Articles

How Stupid Do I Look

by Bill Gelwick Social Media Strategist
Advertisers have used these tactics for years. The less educated their target market, the louder or flashier the ads.

Take a look at car dealer commercials and you will see my point. Let's compare two hypothetical manufacturers.

Company A sells small inexpensive cars. Their main goal is to move mass volume. Their target market is people in lower income brackets. Commercials consist of flashing graphics, an announcer shouting and a lot of hype about low prices.

Company B sells higher end luxury cars. Their main goal is attracting the type of customer who can afford their cars. These are the higher income customers. Commercials usually consist of a soft spoken announcer with exceptional grammar and imagery of the car, usually in a serene environment such as driving along a country road.

See the difference?

Marketing people know the facts. People who buy high end cars are typically more educated than those who buy economy cars. They play to the perceived intellect of their target audience. The louder the announcer and flashier the graphics, the dumber they think you are.

Next time you are looking at the multitude of business opportunities being promoted on the internet, keep this example in mind. The more bold the graphics, and more outrageous the claims, the more likely it is to be something designed to lure in the inexperienced. If you see big flashing banners, piles of cash, exotic cars or scantily clad women, those are likely a distraction. They do not want you looking too closely at the program.

In short, the more hype, the lower the chances of being a viable program. Use caution and read the fine print.

If you want to know more about how to select a business opportunity, contact me and ask abotu the "5 Pillars of Success".

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About Bill Gelwick Advanced     Social Media Strategist

78 connections, 2 recommendations, 186 honor points.
Joined APSense since, October 18th, 2010, From Dallas, United States.

Created on Dec 31st 1969 18:00. Viewed 0 times.

Comments

Cindy Bolley Magnate II Premium   HHCTB?
Not stupid at all Bill!!
In fact I think you just wrote about
How not to be STUPID!!

Cindy
Jan 18th 2011 15:14   
Lee L. Senior   The Gram Savings Plan
Very true for many offerings online Bill, but not all. I do agree with the car commercial example you've offered but there's not too many ads on tv that appeal to me at all, unless there's a cute animal in them.
Jan 18th 2011 16:55   
Cheryl Baumgartner Professional Premium   Medical Billing/Coding/Insurance
This reminds me of a furniture store add that used to run in Florida with a little chubby guy all dressed up like Boss Hogg from the Dukes of Hazard. He was definitely attention getting! And he constantly harped on no money down and free delivery. He was a textbook example of your post.
Jan 18th 2011 17:50   
Paula van Dun Magnate II   Retired
Amen to that! If something looks to good to be true, it usually is.
Jan 18th 2011 17:52   
Helen Smith Committed   Consultant
The flashier the site the tighter I pull my purse strings(lol).
Jan 18th 2011 18:47   
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