# What has advertising convinced you to buy, or not to buy? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 19, 2010, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-advertising-convinced-you-to-buy-or-not-to-buy/532971 "2010-03-19T02:22:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![GESancMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gesancman/32/2923_2.png) [@GESancMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GESancMan)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-advertising-convinced-you-to-buy-or-not-to-buy/532971/21 "2010-03-19T17:48:28Z")
Another person who usually doesn’t pay attention/isn’t affected by advertising. Especially the “all for $19.95!!!” variety. Who buys this crap? I have to admit, though, there’s this little gadget I’ve seen advertised - the name escapes me at the moment, something-snake - that claims to grab hair clogs when you feed it down a drain. That looks handy. But I sure as hell wouldn’t order it from the TV. I wonder if I can find one at Home Depot yet… ---
**Author:** ![thebenn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dfb087/32.png) [@thebenn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thebenn)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-advertising-convinced-you-to-buy-or-not-to-buy/532971/22 "2010-03-19T17:50:13Z")
When commercials for the first iPhone started airing a few years ago, the one feature that I thought was far-and-away better than anything else on the market was the Visual Voicemail. With it, you can jump directly to any voicemail, and not have to scroll through them individually. That one feature made me yearn for an iPhone. I bought one about a year after they came out because of that one feature. I now love the other features of the iPhone as well. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-advertising-convinced-you-to-buy-or-not-to-buy/532971/23 "2010-03-19T17:55:30Z")
> [@Anne\_Neville](#): > > \Mr. Neville bitched for a while about all the consumables, but he’s realized this is NOT negotiable- I’m not dealing with a mop and bucket any more. He wants me to use a mop, I’ll give him a mop. You don’t want to know what I’d do with the mop. I can guess. 😃 I’m slightly bothered about consumables for cleaning, too, but sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do. I deal with never-ending hair in my house (me and two cats shedding constantly), so I use paper towels for cleaning; I’ve tried using rags, and they just basically moved the hair around. I’m thinking about trying the Swiffer WetJet, too. We have all laminate floors now, so I just need a spot clean. I thought of another one - I tried Wendy’s Bacon and Bleu burger last weekend. It was okay, but nothing to write home about - kind of a waste of 680 calories! ---
**Author:** ![CTburns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a5b964/32.png) [@CTburns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CTburns)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-advertising-convinced-you-to-buy-or-not-to-buy/532971/24 "2010-03-19T18:09:22Z")
Orange glo! While watching the commercial after a few coctails, I just had to try it. It worked great, but I didn’t realize at the time that my wife had already bought twice the size for half the price at Target! ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-advertising-convinced-you-to-buy-or-not-to-buy/532971/25 "2010-03-19T18:13:18Z")
Clusters is the only product I ever tried based only on their commercials. That squirrel series they had was probably the best series of commercials I ever saw. Geico will never see a dime from me; between the caveman and their other commercials just the sound of one starting is enough to make me hit mute and look away. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-advertising-convinced-you-to-buy-or-not-to-buy/532971/26 "2010-03-19T18:18:02Z")
> [@kopek](#): > > \ > Geico will never see a dime from me; between the caveman and their other commercials just the sound of one starting is enough to make me hit mute and look away. The hair dye commercials with Angela from “The Office” are like that for me - so cringe-worthy! They seem to be aiming for cheeky and funny, but they’re just embarrassing. ---
**Author:** ![Surly\_Chick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@Surly\_Chick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Surly_Chick)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-advertising-convinced-you-to-buy-or-not-to-buy/532971/27 "2010-03-19T18:41:34Z")
The Ped Egg. I love that thing and you’re going to have to pry it from my cold, dead hands. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-advertising-convinced-you-to-buy-or-not-to-buy/532971/28 "2010-03-19T18:42:38Z")
> [@Anne\_Neville](#): > > Swiffer WetJet, here. No more having to deal with heavy buckets of water when the kitchen floor needs mopped, and no more having to lug the damn bucket into the bathroom to dump out the water. Mr. Neville bitched for a while about all the consumables, but he’s realized this is NOT negotiable- I’m not dealing with a mop and bucket any more. He wants me to use a mop, I’ll give him a mop. You don’t want to know what I’d do with the mop. I used to be worried about consumables as well, but then I figured it’s at least getting my place clean and I can change later on. I ended up knitting a Swiffer mop cover, and I refill the reservoir bottle with a home-mixed solution. I toss the mop cover in the wash, along with the microfiber towels that I bought in bulk at Costco and use in place of much of my previous paper towel usage. ---
