View Full Version : Advertising makes stupid people do stupid things.
Ercoledi
06-12-2008, 7:23 AM
Me, mostly.
There was a series of advertisements in Australia a few years ago from a major bank which talked about 'flat rates' or such nonsense. It showed various people using various methods to flatten a plastic polymer $5 note. A rolling pin featured, as did a car and, unfortunately, so did an iron.
I was throwing around my massive stacks of money today when I realised I had $50 over a very nice number. For Australians, that's a very pretty, plastic polymer yellow note. Dimensions: 15.1 x 6.5 cm.
Oh what would I do with this extraneous $50 note?, I asked myself. Suddenly, the crisp scent of freshly ironed linen filled my room and like a lightbulb going off in my head with the intensity of a solar flare, I raced off into mum's room. I put my $50 note on the ironing board and ran the still hot iron over it.
For those that don't know, plastic melts. Fuck, I'm a retard.
http://img503.imageshack.us/img503/3347/image034jm2.jpg
tl;dr: I ironed a plastic note because an advertisement told me to.
Anybody done anything else stupid because of an advertisement?
allizdog
06-12-2008, 7:30 AM
Yea, I bought the product.
Anyone old enough to remember the panda - kitkat commercial?
Long story short, I ate kitkat at the zoo, for pandas. Needless to say I was crushed to find out that pandas cannot wear rollerblades.
It's not advertising's fault that you're a complete fucking retard.
The stupidest thing advertising ever made me do was eat a $2 chicken fried steak from KFC. :barf:
It's not advertising's fault that you're a complete fucking retard.
Also this.
allizdog
06-12-2008, 8:01 AM
The stupidest thing advertising ever made me do was eat a $2 chicken fried steak from KFC. :barf:
The best thing advertisement did was make me avoid the fish fillet zinger from KFC. So much for Kentucky Fried Chicken.
Also, an advertisement for their new sandwhich "wrap star" was so fucking corny and stupid that I vowed never to touch it. Nonetheless my gluttony and fat arse both contributed to me eating that crappy "wrap star" sandwhich; racist reference is racist.
GirlsChoize
06-12-2008, 8:04 AM
Advertising makes people buy stuff.
That's stupid enough.
RandomAbuse
06-12-2008, 8:25 AM
yeah apparently lynx deodorant doesnt make women leap on you in a sexually charged frenzy... now thats false advertising for you
lollercaust
06-12-2008, 8:26 AM
That Vitamin-esque water commercial shows a guy who drinks it has his whole world protected by bubble wrap and jumps off a building. I tried it while drinking it, but the bubble wrap never appeared. :(
I bought this really shitty expensive MP3-like thing. It broke within a month and I never got my money back...
OoooF4LiFe
06-12-2008, 8:57 AM
You should have seen it coming. You get what you pay for. If you can't understand what it is that your getting, then you have no right to be disappointed when it's not what you thought.
Which in your case, was a shitty expensive mp3 player.
Anouk
06-12-2008, 11:48 AM
Of course I can't complain if I'm just stupid enough to buy something crappy, but the thing is: one of my friends bought the exact same MP3-player and he's been using the damn thing for over a year now.
I've rented a couple really shitty games because I thought the ad was good. Only 7 bucks a game, but still completely not worth it. I'm just glad I always rent before I buy.
k8rose
06-12-2008, 3:02 PM
Watching certain movies?
They make them look so good in the commercial and then they're HORRIBLE in the theater.
...And then there goes your 10 bucks.
natalie137
06-12-2008, 3:44 PM
I agree with the films one. Companies seem to put the best parts of the film in the trailer so that people think "ooh, I think I'd like to see this" then when they watch it they realise they've already seen the best bits. The trailer for The Simpsons Movie did this
k8rose
06-12-2008, 4:05 PM
Yeah, there's not many good movies nowadays. They're either reused ideas or based off a book / another movie.
But then dramatizing the movie in the ad makes the movie millions of dollars when it doesn't deserve it.
