# What's with all of the "One weird old tip/trick/method" spam online today? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 7, 2011, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-all-of-the-one-weird-old-tip-trick-method-spam-online-today/573723 "2011-03-07T01:24:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![wbeaty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/439d5e/32.png) [@wbeaty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wbeaty)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2011, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-all-of-the-one-weird-old-tip-trick-method-spam-online-today/573723/21 "2011-03-11T02:02:18Z")
> [@Romeo\_and\_Whatsherface](#): > > Some of my high school students told me they checked out an ad that said something like “Town X Mom discovers one weird, old trick for whitening teeth.” We live in Town X, and they recognized the woman’s photo. I suspect that you’re watching evolution in action. Literally. If you’re a spammer who can instantly field thousands of ads (or millions,) then set up an automated system that starts adding semi-random features. Dump the stats and see which ones attract more clicks. You accidentally discover the phrase “A mom discovered?” Or a particular meaningless animation? Particular fonts, strange font sizes and positioning of white space? Send out thousands, see which makes the grade. What if hair coloring and bad breath and antiperspirant doesn’t work, but TEETH WHITENING mysteriously attracts gigantic traffic? Bingo! That one bubbles to the top. The next generation “Progeny” ads will combine the features of successful randomly mutated ads. Also, detect if some combinations are synergistic rather than just additive. Jumping dinosaur doesn’t work with “A Mom Discovered,” etc. Taken to the limit, rapid meme evolution might produce advertising so powerful that it usurps your own internal algorithms and forces you to click the ad against your will! Then your only defense is in having grown up in some niche society having different mental algorithms and being too small to attract attention by the mind-control advertising evolution software. If certain ads just look stupid, it might mean that you’re mentally abnormal, and the average of the mass of humanity would be sent drooling and clicking by that same stupid ad. ---
**Author:** ![wbeaty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/439d5e/32.png) [@wbeaty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wbeaty)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2011, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-all-of-the-one-weird-old-tip-trick-method-spam-online-today/573723/22 "2011-03-11T02:08:15Z")
Post each ad on ~10K websites. Collect stats. Discovered by a mom Trick discovered by a mom Weird discovered by a mom Weird trick discovered by a mom Old discovered by a mom Old trick discovered by a mom Old weird discovered by a mom Old weird trick discovered by a mom Discovered by a single mom Trick discovered by a single mom Weird discovered by a single mom Weird trick discovered by a single mom Old discovered by a single mom Old trick discovered by a single mom Old weird discovered by a single mom Old weird trick discovered by a single mom Make your own electricity at home! ---
**Author:** ![computer\_rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/87869e/32.png) [@computer\_rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/computer_rick)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2011, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-all-of-the-one-weird-old-tip-trick-method-spam-online-today/573723/23 "2011-03-11T02:29:44Z")
I am waiting for the single Amish Mother’s secret to whiter teeth. That one, I will respond to… ---
**Author:** ![Romeo\_and\_Whatsherface](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@Romeo\_and\_Whatsherface](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Romeo_and_Whatsherface)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2011, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-all-of-the-one-weird-old-tip-trick-method-spam-online-today/573723/24 "2011-03-11T02:49:03Z")
> [@bleibtreu](#): > > Sure, you’ll always live in or at least close to “Town X” because your IP address is being looked up. I live in Brooklyn but my Verizon DSL IP is listed as being in Queens. So for me those ads always place me in either Whitestone or Jamaica. > > The photos, of course, have little or no connection to the products. I saw one a couple of weeks ago where I recognized the woman in the photo of a “skin care secret” ad. That same shot had been in the news just days before… she was a murder victim. That’s just creepy. _Shudder_ My students claim–and we’re talking teen-agers here, so who knows–that some of them talked to the woman, who is supposedly the mom of some student I haven’t had in class, and that she really used these teeth products. My thought was that IF true, the woman was maybe getting paid for letting them use her photo. But if they’re using photos of dead people, maybe that’s not true. Yeah, I knew it was no coincidence that our town was named. That part was obvious. My theory on the “old” part–as well, actually, as the “weird” and the “trick” parts is that those words are geared to making people think these _can’t_ be ads to buy products. They’re trying to scam you into thinking that if you use pickle juice or something you probably have around your house, you can get white teeth or lose your belly fat or whatever. So the suckers click to find the “trick.” ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2011, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-all-of-the-one-weird-old-tip-trick-method-spam-online-today/573723/25 "2011-03-11T02:56:56Z")
> [@GilaB](#): > > Yes - why a single mom? Dermatologists and dentists hate them, because they’ve discovered the weird old trick. I hate them too. ---
**Author:** ![brujaja](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4af34b/32.png) [@brujaja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brujaja)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2011, 9:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-all-of-the-one-weird-old-tip-trick-method-spam-online-today/573723/26 "2011-03-11T09:27:29Z")
This is awesome! Between my thread, referenced above, _(“Get rid of annoying banner ads using this one weird old trick!!”)_ and this thread, I believe we may have **already embarrassed them** into changing a lot of those ads! I am definitely seeing fewer of them. Oh, wait. Advertisers **can’t be** embarrassed. Dang. ---
