We live in a consumer and capitalist driven world. Everywhere you look someone is trying to sell you their product. They need your business to profit. How do they try to get your money? By waving their product or service in front of your face anywhere they possibly can. They target you on the TV, internet, in stores, with posters, bus ads, newspapers, and social media. Essentially, anywhere you look someone is trying to market a product to you. Marketing firms, executives, companies, and individual workers are paid insane amounts of money just to deliver their product’s message right to your unsuspecting eyes. They use manipulation tactics to try to persuade you to purchase their product or service. This manipulation is sometimes blatant, while sometimes it’s subliminal with images, sounds, colors, etc.
Sometimes the persuasion works, sometimes it doesn’t. But one thing is for sure, the products you see advertised on a mass scale every day don’t always live up to their presented image.
Here are what 15 ads and what they would say if they were being completely, brutally honest about their product. (Blended in with a little satire, of course.)
1. MCDONALDS
And right after that?
2. Christian Mingle
“Can you not possibly stand abstinence any longer? Neither can we!”
And 3. Christian Mingle one more time because I couldn't resist.
“Local Girl Needs Some Jesus!”
4. TRESemmé
“Some professionals somewhere use this! We’re not sure which field they’re in, but we’re sure someone out there uses this and also happens to be a professional. Also, this is a wig.”
5. Bobbi Brown
"We photo shopped the shit out of this."
6. Trojan
“Get closer to your partner than ever when this barely-there-condom most certainly breaks!”
7. COMCAST
“Need to contact us? You better seize the workday because that is exactly how long it will take you to get through a phone call with us!”
8. DUREX
“Does your partner still not know how to go down on you? Try this and when that doesn’t work, maybe Google it.”
9. STARBUCKS
“Drink Starbucks and you’ll be wired…while you sit on the toilet for the rest of the night.”
10. TINDER
“Discover how shallow you truly are!”
11. BOTOX
“Have you tried to hold onto your youth so hard that it gave you MORE wrinkles? Try shoving needles in your face!”
12. BUDWEISER
“There you go buddy, just keep looking at the pretty girls and slowly hand us your money…almost there…GOT IT. Now drink this mediocre beer!”
13. TACO BELL
“We weren’t sure if we could possibly make our food any worse for your health. Then, we thought of this!”
14. DUNKIN DONUTS
“This tastes like reheated card board!"
15. And finally, this gem which gives us a reality check that honest marketing isn't always necessarily the most effective.
You might be wondering what ads you can trust? The answer? Almost none! When it comes to trusting food and beauty products, read labels. Other than that my fellow consumer-driver friends, use your head!
Happy shopping!