ToastmasterAlpha
06-12-2008, 4:50 PM
Quest Doritos. They fail so hard at being mysterious I just had to buy them.
yeah apparently lynx deodorant doesnt make women leap on you in a sexually charged frenzy... now thats false advertising for you
:smile: I remember in Middle School how the locker rooms were just gassed with Axe spray because of our gullibility.
k8rose
06-12-2008, 7:19 PM
:smile: I remember in Middle School how the locker rooms were just gassed with Axe spray because of our gullibility.
Ughh Axe is horrble. All the guys go around spraying it everywhere thinking it makes them smell sexy but it doesn't.
Just go take a freaking shower.
Polly Pockets, not one of them ever danced or sang for me.
For those that don't know, plastic melts. Fuck, I'm a retard-Ercoledi
Amen
Inseln
06-13-2008, 12:01 AM
Movies would have to be my major offender. And do any aussies remember that add where the chick had the galah that repeated what she said and she picked up the phone and it was her mother so she just kept repeating "I know..." and the galah picked up on it and she set the phone down near the galah and the galah kept repating "I know..." over and over.
I want one of those birds.
ShockWave
06-13-2008, 3:56 AM
I definitely agree with the movie trailers bit. Especially The Simpsons Movie as natalie said -- it was quite disappointing.
I pretty much don't watch movies without reading a review, or checking Rotten Tomatoes.
School for Scoundrels had a really funny trailer. It turns out that those were the only four funny moments in the entire film.
PyroOwned
06-13-2008, 4:49 AM
School for Scoundrels had a really funny trailer. It turns out that those were the only four funny moments in the entire film.
I agree with this, that film was pure shit apart from a few funny moments.
Kenneh
06-13-2008, 4:58 AM
Fuck, I'm a retard.
You've just summarized yourself entirely into 4 words.
Ercoledi
06-13-2008, 11:04 AM
Oh, you indomitable wit, you. :hmm:
In a way, I can't be fooled by advertising now, because I don't have the money with which to buy anything. Who wins, bitches?
Me.
ps, Australians, watch the Gruen Transfer (9pm, ABC). It pertains to the topic, and it's got Wil Anderson in it.
Kaination
06-13-2008, 2:20 PM
I eat a bowl of recess puff cereal every morning.
I still don't feel like I'm tripping on acid :(
Tempest
06-13-2008, 2:25 PM
I got my mom to buy this set of things that were exactly like legos, except military themed and the people models had joints and shit. I don't remember how much it was, but it was quite a bit more than regular legos, which is exactly what they were. At least it came with an awesome jeep that shot a foam rocket. Also, we ordered this off QVC. :fmita:
k8rose
06-13-2008, 5:33 PM
I eat a bowl of recess puff cereal every morning.
I still don't feel like I'm tripping on acid :(
That's probably because you call it "recess" puff...
Kaination
06-13-2008, 7:49 PM
That's probably because you call it "recess" puff...
Damn... I knew there was something fishy about that guy selling me them at the flea market.
Another one I'd say is Honey Nut Cheerios.
After seeing one commercial, I went out to my neighbor's yard and stuck my head in a hive. Needless to say, I most certainly did not discover a lost mummy about to take over the world. Just a couple really, really pissed off bee's.
My face still hasn't recovered.
Squash
06-13-2008, 8:09 PM
Television is God. It knows all. Haha but really my favorite advertisement was a woman comes home from grocery shopping and she smells this horrid smell. She notices the TV is on and then proceeds to the kitchen. She puts the bags down and wanders to the bathroom. Lo and behold her husband is on the toilet with the door open watching a baseball game.
k8rose
06-13-2008, 10:20 PM
Damn... I knew there was something fishy about that guy selling me them at the flea market.
Another one I'd say is Honey Nut Cheerios.
After seeing one commercial, I went out to my neighbor's yard and stuck my head in a hive. Needless to say, I most certainly did not discover a lost mummy about to take over the world. Just a couple really, really pissed off bee's.
My face still hasn't recovered.
...
Haha please tell me that's a joke. If not, then you, my friend, are a complete and utter retard. :P
mrlego9
06-13-2008, 10:47 PM
...
Haha please tell me that's a joke. If not, then you, my friend, are a complete and utter retard. :P
Haha please tell me thats a joke, because no one is stupid enough to believe that.