**Author:** ![Furious\_Marmot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dfb087/32.png) [@Furious\_Marmot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Furious_Marmot)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-advertising-convinced-you-to-buy-or-not-to-buy/532971/29 "2010-03-19T19:04:00Z")
A commercial has never convinced me to buy something that I knew existed but didn’t want. However, new (to me) products have been brought to my attention by commericals, some of which I subsequently bought. The one that comes to mind is the Black and Decker ‘Alligator’ electric lopper. I needed to cut trees but knew that a pruning saw would result in lost fingers and a chainsaw would leave me short a limb or two. Lo and behold, this perfect device appeared on the TV and the next day, I was happily trimming trees. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-advertising-convinced-you-to-buy-or-not-to-buy/532971/30 "2010-03-19T19:52:50Z")
> [@FairyChatMom](#): > > One lesson I learned earlier this week - there was something advertised on TV that caught my eye, so I decided to google their website. First thing that came up was _\_ scam, so I went there and discovered that the first thing they asked for was your credit card number and address - before you got to see what shipping and handling was (turns out it was the same as the $14.95 selling price) and once they got your billing info, you’d ordered the item. Even if you never clicked “Submit Order” you were getting the gadget sent. And they would refund the purchase price, but not the shipping and handling. Hell of a racket. Was it the Emery Cat? I saw a commercial for this thing that your cats scratch and it wears their claws down. I was absolutely determined to buy it, but the next day when I googled, I saw all the complaints from people who got ripped off, so I had to give up. I take note of local commercials that have misspellings in their ads. It’s my pet peeve, so I always vow not to buy anything from those stores, and it makes me feel a little better (though truthfully I probably wouldn’t have gone there anyway). I bought some Head On, but I don’t know what to do with it… 😉 Oh, I also saw a commercial today for the Pledge Pet Hair eraser. I haven’t decided to buy, but I’d like to have a closer look at that. ---
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-advertising-convinced-you-to-buy-or-not-to-buy/532971/31 "2010-03-19T20:04:01Z")
Agreeing with everyone above that it’s more about being made aware of a new product than about product XYZ just being the cat’s meow. I will far more often boycott a product or business because of an ad. Sonic for instance. I hate their ads where we’re looking at two people sitting in their car extolling some menu item. Sad. I really miss vanilla Dr peppers. And there’s a local boat dealership I wouldn’t do business with if the forecast were rain for 40 days and 40 nights. ---
**Author:** ![jlsmith57](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/4bbf92/32.png) [@jlsmith57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jlsmith57)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-advertising-convinced-you-to-buy-or-not-to-buy/532971/32 "2010-03-19T20:22:31Z")
> [@GESancMan](#): > > Another person who usually doesn’t pay attention/isn’t affected by advertising. Especially the “all for $19.95!!!” variety. Who buys this crap? > > I have to admit, though, there’s this little gadget I’ve seen advertised - the name escapes me at the moment, something-snake - that claims to grab hair clogs when you feed it down a drain. That looks handy. But I sure as hell wouldn’t order it from the TV. I wonder if I can find one at Home Depot yet… I got mine at Target. It works pretty well. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-advertising-convinced-you-to-buy-or-not-to-buy/532971/33 "2010-03-19T21:25:00Z")
One of the cable companies here had an ad with a tastefully-clothed Latina dancing as various pop ups and an announcer explained their cable deal. Apparently, they got complaints because the ad was changed to show maybe two seconds of the girl. I vowed then never to do business with them. If you don’t know that sex sells, you must be idiots. I’m with **Furious Marmot**. An ad for a new product may convince me to buy. This past December, I saw ads for eggnog pancakes at IHOP. As a great lover of nog, I resolved to eat them. (I was disappointed. I expected pancakes made with nog in the batter the same way they can be made with buttermilk. Instead, I got a stack of regular pancakes in an eggnog reduction sauce). Many ads in comic books have convinced me to buy various toys. Re the Turbosnake The local Walgreens has a pack of four for ten dollars. They have a whole As Seen On TV section with Ped Eggs, Sleepies, Bendaroos, etc. As I have a long standing and Drano-resistant hair clog in my bathroom sink, I’ve considered getting a Turbosnake. ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-advertising-convinced-you-to-buy-or-not-to-buy/532971/34 "2010-03-19T23:08:28Z")
