and services, they should pay for our clothes and automobiles, not the other way around. Personally, I wouldn’t have a problem driving a Budweiser automobile while wearing Warner Brothers shoes, a Cialis shirt and an NBC baseball cap, as long as I don’t have to pay for them. But for me to pay for such things, forget it!

Author: KNIGHT PIERCE HIRST
Whatever happened to truth in advertising? I live in Los Angeles, where what you see isn’t necessarily what you get. Face lifts, breast implants, liposuction - we’re walking billboards for plastic surgery.

I often walk past an apartment complex named Ocean Heaven. It sounds heavenly, but it’s three blocks from the ocean.

Downtown there’s a sign on a new condo complex that says “Living above LA”. I’m not sure if that means it’s high living or just above the smog level.

Two stores on the same block have sale signs. One sale is described as huge and the other as colossal. I don’t know which is bigger. A blow-out sale sounds bigger - unless it’s a fire sale.

Some signs claim they have the lowest prices, they’re never undersold or they’re liquidating. Unless we’re careful, we’re being sold a bill of goods. We need a sale on glasses so we can read the small print.

Large print on restaurants claim the world’s best hot dog, ice cream or scone. I’ve tried them and I think those making the claims need to see more of the world. A bakery in Anchorage boasted the world’s best scone. It was so bad, the baker must think the world’s flat.

In catalog ads what isn’t said is more important than what is said. If it doesn’t say 14k gold, it isn’t. If it doesn’t say actual size, it isn’t. Instead of giving a friend a gold bracelet for her birthday, I gave her gold-filled dental floss.

If we don’t grow hair overnight, speak a foreign language in a week or get rich in thirty days, satisfaction is 100% guaranteed. Unfortunately, the majority of us don’t ask for refunds unless we’ve spent more than twenty dollars. This guarantees satisfaction to those selling 21st century snake oil for $19.99.

Then there are the fees for handling and shipping. Am I the only one who thinks these fees are too high? If there really was truth in advertising, these fees would be for shipping and mishandling.

Advertisers can play tricks with words and make our money disappear, but we believe what we want to believe. Common sense tells us that pills won’t magically make us lose weight, but we buy them anyway. It’s easier to take pills than to change our lifestyle. It’s easier to pull the wool over our eyes than to pull on last year’s bathing suit.