The stupid thing ive done was sign up for something because it look like a good concept, but then realized they have shit service, it was a free trial though, so all i lost was time.
morale: Gametap sucks
Silverpaperplate
06-14-2008, 9:21 AM
I definitely agree with the movie trailers bit. Especially The Simpsons Movie as natalie said -- it was quite disappointing.
I pretty much don't watch movies without reading a review, or checking Rotten Tomatoes.
Yeah, that's the idea. Let's listen to someone else's advice and follow that instead of just taking the risk and judge on our own!
Really, if you only listen to reviews, you'll risk missing a lot. Of course, if you've got exactly the same view as the reviewer there's no harm in this.
I read Eragon after checking out a lot of reviews on the internet. I was greatly disappointed.
opn4bzns
06-14-2008, 9:42 AM
Me, mostly.
There was a series of advertisements in Australia a few years ago from a major bank which talked about 'flat rates' or such nonsense. It showed various people using various methods to flatten a plastic polymer $5 note. A rolling pin featured, as did a car and, unfortunately, so did an iron.
Hey there, fellow idiot.
http://img66.imageshack.us/img66/62/dsc01706zf3.jpg
It didn't work out so well here either. I use it as a bookmark now.
Tyler_Legrand
06-14-2008, 9:58 AM
Wouldn't stupid people do stupid things regardless of advertising?
Ercoledi
06-14-2008, 10:09 AM
The idea is that advertising is a catalyst for stupidity.
And wow, opn4bzns, I smell a class action suit.
cokeashmola
06-14-2008, 10:37 AM
Question...
What if you accidentally put your wallet through the dryer? American dollars are designed to just crumple up and look shitty, but they had it in mind to understand that we're all a bunch of blokes. Will yours just melt then?
Ercoledi
06-14-2008, 10:47 AM
An interesting question. While, apparently, the clothes iron goes to about 170C, the dryer can easily exceed that. The question of direct heat versus indirect heat then comes up.
I don't know about other people in Australia, but in WA we rarely use clothes dryers, seeing that for, like, four months of the year, it's above 40C. Plenty of time for line-drying.
opn4bzns
06-14-2008, 11:07 AM
Question...
What if you accidentally put your wallet through the dryer? American dollars are designed to just crumple up and look shitty, but they had it in mind to understand that we're all a bunch of blokes. Will yours just melt then?
It's very rarely a concern since clothes lines are a lot more common here than dryers, but I leave money in my jeans every now and then, and it's never melted or anything, so I guess the heat is dissipated by the fabric or something.
cokeashmola
06-14-2008, 11:09 AM
An interesting question. While, apparently, the clothes iron goes to about 170C, the dryer can easily exceed that. The question of direct heat versus indirect heat then comes up.
I don't know about other people in Australia, but in WA we rarely use clothes dryers, seeing that for, like, four months of the year, it's above 40C. Plenty of time for line-drying.
Ha, I don't think I have ever seen anyone line dry here. That's like a foreign thing to Michigan :O
Inseln
06-15-2008, 4:17 AM
I don't know about other people in Australia, but in WA we rarely use clothes dryers, seeing that for, like, four months of the year, it's above 40C. Plenty of time for line-drying.
Yeah, except for when it rains or if it's below 20C. but I do live in Sydney so our weather isn't as hot as yours...
Trade?
MistyTehMoose
06-15-2008, 5:58 AM
It's very rarely a concern since clothes lines are a lot more common here than dryers, but I leave money in my jeans every now and then, and it's never melted or anything, so I guess the heat is dissipated by the fabric or something.
I use a dryer but I live in an apartment block. I would line dry because dryers chew up electricity...
Anchorwoman
06-15-2008, 2:56 PM
I have had the good ol plastic money go through the dryer many times, and it has always been fine. I think the plastic they chose was supposed to be completely wash proof including drying. But I can't remember properly when the plastic money was introduced. I just remember thinking how pretty it looked compared to the old stuff.
InTransit
06-15-2008, 9:13 PM
Yeah, except for when it rains or if it's below 20C. but I do live in Sydney so our weather isn't as hot as yours...
Trade?
If it rains, it rains for half a day then it'll be dry for a couple of days. And even when it's cold (like one day a year) it's still sunny enough during the day to get your clothes dry.
