At least he’s ambitious October 28, 2008
Posted by argotnavis in Humor, News.Tags: advertising, baseball, plumbing, Politics, taxes
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From this AP story:
McCain left few openings untouched, even bashing Obama for airing a 30-minute commercial Wednesday night that will delay the opening of a World Series baseball game if the series goes to six games.
“No one will delay a World Series game with an infomercial when I’m president,” said McCain.
If you were able to read that without rolling your eyes or laughing out loud, I either admire you or know that we can’t be friends. I couldn’t care less about the Phillies or the Rays, so maybe that’s part of why I see this as a ridiculous statement, but come on. I mean, really, is he going to try to get a law passed against it? Or he’ll just be such a great president that no one would even think of doing something so profane as to delay a baseball game?
I hate to get too political here, but this Palin quote also made me laugh:
Joe the Plumber said it sounded to him like socialism.
I understand that he’s become a sort of sensation, but really, should we be basing our economic arguments on the speculations of a man who does not appear to have even a basic understanding of how tax brackets work? I mean, I don’t doubt that Mr. the Plumber is a smart guy, but this does not seem to be his area of expertise.
You consumers are so selfish! May 24, 2008
Posted by argotnavis in News.Tags: advertising, internet
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This story is in the BBC News today. The gist of the piece is that web users are getting more “ruthless and selfish.” Apparently the definition of “selfish” is, uh, this:
'Instead of dawdling on websites many users want simply to reach a site quickly, complete a task and leave.'
I suppose this means that teenagers on MySpace are quite generous? This quote pretty much sums it up:
'Most ignore efforts to make them linger and are suspicious of promotions designed to hold their attention.'(Emphasis mine.)
So, basically, people are selfish because they aren't making it easy for advertising people to make money off of them? The sad thing is, I can actually imagine people thinking this. “Hey, they aren't giving us as much money as we want. So selfish!” And that's basically what it is. I mean, why else would someone be complaining about this? It's not like most people want people to stick around just to waste more of their bandwidth, so it must be the ad revenue they're thinking of.
I guess this strikes me as being similar to the Best Buy con. The reason they can sell that printer/camera/whatever so cheap during sales is because they know they can hook a lot of people into buying ridiculously overpriced cables or whatever (compare to, say, this). If the consumer just wants the cheap thing, they're clearly selfish for not allowing themselves to get ripped off on the cable. I guess that's true, but I'd rather be selfish than a sucker. The same thing applies here, I think. If I know what I want, why should I stick around longer just to let you selfishly and ruthlessly (did you all catch how I turned that around?) earn ad revenue on the way I waste my time online? If there's a site that I actually want to spend some time on, I will, but I don't think it would make me a better or more generous person if I stuck around for no reason.
I'll end on this note:
'Now, when people go online they know what they want and how to do it, he said.
This makes them very resistant to highlighted promotions or other editorial choices that try to distract them.'
The worst customer is a smart customer, right?
Two hours later he was gone, with sixty of my dollars. But I have the miracle cream! January 30, 2008
Posted by argotnavis in Humor, TV/Movies.Tags: advertising, quackery
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After a while, anyone who watches a lot of television will come to expect a certain amount of advertising for highly effective medical treatments, usually weight loss drugs (of course, they couldn't say it on TV if it weren't true!). Sometimes, though, you come across a really good ad, like the one I saw today on the Discovery Channel.
Presenting Kinoki Foot Pads! (There are some pretty funny comments in that Consumerist piece, too.) It's a pretty beautiful piece of advertising. Of course, they're based on an ancient Chinese Japanese secret, which, as it turns out, is reflexology . . . which is really more of a not-so-ancient American secret. The woman in the kimono is still a nice touch, though. Reflexology as a cure for disease is already a fantastic source of weapons-grade bolonium, but this is even better. Reflexology is basically a form of therapeutic foot massage, and yet this amazing Band-Aid covered in some magical plant extract (I believe it's bamboo vinegar) manages to find those same pressure points. Sounds reasonable to me. And look at all of the things it can cure! All of this by removing the toxins in your body through your feet. Why, it'll even get rid of all of that pesky thulium you've surely been complaining about. Just look at that awesome tree graphic. If trees get rid of toxins through their roots, it does stand to reason that humans do the same through their feet (Newsflash, Lisa, Bart is not a horse!). And on top of all that, it's FDA registered! Hurrah!
I'm beginning to think that what they say is true: every damn minute.
A taste that's really great November 15, 2007
Posted by argotnavis in Food, Humor, Life, TV/Movies.Tags: advertising, Jeopardy!, Mama Lucia, Mysterious
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You know those commercials that you suddenly just become fascinated with? For some, it's IDK my BFF Jill. For the old-school folks, it might be Where's the Beef? For me, it's a special ad that comes on once before Jeopardy! and once after. In fact, I think those are the only times it comes on. Ever. On any channel.
Yes, you guessed it. Mama Lucia. There's really a lot to it, for a 10-second long commercial for frozen meatballs. First, I have to believe that they're probably right; Mama Lucia meatballs probably do have a taste that's really great. Of course, I've never actually tried them. It's not that I don't like frozen meatballs. Actually, I think I probably eat more frozen meatballs than the average person. My loyalties, however, lie with “Our Best” Frozen Italian Style Meatballs, which may or may not be a Shaw's store brand. That doesn't stop me from singing the Mama Lucia jingle every time I eat them, though.
Second thing: America's favorite? How did they determine this? Actually, let me take a step back. Is being America's favorite frozen meatball even that much of an accomplishment? I'm sure being named America's Favorite Frozen Meatball is quite an honor, but really, how much competition could there possibly be? And, on top of that, how is it that they're America's favorite meatball, yet I hadn't ever heard of them before seeing this ad?
And the third (yes, I'm going out of order here). Who's that old lady at the end? Is she Mama Lucia? A quick Google image search revealed pretty much nothing, so I have to believe that she is, in fact, the Mama Lucia. I think that's probably a good thing. At first, she seems kind of creepy. But look closer. Doesn't it seem like she's saying, “Oh, hi. I didn't hear you come in. Why don't you have some meatballs? I made them fresh, then froze them and reheated them. I know how much you like them. . . America.” Yeah, it does seem like that.
Fourth, I did some research, because I'm dedicated like that, and have found that, somewhat confusingly, Mama Lucia Meatballs are a product of the Quaker Maid Meats company. Yes, when I think of good Italian food, the Quakers generally come to mind first. Here's a sampler of some of their other frozen meats. Delicious. I have to be honest. The meatballs in that picture actually look pretty disgusting. Maybe that's why you're supposed to cover them in sauce. Either way, the picture there doesn't look like something I'd want to put on my roll or plate.
Finally, why is it that this commercial only airs before and after Jeopardy? Obviously, I've made my assumptions. Perhaps the people at the Quaker Maid Meats company feel that the thinkers who watch Jeopardy! are the only ones who can truly appreciate Mama Lucia. Or maybe an intense round of trivia tends to make people really want a meatball sandwich. I can't say for sure, but it seems to me that people who don't watch Jeopardy! should get to see this, too. Well, I guess the Wheel of Fortune crowd gets to see it, too, but still, that's only two shows. Come on, Quaker Maid, step up. I want to see Mama Lucia everywhere.
