Dumb Marketing Moves: Tell me about Zoos

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Splicer: Oct 16, 2006; from hell's heart I cast at thee
🧙🐀🧹🌙🪄🐸

Azathoth Prime posted:

It is a well deserved title. Every time I've driven through there, regardless of time of year, I've been able to smell the garlic in the air.

I wonder if you grow up there if the rest of the world smells weird

# ? Aug 12, 2019 07:42

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# ? May 17, 2024 20:12

Dylan16807: May 12, 2010

Also while some products are applicable to helping people with disabilities, some really aren't. That person mowing over their garden hose or putting three quarts of spaghetti into a two quart tupperware isn't doing it because it's hard to bend that way or move smoothly enough.

# ? Aug 12, 2019 08:12

The MSJ: May 17, 2010

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZchLr3JT5aE

# ? Aug 12, 2019 08:48

Platystemon: Feb 13, 2012; BREADS

The MSJ posted:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZchLr3JT5aE

I want to try this but I don�t live in Malaysia.

# ? Aug 12, 2019 08:54

Tired Moritz: Mar 25, 2012; wish Lowtax would get tired of YOUR POSTS

_{_{(n o i c e)}}

Wow, worst time for me to have moved, I guess.

# ? Aug 12, 2019 12:57

ToxicSlurpee: Nov 5, 2003; -=SEND HELP=-; Pillbug

Sarcopenia posted:

There's a big difference between mocking the products as being useless (they're not) because you can't fathom that not everyone would be able to do something that seems small and easy to them and mocking the infomercials for being absolute trash. Like the people laughing at that woman perfectly pouring a glass of cola while her family freaks the gently caress out aren't laughing at the woman for maybe having tremors, weak joints or what ever.

I watched a thing where somebody actually tested whether or not they'd be useful for the disabled and a lot of them weren't. It turned out that the most genuinely useful things for people with various issues didn't need stupid infomercials to get people to buy them. All they really had to do for those spoons that stay steady no matter how much you shake was to just show videos of people with Parkinson's using them. That's it. People rushed out to buy them because holy crap.

Generally speaking the more aggressive the advertising the more likely somebody is hiding something. Thanks to the internet the window for that sort of thing has gotten a lot shorter but you saw this with media and games like crazy. They'd know something was bad so they'd have this enormous marketing campaign to rack up sales before word got around that it was horrible. A lot of infomercial products were about the same; they'd not work quite as advertised, would be cheaply made, or would just be an expensive version of something you already had but not even work as well.

ToxicSlurpee has a new favorite as of 16:49 on Aug 12, 2019

# ? Aug 12, 2019 16:46

ChickenOfTomorrow: Nov 11, 2012; god damn it, you've got to be kind

that Pizzazz countertop pizza oven is legit tho.

# ? Aug 12, 2019 17:29

Sir Lemming: Jan 27, 2009; It's a piece of JUNK!

I figure this doubles as the "big company does something that will backfire" thread, so have this:

Wendy’s manager’s apology email to customer goes quickly awry

quote:

In his email, the manager writes:

Not an excuse but the town of Wareham has little to no talent pool to hire from. This is an ongoing issue in that area. We are constantly interviewing and hiring any and all qualified candidates. Unfortunately, those candidates are hard to come by, as most are recovering addicts, and we cannot hire them.

# ? Aug 13, 2019 18:50

Last Chance: Dec 31, 2004

"You can never trust a drug addict"

- Gus Fring, owner of Pollos Hermanos chicken restaurant chain

# ? Aug 13, 2019 21:01

Krispy Wafer: Jul 26, 2002; I shouted out "Free the exposed 67"
But they stood on my hair and told me I was fat; Grimey Drawer

Sir Lemming posted:

I figure this doubles as the "big company does something that will backfire" thread, so have this:

Wendy’s manager’s apology email to customer goes quickly awry

Sir, this is a Wendy's dri...oh wait.

# ? Aug 13, 2019 21:09

chitoryu12: Apr 24, 2014

Sir Lemming posted:

I figure this doubles as the "big company does something that will backfire" thread, so have this:

Wendy’s manager’s apology email to customer goes quickly awry

This is like when you do the thing where you can't stop yourself from talking and backpedaling but accidentally say something even worse every time you open your mouth. But in a format where you can read it back before deciding to say it.

# ? Aug 13, 2019 21:12

Ralph Crammed In: May 11, 2007; Let's get clean and smart

oldpainless posted:

I could watch infomercials for hours. There�s something soothing about them.

Back when I had a satellite dish I'd put the knife channel on in the background when I was trying to get some work done on the computer. I miss it from time to time.

