# Promotions that have the opposite effect of that which was intended **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 3, 2013, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/promotions-that-have-the-opposite-effect-of-that-which-was-intended/651899 "2013-03-03T06:48:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2013, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/promotions-that-have-the-opposite-effect-of-that-which-was-intended/651899/41 "2013-03-06T17:39:42Z")
My rule of thumb for movies has never failed yet: if you start seeing promo ads for the movie more than about 90 days prior to the opening, the movie will suck like a Hoover on steroids. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2013, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/promotions-that-have-the-opposite-effect-of-that-which-was-intended/651899/42 "2013-03-06T17:57:41Z")
Chocolate Wonderfall! ---
**Author:** ![The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/74df32/32.png) [@The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Devil_s_Grandmother)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2013, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/promotions-that-have-the-opposite-effect-of-that-which-was-intended/651899/43 "2013-03-06T18:35:18Z")
> [@romadea](#): > > …The message seemed to be “if you’re insecure and not very serious about getting fit, this is the gym for you!” Actually this fat old lady would love to join a gym where she’s isn’t made to feel like she’s the kid who was picked last for recess games every time. The gym I’m currently at only pays attention to young pretty people. There’s no trainers for old or fat people. That said, the places I avoid the most are the one offering cheap beer to sports fans. Drunk fans are dangerous. ---
**Author:** ![Orionizer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/orionizer/32/4442_2.png) [@Orionizer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orionizer)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2013, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/promotions-that-have-the-opposite-effect-of-that-which-was-intended/651899/44 "2013-03-06T18:43:48Z")
Not quite a promotion, but similar: Years ago, my ex and I were shopping for her a new car. She really liked the Gran Prix, but it was a little out of her price range. Sales guys says “Hey, I’ve got the perfect car for you!” and shows us a nice used Gran Prix. He almost had me hooked, until he said “And another thing, this used to be Jeff Gordon’s?\* car!” First thing through my mind is “Bad enough she’s looking at a used\*\* car in the first place, but now it’s probably a used _ragged out piece of shit_!” We ended up getting her a new Grand Am, instead. Another, more on topic, are those Camry commercials. “Most popular car in America!”, “Just like a Camry”, etc. Yeah, I really wanna drive an anonymous box just like everyone else. NO THANK YOU! - I honestly can’t remember if it was Jeff Gordon, but it was a well known NASCAR driver \*\* I’ve had some real bad issues buying used and won’t ever do so again ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2013, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/promotions-that-have-the-opposite-effect-of-that-which-was-intended/651899/45 "2013-03-06T21:05:29Z")
Back a while ago there was a beer called Piels in New York. Every so often they ran ads, starring Bert and Harry Piels in cartoons, voiced by Bob and Ray. The ads were great, and lots of people rushed out to try Piels. Which tasted like piss, so their sales dropped with each successful ad campaign. ---
**Author:** ![Snickers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Snickers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snickers)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2013, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/promotions-that-have-the-opposite-effect-of-that-which-was-intended/651899/46 "2013-03-06T21:20:01Z")
Awhile back, there was a car commercial (maybe a Jeep? Some outdoorsy SUV, anyway) that was attempting to show you how nimble and agile the car was (I think that was the goal, anyway) by comparing it to an insect - they fitted one with surfboards on the top and made it look like a flying beetle, had one to look like a water bug and had it driving in the surf, whatever. All I could see was “lookit how small our car is!” And El Hubbo got tired of me saying that, too. ---
**Author:** ![maggenpye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecc23a/32.png) [@maggenpye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/maggenpye)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2013, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/promotions-that-have-the-opposite-effect-of-that-which-was-intended/651899/47 "2013-03-06T21:26:55Z")
Good timing! Yesterday I found a flier in my letterbox; EARN EXTRA CASH FROM HOME THIS IS NOT A SCAM Ph: \*\*\*\*\*\*\* My kid looked at it and said, “I bet it really \*is \*a scam.” ---
**Author:** ![usedtobe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ec9cab/32.png) [@usedtobe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/usedtobe)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2013, 7:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/promotions-that-have-the-opposite-effect-of-that-which-was-intended/651899/48 "2013-03-09T07:55:16Z")
Any Dopers in Naptown? Does “Big C” Furniture still have its “Going Out Of Business” sale the weekend before Credit Furniture has its “Grand Opening” Sale? Same crap, even the same address - at least get a corner storefront so you have 2 street addresses to use… The joys of late-night TV ads! ---
**Author:** ![usedtobe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ec9cab/32.png) [@usedtobe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/usedtobe)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2013, 8:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/promotions-that-have-the-opposite-effect-of-that-which-was-intended/651899/49 "2013-03-09T08:02:51Z")
Am I the only only one who has figured out that “Best-Selling” almost always means “cheapest”? Yea, you do sell more Chevrolets in a week than Lamborghini sells in a decade. This makes them more desirable? ---