**Author:** ![Executive\_Koala](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/58956e/32.png) [@Executive\_Koala](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Executive_Koala)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2011, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-all-of-the-one-weird-old-tip-trick-method-spam-online-today/573723/27 "2011-03-11T20:54:51Z")
Hi guys, There’s been some good responses to this question but no one seems to have a complete grip on the phenomenon. This is a subject I know a lot about as I work in online marketing but don’t get involved with these kind of ads because, as I shall explain, they are basically an organised criminal enterprise. The reason for the use of the same copy everywhere is quite simply because it works. Banner ads are usually sold on a pricing method called Cost Per Mille or CPM for short. This means that I pay you say $3 for a thousand impressions of my ad on your site. An impression is just the image loading one time. As such all the risk in this relationship is on me, I need to make damn sure that people click on that ad! On Google you pay for the click itself, so if the ad isn’t compelling and people don’t click then at least I haven’t lost any money (but I also haven’t got any clicks either). Why does this kind of copy work? It appeals to a very broad range of people using various psychological triggers: 1. Everyman - if a single mom did it surely I can too 2. Local - Wow, this mom lived near me? 3. Intrigue - What is this weird old trick? 4. Anti elitism/intellectualism - Damn dentists trying to keep this secret! Generally speaking you’ll find that if you click on the ad it will take you to what looks like a blog about someone’s experiences. Alternatively it may lead to what seems to be a news article. In both cases the blog and the article are fake (and are known in the trade as a flog and farticle respectively). The blog will expand on the triggers that I listed above in the ad. As alluded to above these techniques are used to ‘sell’ a variety of products: 1. Weight loss/muscle gain stuff - acai berries, cho yung tea, whatever 2. Get rich quick schemes 3. Teeth whitening 4. Penis enlargement And so on. Basically anything that is a big sore point emotionally for people is a good target for these kind of ads. Generally speaking the products will not work as advised and in many cases will be outright useless. Acai berries for instance are a reasonable source of anti oxidants but they will not get you RIPPED IN 10 DAYS as the landing pages will lie to you about. Nor are there pills that will make your dig bigger (other than viagra). But it gets worse… The reason that these ads are SO prolific nowadays and you do see them everywhere now, not just on shady torrent sites and the like, is that the return they make for the people who place them is huge, as such they can afford to pay a LOT for their traffic and this means even respectable sites like the Straight Dope end up carrying them. Generally speaking the ads are run by ‘affiliates’. These are third parties who advertise for the supplier in return for a commission on successful ‘sales’. This is a business model that can be used legitimately despite what you may think and is done so by most online traders but it can also be associated with shady stuff like this. If you click on one of these ads the landing page will try and get you to sign up for a ‘free’ trial, you just pay for P&P. Hidden in the small print is that they will actually bill you every month for X dollars. Also, in many cases you’ll find it next to impossible to cancel and you may simply get money randomly taken from your credit card at their chosing. A lot of the companies running this are incorporated in dodgy areas where not much can be done to them. So they get to sell you a very cheap product, for a very very expensive price without you realising until it’s too late in many cases. So to summarise: - The same copy is used frequently because it works well in generating clicks to the landing pages - The product can vary widely but the basic business model is the same and it’s a rip off - Don’t click these ads! Don’t sign up for the free trial! - Your dick’s fine just the way it is champ. ---
**Author:** ![brujaja](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4af34b/32.png) [@brujaja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brujaja)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2011, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-all-of-the-one-weird-old-tip-trick-method-spam-online-today/573723/28 "2011-03-11T21:16:01Z")
> [@Executive\_Koala](#): > > - Your dick’s fine just the way it is champ. Word. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2011, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-all-of-the-one-weird-old-tip-trick-method-spam-online-today/573723/29 "2011-03-11T22:03:41Z")
> [@Executive\_Koala](#): > > Your dick’s fine just the way it is champ. Has that single mom living in my town been talking to you? ---
**Author:** ![AaronX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7bcc69/32.png) [@AaronX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AaronX)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2011, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-all-of-the-one-weird-old-tip-trick-method-spam-online-today/573723/30 "2011-03-12T12:27:27Z")
Thanks Koala, that was a great explanation! ---
**Author:** ![slaphead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9bcb4/32.png) [@slaphead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slaphead)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2011, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-all-of-the-one-weird-old-tip-trick-method-spam-online-today/573723/31 "2011-03-16T13:14:26Z")
> [@Executive\_Koala](#): > > known in the trade as a flog and farticle respectively Highlight of this thread, in my opinion. Thank you! ---
**Author:** ![JBDivmstr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b4bc9f/32.png) [@JBDivmstr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JBDivmstr)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2011, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-all-of-the-one-weird-old-tip-trick-method-spam-online-today/573723/32 "2011-03-16T23:18:14Z")
> [@computer\_rick](#): > > I am waiting for the single Amish Mother’s secret to whiter teeth. > > That one, I will respond to… \*\*Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha! 😃 \*\* ---