# ? Aug 13, 2019 21:14

Splicer: Oct 16, 2006; from hell's heart I cast at thee
🧙🐀🧹🌙🪄🐸

ToxicSlurpee posted:

I watched a thing where somebody actually tested whether or not they'd be useful for the disabled and a lot of them weren't. It turned out that the most genuinely useful things for people with various issues didn't need stupid infomercials to get people to buy them. All they really had to do for those spoons that stay steady no matter how much you shake was to just show videos of people with Parkinson's using them. That's it. People rushed out to buy them because holy crap.

The what

*googles*

:aaaaa:

# ? Aug 13, 2019 22:11

Ibblebibble: Nov 12, 2013

The MSJ posted:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZchLr3JT5aE

Am I obliged to try this considering I'm one of the few Malaysians on the site?

# ? Aug 14, 2019 00:41

Mu Zeta: Oct 17, 2002; Me crush ass to dust

I'll never understand fruit on pizza besides tomatoes

# ? Aug 14, 2019 01:51

Platystemon: Feb 13, 2012; BREADS

Mu Zeta posted:

I'll never understand fruit on pizza besides tomatoes

Chili peppers

# ? Aug 14, 2019 01:58

Teriyaki Hairpiece: Dec 29, 2006; I'm nae the voice o' the darkened thistle, but th' darkened thistle cannae bear the sight o' our Bonnie Prince Bernie nae mair.

Ibblebibble posted:

Am I obliged to try this considering I'm one of the few Malaysians on the site?

Tell us how it is, I'm curious.

# ? Aug 14, 2019 02:28

Platystemon: Feb 13, 2012; BREADS

Ibblebibble posted:

Am I obliged to try this considering I'm one of the few Malaysians on the site?

I assume you�ve tried durian.

You must not hate it or you wouldn�t be floating this idea.

# ? Aug 14, 2019 02:29

mllaneza: Apr 28, 2007; Veteran, Bermuda Triangle Expeditionary Force, 1993-1952

Mu Zeta posted:

I'll never understand fruit on pizza besides tomatoes

It's about flavor balance. Sweet is a good balance to salty, and an outstanding complement to spicy flavors. If you use a lot of red pepper on your pizza and/or in the sauce a sweet element. I used crushed red pepper and a little cayenne in my pizza sauce. To balance that I include a lot of caramelized onion, which disappears when the sauce gets blended but still adds sweetness.

# ? Aug 14, 2019 04:11

Alhazred: Feb 16, 2011

By all accounts, working at an Amazon warehouse is a hellish job. Over the years, countless reports have detailed brutal conditions that involve constant observation, inhumane physical demands (including a quota structure that discourages using the bathroom), and, to ensure no pesky sense of hope creeps into this picture, the company�s constant efforts to ensure its workers can�t unionize.

In order to combat all of this, Amazon, like a totalitarian regime offering guided tours to international observers, now provides tours of its fulfillment centers in order to show �what our warehouses are really like.�

# ? Aug 15, 2019 18:24

Sir Lemming: Jan 27, 2009; It's a piece of JUNK!

Alhazred posted:

By all accounts, working at an Amazon warehouse is a hellish job. Over the years, countless reports have detailed brutal conditions that involve constant observation, inhumane physical demands (including a quota structure that discourages using the bathroom), and, to ensure no pesky sense of hope creeps into this picture, the company’s constant efforts to ensure its workers can’t unionize.

In order to combat all of this, Amazon, like a totalitarian regime offering guided tours to international observers, now provides tours of its fulfillment centers in order to show “what our warehouses are really like.”

Yeah I didn't want to become the guy who comes in here to post an AV Club link every day, but that is a pro click. The whole thing is incredibly creepy/hilarious. It's like an old Star Trek episode where Captain Kirk is trying to talk a computer to death to figure out what's really going on on the planet.

# ? Aug 15, 2019 20:24

Prokhor Zakharov: Dec 31, 2008; This is me as I make another great post

Good luck with your depression!

Alhazred posted:

By all accounts, working at an Amazon warehouse is a hellish job. Over the years, countless reports have detailed brutal conditions that involve constant observation, inhumane physical demands (including a quota structure that discourages using the bathroom), and, to ensure no pesky sense of hope creeps into this picture, the company’s constant efforts to ensure its workers can’t unionize.

In order to combat all of this, Amazon, like a totalitarian regime offering guided tours to international observers, now provides tours of its fulfillment centers in order to show “what our warehouses are really like.”

Who do they think is going to convince?

# ? Aug 15, 2019 23:32

RagnarokAngel: Oct 5, 2006; Black Magic Extraordinaire

Prokhor Zakharov posted:

Who do they think is going to convince?

Shareholders and investors which is all they care about.