**Author:** ![lorene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/65b543/32.png) [@lorene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lorene)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2013, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/promotions-that-have-the-opposite-effect-of-that-which-was-intended/651899/50 "2013-03-09T12:57:49Z")
> [@Orionizer](#): > > Not quite a promotion, but similar: > > Years ago, my ex and I were shopping for her a new car. She really liked the Gran Prix, but it was a little out of her price range. Sales guys says “Hey, I’ve got the perfect car for you!” and shows us a nice used Gran Prix. He almost had me hooked, until he said “And another thing, this used to be Jeff Gordon’s?\* car!” > > First thing through my mind is “Bad enough she’s looking at a used\*\* car in the first place, but now it’s probably a used _ragged out piece of shit_!” > > We ended up getting her a new Grand Am, instead. Well then that sort of worked—if I’m reading correctly, you ended up shelling out more money for new, right? ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2013, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/promotions-that-have-the-opposite-effect-of-that-which-was-intended/651899/51 "2013-03-09T14:40:48Z")
> [@usedtobe](#): > > Any Dopers in Naptown? > > Does “Big C” Furniture still have its “Going Out Of Business” sale the weekend before Credit Furniture has its “Grand Opening” Sale? > > Same crap, even the same address - at least get a corner storefront so you have 2 street addresses to use… > The joys of late-night TV ads! There is a furniture store in town with a big sign out front that says GOING OUT FOR BUSINESS! I have to wonder if people are really that stupid to fall for that. Not that I eat at Taco Bell much anyway, but they have an ad that says something like “Never share again”, showing three guys sharing a tray of wings or something, and some smug self-satisfied douche sitting there watching them while he chows down on his Taco Bell burrito or whatever it is. Yeah I’m going to buy your food so I can be a smug self-satisfied douche too! ---
**Author:** ![Chilliwack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e79b87/32.png) [@Chilliwack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chilliwack)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2013, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/promotions-that-have-the-opposite-effect-of-that-which-was-intended/651899/52 "2013-03-09T18:36:07Z")
> [@Shoeless](#): > > There is a furniture store in town with a big sign out front that says GOING OUT FOR BUSINESS! I have to wonder if people are really that stupid to fall for that. There is a large Canadian retailer who bought a floundering store in the late 1960s and held just such a sale. The sale brought the books back into the black, and over the years, has expanded into 100+ stores across the country. OnStar commercials that replayed the actual conversations between vehicle occupants and OnStar operators, and repeatedly used the words “airbag deployment”. I would never, EVER, buy an OnStar equipped vehicle for that very reason. Having been involved in a crash with airbag deployment, the LAST thing I would want to deal with would be some highschool dropout telling me “I am detecting a collision with airbag deployment, are you okay?” Oh, you detected airbag deployment? So did my effing face! ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2013, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/promotions-that-have-the-opposite-effect-of-that-which-was-intended/651899/53 "2013-03-09T21:29:26Z")
> [@maggenpye](#): > > Good timing! > > Yesterday I found a flier in my letterbox; > > EARN EXTRA CASH FROM HOME > THIS IS NOT A SCAM > Ph: \*\*\*\*\*\*\* > > My kid looked at it and said, “I bet it really \*is \*a scam.” Congratulations on raising a child who is more likely to spend his/her money wisely! ---
**Author:** ![Orionizer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/orionizer/32/4442_2.png) [@Orionizer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orionizer)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2013, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/promotions-that-have-the-opposite-effect-of-that-which-was-intended/651899/54 "2013-03-09T22:04:45Z")
> [@lorene](#): > > Well then that sort of worked—if I’m reading correctly, you ended up shelling out more money for new, right? Actually, it was right about the same amount. +/- $500 ---
**Author:** ![Orionizer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/orionizer/32/4442_2.png) [@Orionizer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orionizer)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2013, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/promotions-that-have-the-opposite-effect-of-that-which-was-intended/651899/55 "2013-03-09T22:07:28Z")
> [@Chilliwack](#): > > There is a large Canadian retailer who bought a floundering store in the late 1960s and held just such a sale. The sale brought the books back into the black, and over the years, has expanded into 100+ stores across the country. > > OnStar commercials that replayed the actual conversations between vehicle occupants and OnStar operators, and repeatedly used the words “airbag deployment”. I would never, EVER, buy an OnStar equipped vehicle for that very reason. Having been involved in a crash with airbag deployment, the LAST thing I would want to deal with would be some highschool dropout telling me “I am detecting a collision with airbag deployment, are you okay?” Oh, you detected airbag deployment? So did my effing face! As a fellow airbag deployment receiver, I completely agree! ---
**Author:** ![maggenpye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecc23a/32.png) [@maggenpye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/maggenpye)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2013, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/promotions-that-have-the-opposite-effect-of-that-which-was-intended/651899/56 "2013-03-09T22:10:14Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > Congratulations on raising a child who is more likely to spend his/her money wisely! It has taken many years of snarking at the ads on TV, but it’s been worth it; now that she is fourteen and the sarcasm hormones have kicked in, she snarks for me. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/promotions-that-have-the-opposite-effect-of-that-which-was-intended/651899.md?page=2)