> [@Anne\_Neville](#): > > If you had a brownie pan of infinite size, they’d all be centers. And you’d have an infinite number of brownies. Mmmmm. You can make a finitely-sized pan of all centers, you just need a really heavy sphere. Figuring out how to get it into the oven is going to be tricky, but if you make it big enough, it’ll produce it’s own heat. ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2010, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-advertising-convinced-you-to-buy-or-not-to-buy/532971/35 "2010-03-22T16:28:57Z")
> [@Anne\_Neville](#): > > Mr. Neville bitched for a while about all the consumables, but he’s realized this is NOT negotiable- I’m not dealing with a mop and bucket any more. He wants me to use a mop, I’ll give him a mop. Wait–_seriously?!_ \*You \*are the one doing the fucking cleaning, and he has the gall to try and tell you what to use to do it, without offering to do it himself the way he wants it done? :rolleyes: > [@kopek](#): > > Clusters is the only product I ever tried based only on their commercials. Whoa, I totally forgot about Clusters! I loved that cereal when I was a kid. > [@Furious\_Marmot](#): > > A commercial has never convinced me to buy something that I knew existed but didn’t want. However, new (to me) products have been brought to my attention by commericals, some of which I subsequently bought. Thank you, you articulated perfectly what I wanted to express. > [@Dung\_Beetle](#): > > I bought some Head On, but I don’t know what to do with it… Oh c’mon, _everyone knows that–we’ve all seen the annoying commercials a billion times. Let’s see, how does it go… Ah yes. HEAD ON–CRAM THAT SHIT IN YOUR MOUTH AND EAT IT!!!_ > [@iamthewalrus\_3](#): > > You can make a finitely-sized pan of all centers, you just need a really heavy sphere. Figuring out how to get it into the oven is going to be tricky, but if you make it big enough, it’ll produce it’s own heat. … I think I’m in love. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2010, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-advertising-convinced-you-to-buy-or-not-to-buy/532971/36 "2010-03-22T16:56:26Z")
I really wanted a **TurboSnake** too, but I did a little internet research and found out that people didn’t like them so much, and there were better, cheaper, disposable devices to be found at Home Depot. Unfortunately I don’t think they list the thing on their Web site, and I haven’t been in to peruse the aisles for it. I think the thing at Home Depot is just a flexible plastic thing - not unlike a zip tie - with some hooks on it. IIRC the TurboSnake complainers didn’t like the flimsy velcro-like hooks, and also thought the snake was too flimsy to grab a bunch of stuff at once. When I was a kid I really wanted [OJ’s cereal](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2lNW3hFl4Q). Orange juice flavored cereal!!! I was soooo disappointed. It tasted like crap. ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2010, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-advertising-convinced-you-to-buy-or-not-to-buy/532971/37 "2010-03-22T16:59:13Z")
> [@Dung\_Beetle](#): > > I bought some Head On, but I don’t know what to do with it… 😉 :smack::smack::smack: The [Audi Superbowl ads](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wq58zS4_jvM) made me very glad that I don’t own a German car. ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2010, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-advertising-convinced-you-to-buy-or-not-to-buy/532971/38 "2010-03-22T17:51:15Z")
> [@Shot\_From\_Guns](#): > > Wait–_seriously?!_ \*You \*are the one doing the fucking cleaning, and he has the gall to try and tell you what to use to do it, without offering to do it himself the way he wants it done? :rolleyes: This is why, if I’m going to clean, it’s generally when he’s otherwise occupied. Yes, that drives me crazy. It’s made even worse by the fact that I get really nervous when someone watches me do something. ETA: I think he wonders why I get snappish when I have to do housecleaning, too… Or else the housecleaner does it, when neither of us is home. ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2010, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-advertising-convinced-you-to-buy-or-not-to-buy/532971/39 "2010-03-22T18:35:00Z")
> [@Anne\_Neville](#): > > This is why, if I’m going to clean, it’s generally when he’s otherwise occupied. Yes, that drives me crazy. It’s made even worse by the fact that I get really nervous when someone watches me do something. I’d have hit “if you don’t like the way I do it, you can do it yourself” and “if you have time to stand there and watch me, you have time to help” territory years ago, personally. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Henrichek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/5daacb/32.png) [@Henrichek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Henrichek)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2010, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-advertising-convinced-you-to-buy-or-not-to-buy/532971/40 "2010-03-22T19:05:54Z")
In general I try to avoid buying heavily advertised products, unless there is no comparable alternative in the product class. Annoying me is not a good way to make me buy something. I hate ads. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-advertising-convinced-you-to-buy-or-not-to-buy/532971.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-advertising-convinced-you-to-buy-or-not-to-buy/532971.md?page=3)