**Author:** ![Ddrakenstien](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Ddrakenstien](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ddrakenstien)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2011, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-all-of-the-one-weird-old-tip-trick-method-spam-online-today/573723/33 "2011-08-27T19:26:34Z")
It’s one old trick to get all the sheep to log on to their scam site. I’ve got a bridge to sell, hold on, its right here behind my snake oil. ---
**Author:** ![Breathless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e99b99/32.png) [@Breathless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Breathless)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2011, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-all-of-the-one-weird-old-tip-trick-method-spam-online-today/573723/34 "2011-09-10T23:08:34Z")
I registered just to say that those FREAKING ADS ARE ON THE BOTTOM OF THIS VERY PAGE!!! :smack: ---
**Author:** ![AaronX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7bcc69/32.png) [@AaronX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AaronX)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2011, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-all-of-the-one-weird-old-tip-trick-method-spam-online-today/573723/35 "2011-10-12T11:58:42Z")
Hi. It seems the trend now is to ask REALLY STUPID questions: is this nicki minaj? [http://phoenix-pk.org/forums/showthread.php?934-Is-this-Nicki-Minaj](http://phoenix-pk.org/forums/showthread.php?934-Is-this-Nicki-Minaj) There’s another one asking if a picture is photoshopped, but I can’t find it right now. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2011, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-all-of-the-one-weird-old-tip-trick-method-spam-online-today/573723/36 "2011-10-12T15:08:06Z")
> [@dhkendall](#): > > Probably the spammers wised up and realized that no guy would ever buy penis reduction stuff (spam or not). That was not understanding the male psyche well. > > I mean, plenty of women have went into the doctor’s to have their breasts reduced. But I will bet huge sums of money that there has never been a conversation in a plastic surgeon’s office that began with the words "Yeah, my weiner’s too big … " Paging PtM … I remember the infamous [bagel dog penis thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=273825&highlight=bagel+penis) … the patient did actually want a penis reduction :eek:😃 ---
**Author:** ![paperbackwriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/53a042/32.png) [@paperbackwriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/paperbackwriter)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2011, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-all-of-the-one-weird-old-tip-trick-method-spam-online-today/573723/37 "2011-10-12T15:31:16Z")
To be nitpicky, **QtM** ’s patient didn’t so much want a reduction as a revision of a previously-horribly-botched enlargement. Given what he went through to try enlarging said member, I’m sure if the girth could have been maintained without the complications described, he would have been happy. ---
**Author:** ![Glenn\_Peters](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7bcc69/32.png) [@Glenn\_Peters](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Glenn_Peters)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2012, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-all-of-the-one-weird-old-tip-trick-method-spam-online-today/573723/38 "2012-02-04T05:42:17Z")
[quote=“Cubsfan, post:1, topic:573723”] You name it and there certainly a “single old tip that is so weird and easy” to do it. I’ve seen it all: Grow your dick. Lose weight. Get rich. Clear acne. Get pussy. All of these ads have some mention of “crazy old secret makes this so easy”. They are literally EVERYWHERE online. # Where did this originate and what is the scam? What type of “old trick” do they deliver? They’re using ‘weird’ to connote something mysterious, unusual, perhaps obvious and “gee whiz you’ll be surprised!” It’s meant to get you curious, so you’ll click on the link to satisfy your falsely aroused curiosity. GP ---
**Author:** ![PlainJain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5daacb/32.png) [@PlainJain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlainJain)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2012, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-all-of-the-one-weird-old-tip-trick-method-spam-online-today/573723/39 "2012-02-04T05:55:27Z")
I saw this and though, “Hey, we’ve already done this”. Yep, a resurrected thread. [sup]Note no ‘zombie’ jokes.[/sup] 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2012, 10:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-all-of-the-one-weird-old-tip-trick-method-spam-online-today/573723/40 "2012-02-04T10:38:12Z")
> [@Cubsfan](#): > > They’re using ‘weird’ to connote something mysterious, unusual, perhaps obvious and “gee whiz you’ll be surprised!” It’s meant to get you curious, so you’ll click on the link to satisfy your falsely aroused curiosity. > GP The common thread of all the spam scams is the promissory exploitation of your most hopelessly impossible fantasies, from having infinite dick and money and good looks, all the way to using all the above to get infinite pussy… and promising furthermore how eeeeeeezy it will all be. Just kindly enter your First Name: \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ Last Name: \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ Social Security number: \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ Date of Birth (hey, our product isn’t for kids y’know): \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ Credit Card: **-** - **-** Exp date: \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ Mothers maiden name: \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ ETA: Oh, and your mailing address, as if we’re actually going to send you something: * * * * * * * * * [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-all-of-the-one-weird-old-tip-trick-method-spam-online-today/573723.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-all-of-the-one-weird-old-tip-trick-method-spam-online-today/573723.md?page=3)