# ? Aug 15, 2019 23:35

oldpainless: Oct 30, 2009; This 📆 post brought to you by RAID💥: SHADOW LEGENDS👥.
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Why would shareholders and investors need to be convinced of anything when amazon makes a shitload of money

# ? Aug 15, 2019 23:41

Platystemon: Feb 13, 2012; BREADS

Alhazred posted:

By all accounts, working at an Amazon warehouse is a hellish job. Over the years, countless reports have detailed brutal conditions that involve constant observation, inhumane physical demands (including a quota structure that discourages using the bathroom), and, to ensure no pesky sense of hope creeps into this picture, the company�s constant efforts to ensure its workers can�t unionize.

In order to combat all of this, Amazon, like a totalitarian regime offering guided tours to international observers, now provides tours of its fulfillment centers in order to show �what our warehouses are really like.�

Isn�t it hot as hell in most of the U.S. right now?

Amazon might have to give rain checks for those tours.

# ? Aug 15, 2019 23:53

RagnarokAngel: Oct 5, 2006; Black Magic Extraordinaire

oldpainless posted:

Why would shareholders and investors need to be convinced of anything when amazon makes a shitload of money

They tend to be pretty detached from things and think bullshit PR stunts work. Shows the company takes initiative to combat bad PR.

# ? Aug 16, 2019 01:34

The MSJ: May 17, 2010

This is probably smart marketing, but they should have foreseen the problem it would cause.

https://twitter.com/abc7johngregory/status/1162046370649235456

# ? Aug 16, 2019 04:36

BrigadierSensible: Feb 16, 2012; I've got a pocket full of cheese🧀, and a garden full of trees🌴.

On the informercial-style products chat. Particularly on the fact that they are products designed for disabled people, but they market them towards able bodied people:

Where does the stick that people use to wipe their arses fit in? As in, it is designed for, used by, and marketted to actual disabled people to improve their quality of life, but it was also useful for obese people, so the companies, started aiming their promotions more towards them, than disabled people.

Possibly because there are more fat people than disabled people in America, and also because fat people have, (I think, on average), more disposable cash than medically disabled people.

I am talking about one of these:

# ? Aug 16, 2019 04:45

CommonShore: Jun 6, 2014; A true renaissance man

BrigadierSensible posted:

On the informercial-style products chat. Particularly on the fact that they are products designed for disabled people, but they market them towards able bodied people:

Where does the stick that people use to wipe their arses fit in? As in, it is designed for, used by, and marketted to actual disabled people to improve their quality of life, but it was also useful for obese people, so the companies, started aiming their promotions more towards them, than disabled people.

Possibly because there are more fat people than disabled people in America, and also because fat people have, (I think, on average), more disposable cash than medically disabled people.

I am talking about one of these:

# ? Aug 16, 2019 05:10

Ziv Zulander: Mar 24, 2017; ZZ for short

BrigadierSensible posted:

On the informercial-style products chat. Particularly on the fact that they are products designed for disabled people, but they market them towards able bodied people:

Where does the stick that people use to wipe their arses fit in? As in, it is designed for, used by, and marketted to actual disabled people to improve their quality of life, but it was also useful for obese people, so the companies, started aiming their promotions more towards them, than disabled people.

Possibly because there are more fat people than disabled people in America, and also because fat people have, (I think, on average), more disposable cash than medically disabled people.

I am talking about one of these:

Being fat is a disability, but not one people like to admit

# ? Aug 16, 2019 05:15

Panfilo: Aug 27, 2011; EXISTENCE IS PAIN😬

A lot of extremely obese people are disabled, and many disabilities, particularly ones that affect mobility, can cause people to gradually become obese.

# ? Aug 16, 2019 05:16

Brother Tadger: Feb 15, 2012; I'm accidentally a suicide bomber!

BrigadierSensible posted:

On the informercial-style products chat. Particularly on the fact that they are products designed for disabled people, but they market them towards able bodied people:

Where does the stick that people use to wipe their arses fit in? As in, it is designed for, used by, and marketted to actual disabled people to improve their quality of life, but it was also useful for obese people, so the companies, started aiming their promotions more towards them, than disabled people.

Possibly because there are more fat people than disabled people in America, and also because fat people have, (I think, on average), more disposable cash than medically disabled people.

I am talking about one of these:

Dumb marketing move is that I didn�t even know this product existed. Whoever manufactures these is leaving money on the table.

# ? Aug 16, 2019 06:04

venus de lmao: Apr 30, 2007; Call me "pixeltits"

Ziv Zulander posted:

Being fat is a disability, but not one people like to admit

Being so obese that you need a stick to wipe your rear end is both itself a disability and a prelude to further disability because that kind of weight is a huge strain on the rest of your body and you can end up wrecking your joints in addition to the numerous other health complications associated with obesity.

# ? Aug 16, 2019 10:59