# Things advertised so much it makes you suspicious

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-advertised-so-much-it-makes-you-suspicious/603085>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [November 16, 2011, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-advertised-so-much-it-makes-you-suspicious/603085 "2011-11-16T02:53:20Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 8

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**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\
**Post date:** [November 22, 2011, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-advertised-so-much-it-makes-you-suspicious/603085/141 "2011-11-22T15:26:16Z")

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> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#):
>
> My main beef is that the lawyers get their cut in cash, while the consumers usually get their their awards in gift cards or discounts or otherwise not in cash.

Imagine Joe Attorney paying for a purchase with a 51 million dollar gift card, and the cashier explaining that his new balance is fifty million nine hundred eighty two thousand and eighteen cents.😃

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**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\
**Post date:** [November 22, 2011, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-advertised-so-much-it-makes-you-suspicious/603085/142 "2011-11-22T15:32:51Z")

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> [@JuliaSqueezer](#):
>
> Radio ads that get zapped: the ones that loudly repeat the 800 number three times. Like it’s written somewhere that nobody will remember your phone number unless you say it three times. That’s three times. That’s three times.

Actually, it _is_ written somewhere. 😃

Those ads are called “direct response” ads; their goal is to get the listener to call / act immediately (as opposed to ads which hope to influence your next purchase, or your overall impression of the brand). In direct response advertising, there are a lot of very well-established rules of thumb about what works well in getting calls, and one of the big ones is to make the phone number very prominent. In direct response ads on TV, they’ll keep the 800 number on screen for much, if not all, of the ad, as well as having an announcer repeat the number. On the radio, you can’t use visuals, so you’re reliant on repeating the number over and over, in hopes that it sticks in the listener’s brain.

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**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\
**Post date:** [November 22, 2011, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-advertised-so-much-it-makes-you-suspicious/603085/143 "2011-11-22T15:35:09Z")

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> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#):
>
> My main beef is that the lawyers get their cut in cash, while the consumers usually get their their awards in gift cards or discounts or otherwise not in cash. In your insurance example, the customers would not receive the $20 in cash, but as a partial payment towards their next premium. An airline will offer a certain amount of money off the next flight, for instance. So the consumer’s awards are only good if the consumer makes another purchase from the offending company. I dunno about you, but when _I_ am suing a company, I don’t want to have to do business again with that company.

The form the settlement takes is part of the negotiation. To most of the class, a $20 gift card is probably worth more than a $10 check. Giving away $20 gift cards is _certainly_ better for the defendants than giving away $20 checks, because something like 10-25% of gift cards are never redeemed.

So, a settlement in gift cards or discount certificates is indicative of a weaker case, relative to one in cash payouts.

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**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\
**Post date:** [November 22, 2011, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-advertised-so-much-it-makes-you-suspicious/603085/144 "2011-11-22T19:31:04Z")

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> [@Irishman](#):
>
> Actually, yes. Their market share on dinner took a hit from health crazes, from “eat less red meat”, etc. Why do you think Pork picked “The _other_ white meat” as its slogan? Their ads are from the same motivation - loss of market. “People are eating less beef. What can we do? Start a marketing campaign to remind them about beef.”
> 
> They can’t tout the health benefits, so they change the framing of the conversation. Instead of pushing how healthy it is, they do a “feels good” campaign where they remind you that beef is as American as mom and apple pie (Wait, Mom is American? Do other countries not have a mom? Shut Up!)
> 
> Essentially, they want you to remember how tasty it is, how many things you do that it fits in. They want you to think “I’m barbecuing, let’s get hamburgers” not “Let’s get chicken.” So yes, they very much are counting on consumers to decide to buy more beef because they think about beef when thinking about what to eat.

Ignorance fought. I guess I’m not their target audience. I’d eat a tobacco stuffed steak served in an asbestos roux.

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**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:** [November 22, 2011, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-advertised-so-much-it-makes-you-suspicious/603085/145 "2011-11-22T21:57:44Z")

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> [@kayaker](#):
>
> Imagine Joe Attorney paying for a purchase with a 51 million dollar gift card, and the cashier explaining that his new balance is fifty million nine hundred eighty two thousand and eighteen cents.😃

Such an image does indeed make me go 😃 .

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