Stupidest thing I've done from advertising was sign up to one of those "we'll give you 3 cds for free if you buy one cd a month from us" things. I was really young, and didn't realise the rest of the cd's would be so overly priced that it would be cheaper to buy them from a store (the days before mp3's hahaha).
BreakTheWalls
06-17-2008, 1:30 PM
Have you ever seen those late night singles ads where it's like TEXT HORNY to 8-All-your-money-up lolz. I fell into the honey trap and wasted nearly £80 of texts, the latter half being stopping all the fake bimbos texting me their fake pics and their fake texts.
Why spend all that money when it could be spent getting real women drunk?
Koots Klone
06-17-2008, 1:49 PM
In a way, I can't be fooled by advertising now, because I don't have the money with which to buy anything. Who wins, bitches?
Of course you don't have any money, you melted it. Maybe if you turned the setting down verey low it could have worked. Anyways, as soon as you have money you will probably just waste it on some other foolish thing. You could at least have been smarter (like opn4bzns) and used a much smaller bill.
I'm a sucker for "bargain" deals. Buying movies that come with that extra disc or movie, games that come with the shirt and case. I feel compelled to purchase, although I tell myself "Stop, you're buying it for the goodies." and alas, I still end up buying Crackdown. Damn that incentive reeled me in.
Prankenberry
06-19-2008, 12:12 AM
I went to see Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skulls.
Worst case of falling for advertisements yet.
KeyboardSpastic
06-19-2008, 3:21 AM
The worst advertising for me was, again, a movie. Two words,really:
Epic Movie.
Pelican Man
06-19-2008, 6:02 AM
Question...
What if you accidentally put your wallet through the dryer? American dollars are designed to just crumple up and look shitty, but they had it in mind to understand that we're all a bunch of blokes. Will yours just melt then?
In the wallet, from my experiences, they stay. But a note in a pants pocket, unprotected? Doesn't bode well.
The worst advertising for me was, again, a movie. Two words,really:
Epic Movie.
You actually thought something with "Movie" in the title wouldn't be complete shit? That's not advertising's fault, that's you being an idiot.
Scrotemeal
06-19-2008, 6:06 AM
In the wallet, from my experiences, they stay. But a note in a pants pocket, unprotected? Doesn't bode well.
I always leave money in my clothes and its always fine.
Pelican Man
06-19-2008, 6:12 AM
I always leave money in my clothes and its always fine.
Yes but you're Amish.
All I know is, I'd leave money in my pockets when I was little, and mum would hand me back the semi-disintegrated note.
Pieman
06-19-2008, 6:17 AM
http://img502.imageshack.us/img502/2750/99968369ya5.png
Apparently, they want me to go to this "Explosm" place. Anyone know if its legit.
Also, Habbo?
Scrotemeal
06-19-2008, 6:23 AM
Yes but you're Amish.
All I know is, I'd leave money in my pockets when I was little, and mum would hand me back the semi-disintegrated note.
So I have super clothes? :)
Yes but you're a Pelican so you don't have clothes.
Anyway, advertising. I went to see Stardust because it looked mildly awesome. Total waste of $15.
Laurence
06-20-2008, 8:11 AM
I would seriously consider buying All Bran because of the ad. Well, not really, the actual cereal looks foul, but the ad... frankly, it's a glimmer of brilliance as far as advertising goes.
Tall Jan (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1XxwgMRPiQ)
I'm fairly sure it's just an Australian advertisement, which is a shame. I think Australia has a history of some good ones. The only one that springs to mind is:
This one (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2akt3P8ltLM), which is classic.
Oh, oh, I have one - I went to see all 5 Harry Potter movies because I liked the books and the trailers all looked decent. JK Rowling's billion dollar fortune: 5, Laurence: 0. And yet I'll see the next two as well out of sheer hope.
EDIT: Gah, I'm desperately trying to find one from a few years ago for the Yellow Pages. It had a fat guy sitting in a chair in a wifebeater, looking really sleazy, saying something along the lines of, "Here at David Devine's School of Ballet, we teach grace and poise..." Damnit, I loved that ad.
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