How gullible are we?

bobcat

bobcat

Well-known Member
Location
Northern Calif
Fortunes are made using marketing tactics that strongly appeal to our emotions, as the industry has long realized that emotions drive so much of human behavior and buying. If companies spent as much on their products as they do the advertising, they probably wouldn't even need to advertise.
If you want to look younger, you need this age defying makeup.
If you want to look thinner, you need these jeans
If you want to be more confident, you need this suit
If you use this gadget cooking will be a breeze
They use love, hate, fear, sadness, joy and every other feeling to coax you into buying something that often will be sold at a yard sale in a year.
Have you felt manipulated by the industry?
Has the products you've bought lived up to the hype?
I have to laugh at myself sometimes. I love Thomas English Muffins partly because some marketing genius decided to label all the air pockets as "nooks and crannies", with a picture of all the butter in those air holes. So I'm buying all this air, and I'm thrilled to get it. Brilliant move on their part.
 

I do think people are generally gullible which is what the marketing companies know and use to their advantage... wisdom as we age.. will tell us what's going to work and what's a whole load of twaddle.. but take the clothing that you mentioned..it is true that if you wear a certain cut of trousers or jeans, you'll look slimmer than if you were wearing a baggy pair.. so that much is true... but yes .. mostly we believe the hype until we learn we're being manipulated..:D
 
I think the worst marketing tactics are the ads for donations to children's hospitals, charitable organizations, and animal rescue. They show those poor kids and starving animals using the worst type of emotional manipulation.
 

Gullible ???? You bet.
Most of you are aware of the US military spraying Agent Orange but have no idea that they also used other chemicals during the Vietnam war.
Once Operation Ranch Hand began, around 20 million gallons of Agents commonly referred to as “Rainbow Herbicides” (The nickname according to the color on the barrels in which they were shipped).
Green, Pink, Purple, Blue, White, Orange, Orange II, Orange III, and Super Orange were sprayed over South Vietnam.
The chemicals were produced by companies like DOW Chemical, Monsanto, and Hercules, Inc.

American soldiers who had also been exposed to the herbicides were reassured by their superiors that they presented no risk. :mad: :mad:


warrior.jpg
 
squatting dog said:
Gullible ???? You bet.
Most of you are aware of the US military spraying Agent Orange but have no idea that they also used other chemicals during the Vietnam war.
Once Operation Ranch Hand began, around 20 million gallons of Agents commonly referred to as “Rainbow Herbicides” (The nickname according to the color on the barrels in which they were shipped).
Green, Pink, Purple, Blue, White, Orange, Orange II, Orange III, and Super Orange were sprayed over South Vietnam.
The chemicals were produced by companies like DOW Chemical, Monsanto, and Hercules, Inc.

American soldiers who had also been exposed to the herbicides were reassured by their superiors that they presented no risk. :mad: :mad:


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A good friend of mine died from a rare cancer caused by agent orange from his time fighting in the jungle. He was shot 4 times and was one of a few people that walked out after a horrific battle. He spent a year in the hospital. Before he died he tried to have this recognized by the military so his wife would get free nursing home care. I think it had to do with the percentage of disability would increase.

About half of the people affected were winning their cases determined by which judge they drew. His wife had Alzheimer’s so this was a valuable benefit as he was dying and couldn’t care for himself let alone her. What a crappy way to treat our veterans!!

But our government prevented poor black men from being treated for syphilis so they could see what would happen. I no longer remember all the particulars but you can google it. I think it was during the 1950’s. Our government doesn’t care about its citizens.
 
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caroln said:
I think the worst marketing tactics are the ads for donations to children's hospitals, charitable organizations, and animal rescue. They show those poor kids and starving animals using the worst type of emotional manipulation.
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So true, because it works.
 
Grampa Don said:
If you tell people something they want to hear, many will believe it, even if there is no supporting evidence or it's ridiculous. And, once they do believe something they will often ignore anything contrary. There are those who understand this and profit greatly from it.
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Yes, and don't even get me started on the "Call now in the next 5 minutes, and we'll send you a second nose hair trimmer absolutely free". First of all who needs two, and once you get on the phone, they will try to sell you everything from ant bait to underwear. Not to mention that your name and email will be on their list to bombard you with offers for the next 40 years of your life. Free my a**.
 
The worst thing you can be is gullible ... A friend told me that means you're prone to random attacks by seagulls !!!
I may have to take the test just to be sure though. You know ... for peace of mind.

TGFlCs0.jpg
 
Michelin tires was way down the track in tire sales before they come up with the 'Baby in the Tire' TV Commercials...'Because there is more riding on your tires'...was the tag line I believe.

So everyone ran out and bought Michelin tires because they didn't want their baby's safety at risk. It was total selling of fear, but it worked.
 
Teacher Terry said:
A good friend of mine died from a rare cancer caused by agent orange from his time fighting in the jungle. He was shot 4 times and was one of a few people that walked out after a horrific battle. He spent a year in the hospital. Before he died he tried to have this recognized by the military so his wife would get free nursing home care. I think it had to do with the percentage of disability would increase.

About half of the people affected were winning their cases determined by which judge they drew. His wife had Alzheimer’s so this was a valuable benefit as he was dying and couldn’t care for himself let alone her. What a crappy way to treat our veterans!!

But our government prevented poor black men from being treated for syphilis so they could see what would happen. I no longer remember all the particulars but you can google it. I think it was during the 1950’s. Our government doesn’t care about its citizens.
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"our government prevented poor black men from being treated for syphilis so they could see what would happen"

“Tuskegee Study"

https://www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/history/40-years-human-experimentation-america-tuskegee-study

https://www.cdc.gov/tuskegee/timeline.htm
 
bobcat48 said:
Have you felt manipulated by the industry?
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The scary thing is that I don't think I am all that much, while all the data and research suggests everyone is. I do my best to avoid ads, and don't watch TV, but Google bombs me all day long with ads. Maybe that's one of the great things about hiking in the woods. Trees, bears, deer, rocks, snakes, thorns, puddles of water, and sweat, but a place corporate America has not yet harnessed to blast me with propaganda. Maybe that's why I experience serenity in nature. No one is trying to control my mind when I'm alone in the woods.
 
Beezer said:
Michelin tires was way down the track in tire sales before they come up with the 'Baby in the Tire' TV Commercials...'Because there is more riding on your tires'...was the tag line I believe.

So everyone ran out and bought Michelin tires because they didn't want their baby's safety at risk. It was total selling of fear, but it worked.
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Exactly !
 
JustDave said:
The scary thing is that I don't think I am all that much, while all the data and research suggests everyone is. I do my best to avoid ads, and don't watch TV, but Google bombs me all day long with ads. Maybe that's one of the great things about hiking in the woods. Trees, bears, deer, rocks, snakes, thorns, puddles of water, and sweat, but a place corporate America has not yet harnessed to blast me with propaganda. Maybe that's why I experience serenity in nature. No one is trying to control my mind when I'm alone in the woods.
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You're absolutely right, and I feel the same way. Nature is my escape as well, but since I don't actually live there, it is ever-present in todays world. I am proud to report though, that I haven't turned on the TV for over a month now, and don't even miss it (It's more commercials than programming anyway).
 
Speaking of gullible...

Did you hear about the Frenchman who rolled up his Tim Horton's cup and it read, "Win a Bagel"

...and he thought he had won an RV Camper! lol!
 

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