Marketing suckage.......

[CancelMyService]

With the Black Friday/Christmas spending orgy in full effect, I'm starting to get really annoyed at the ads I'm seeing:

1. Can someone track down who coined the phrase "doorbusters" and crack their kneecaps with a tire iron? Did someone think Black Friday wasn't rowdy enough and decide to invent a phrase that puts a psychological message in people's minds that they need to bust the doors to get these fabulous deals on crap?

2. This is mainly a car dealership thing, but when did automakers stop having "sales" and start having "sales events"? It doesn't make your dealership sound classy or exclusive, its makes it sound like it has marketing folks that get paid per word.

3. That Wal-Mart ad that actually boasts "we'll have more lanes open than ever this season!" That's not something to be proud of, Einsteins. Also I wonder if they'll start making staff do that thing with the checkout lights as part of their lame-ass morning routines.

4. The credit card companies find new ways to encourage selfish behavior. First it's those obnoxious "using cash slows the world down" ads, now that ad for Visa (I think) with the young guy shopping for his mom, only to get her "what she really wants" and shows up to Christmas dinner in a suit. I think I literally WTF'ed the first time I saw that one. What a message, show your family how much you care by buying something for yourself.

[Dave1982]

If you are planning anything special for those marketing geniuses, dont' forget to include whoever thought up the bogus "Save 20-40% on all ink" crap at the Staples home office.

[bainsidhe]

4. The credit card companies find new ways to encourage selfish behavior. First it's those obnoxious "using cash slows the world down" ads, now that ad for Visa (I think) with the young guy shopping for his mom, only to get her "what she really wants" and shows up to Christmas dinner in a suit. I think I literally WTF'ed the first time I saw that one. What a message, show your family how much you care by buying something for yourself.

I haven't seen this add. Are you sure he bought himself a suit? Or did he pay to travel and spend Christmas with Mommie? Either way, I like the concept, even if it is a bit cheesy. I think it's kind of sweet.

[CancelMyService]

I dunno, it shows him looking at stuff to purchase for his mom, but ends up only buying a suit for himself. There's a definate message of "spending money on yourself is an acceptable present for someone else".

I may be reading too much into it, but these are the same people that want you to make every purchase big and small with a credit card so I don't think I'm overanalyzing.

[Knightmare]

Buy mommy a cheap gift and mail it...

-or-

Look at cheap gifts, but decide to buy a nice suit and airplane ticket to fly out and see mommy, who lives 1500 miles away. Mommy hasn't seen her son in years because he moved to LA to make it big in as a movie star. After landing a semi-regular role on a soap opera, he finally has enough bank to fly home for the Holidays.

Awww... See? You just have to know how the story goes.

BTW, I haven't seen the commercial.

[Gravekeeper]

After landing a semi-regular role on a soap opera, he finally has enough bank to fly home for the Holidays.

No no, it's a Visa ad. Which means he *doesn't* have enough in the bank to fly home for the Holidays. ^^

[crazylegs]

1. Can someone track down who coined the phrase "doorbusters" and crack their kneecaps with a tire iron?

Personally I find using a black and decker drill much more satisfying.

Luckily I haven't seen any credit card adverts this year, but then this is the year in which I've watched the least primetime TV ever, mostly because I'm bored of it.

[GolfCart34]

All those reasons listed in the op are the exact reasons why, despite having a bachelor's degree in marketing, I am not in the marketing business. I have morals and values and I'd probably be shooed out the door pretty quick if I tried to change the way marketers do business these days.

I like the safety of my locked teller window at the bank.

[chops]

3. That Wal-Mart ad that actually boasts "we'll have more lanes open than ever this season!" That's not something to be proud of, Einsteins. Also I wonder if they'll start making staff do that thing with the checkout lights as part of their lame-ass morning routines.

I wouldn't put it past them...

[SuperB]

4. The credit card companies find new ways to encourage selfish behavior. First it's those obnoxious "using cash slows the world down" ads,

I hate those ads with a passion. I'm having to deal with idiots who honestly think it should be that fast of a transaction. Uh, no, you still need to prove you are who the card says you are, you still have to sign the damned slip and you absolutely cannot just walk away until *I* know the card went through!

[Crazeyal]

Okay..

Methinks Black Friday "Got" to you a bit. It's only perspective in most of what you stated. "We'll have more lanes open than ever!" is something that would draw ME towards wally world. Every time I've made the mistake of going there anywhere NEAR a holiday there was only 1/3 to 1/2 of the available registers open, and people were lined up at LEAST six deep. How is spending actual money in wages for extra cashiers abusive? They should have done this YEARS ago. I have no illusios of Wally World suddenly becoming a GREAT place to work, but that's just harsh.

And the ad? Again, perspective. What does mom want? Here mom, I'm cleaning up my act. It looked to ME like she enjoyed the gift.

[Bank Lady]

Okay..

And the ad? Again, perspective. What does mom want? Here mom, I'm cleaning up my act. It looked to ME like she enjoyed the gift.

I totally agree. That ad seemed to me the complete opposite of materialism. Rather than get Mom some knick-knack to clutter up a shelf, he shows up looking like the man she always knew he could be. What a fabulous gift!

[qaxons]

Heh, Citibank visa commercial of weirdness. Though, I know my mom would appreciate a gift like that... if I didn't live 15 minutes away and already own three suits...

Then again, my family is weird... A good christmas to us is watching How the Grinch Stole Christmas, chatting by a fire, waking up late in the morning, having pillsbury cinnamon rolls and opening a few presents...

Well, weird in that we don't go "ZOMG! MUST GET FURTHER INTO DEBT SO MY FAMILY THINKS I HAVE MONEY BY BUYING THEM SHINIES!"

[Dreamstalker]

2. This is mainly a car dealership thing, but when did automakers stop having "sales" and start having "sales events"?

Or just "events". I don't get that either. The Lexus ads are especially laughable in this regard as I know they think they're classy.

4. The credit card companies find new ways to encourage selfish behavior. First it's those obnoxious "using cash slows the world down" ads

Grrrr, I despise those. A friend in armpit-of-nowhere TX seems to believe them...he's the type of guy who will pay for a coffee with a CC (yeah, you may or may not be right in the view that it doesn't slow things down that much, but...it's just damned annoying), or decide to boycott an excellent mom-and-pop eatery because they don't take plastic. I don't know what he has against cash.

[Sliceanddice]

i thought those cash slow down the world adds where for Visa check cards... aka debit card...
oh and that comercial with the suit. I dont know whats its for. But the concept was he never wore a suit for anything, not even for family advents and his mom is always doing the classic mom thing and reverse pyhcologicalizing him. So he bought one for her. i think in the comercials she says Oh my god!!! no jeans!!!...