Lying, cheating, TV ad scamming bastards!

I want to start this rant by saying I think most people in the direct marketing business are honest people. Most ads in most media adhere to most of the ethical principles of the Direct Marketing Association. And in working with more than 200 clients in a variety of industries, and getting calls from thousands of potential clients, I’ve run into only a handful of cheats.

That said, I’m angered that so many of the direct response TV ads I see are dishonest. I used to be a television commercial producer in a former life and this medium is near and dear to my heart. There are certainly scams in just about every medium, but as a TV and movie fan, I can’t seem to escape the ones I see on the tube.

What sort of scams are we talking about? Here are a few of the most popular: Read more

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February 1, 2008 | Filed in Television Ads
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The Ginsu knife school of irresistible offers

Do you remember those Ginsu knife commercials from the 1970s? They were brilliant. Watch the video below to refresh your memory. This is the original TV commercial.

Yeah, people have made fun of them over the years. But there’s a lot of great technique to be learned here no matter what medium you work in, especially in the way the offer is presented. It sells you on the idea of the knife then adds bonus after bonus until you can’t help but want to order. Today’s television ads may be a little slicker, but most direct marketers still use essentially the same formula.

I’m in the process of collecting videos related to direct marketing and advertising. So if you find one, let me know. What I have so far is mostly just fun stuff.

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October 23, 2007 | Filed in Television Ads
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