Lately I have noticed an alarming new trend in advertising.

The promotion of deception as a valid social behaviour.

Two current examples.

(1)Unknown tyre service (I didn't take take that in)

A tyre supplier tells a mother at his counter, that her tyre and wheel shows evidence of a collision with a curb. Behind her, her son sits on bench sheepishly displaying guilt behind her. The advertised business indulges in knowing glances etc with the son behind her back.

The mother continues saying (blissfully unaware) that she doesn't remember hitting a curb.
At the end the son continues to fail to admit liability acceptably and the business supports the deception.
Everyone's happy. She gets her tyre fixed, the son avoids liability.

The message being that you can trust this enterprise more than your own family, and that this is ultimately and acceptably factual.

(2) Hyundai

A group of assumed friends all race to enter a car. 4 get there first , shutting the doors behind them to exclude the remaining 2. One of the remaining 2 has the idea of opening the rear hatch to enter the car and when doing so is usurped by the other being faster and closes the door behind her.The remaining excluded person realises that he has the key to the car anyway and brandishes it at the people inside the car.

The message being that an inanimate object is more important that co-operation and friendship and that control over the friendship is more important than than being part of a friendship. The spoils being the inanimate object.

This socially damaging deception is now paramount to the young and enforces the view that what we don't know wont hurt us oldens. Because a business will put us right in the end. Is it possible to get any further from the truth than this.

In the second case all the trendy participants understand that the object is more important than the trust that exists between them.
I'm sorry I don't think this healthy or accurate.
This is clearly false advertising and socially abhorrent. cont....

Of course, it is me first, me last and me in between. That is the way the community operates. If something goes wrong they blame the government, take no responsibility for the state of their communities and expect it to be handed to them on a silver platter.
How many of us have done something volunteer for our communities of late. If you live in the country you are probably more likely to have. When i lived in WA, the small town and shire where i lived decided to redevelop its sports oval. During the job 75% of the shires adult population volunteered and helped in some way. The sand to build up the playing surface was donated by a local farmer. This effort was noticed by a city news paper and they posed the question that "if we could mobilise even 25% of the population of Mandurah to do a project can you imagine what we could achieve".
Communities need to reclaim their identities and the peoples need to engage in there communities again. Those sprawling suburbs of mindless workers that don't consider anything but themselves would discover a whole new world.

the pure-pose..of advertising...is to be remembered
[so those two..seem to have worked..?]

i dont..see many adverts...[im one of them anonying..info surfers]
its my remote...and im not afraid to use it

are you sure..the smirker..sitting behind..the lying child..is a tyre-rep?

he might be a council worker...[knowing he could be sued..for not repairing..the pot-hole..that causes the same damage]...mum could be sending the bill to the local council[if the kid knew how to tell the truth]

but kids know it all
and thats who the asdvert is aimed at
[the know nothing kids with credit cards..but no credit]

[no..not a whole..letter generation..[x/y/z]
but the type..who leeches their way through life...
taking no accountability for nuthin]..putting it all on credit
[preferably some-one elses]

as for the other...[havnt seen it either]
but like the thinking

still love the title

would love to..wax-on lyriclly..on it for days
so lets see what the tide brings in

no doudt others will have some good ones
there is so much of ..'it'..arround

like cosmetic surgery...[that works only so long]
and has spiritual after affects...in the next life

deceit generally..is not limeted alone..to the media [neither]

from partly/party policy..[if its not..'in'..writing..
or not said without crossed fingers]...its just...blather

or church/state...or law

even such things as proper duristiction
[law can act..only..if there is a contract...
or an injured party..thats it..the rest is deception...

just sold to us...'as...law..
but constitutionaly..unlawfull
but no lawyer..can tell us of that deception

I haven’t seen the first one, but if it had been my son, he would have been looking sheepish, because he knew, & didn’t want to say, where & when his mother had hit the curb, [again].

I have seen the other, & to me it looked like people having a bit of fun, like last man standing. But then, as our opinions here show, we all see things differently

You're taking it all far too seriously, thinker2.

Advertising has never been about "truth". Nor has it ever been about lies, either.

For the vast majority of products, there is no clear reason why we should buy it. The job of advertising is therefore to first "create", or highlight, a form of personal need for the product or service, then provide a means for the resolution of that need.

This is why you don't see advertisements for potatoes, or cabbage, or broccoli. But you do see advertisements for milk.

The latest round of milk advertisements that I have seen concentrate on "I just want it to taste like milk" - the "need" here is not defined as milk itself, but a particular brand of milk that cares for your taste buds. Not your need for nutrition, but the desire for a tastier form of that nutrition.

Truth does not enter into the equation. After all, taste is highly individual, and cannot be subject to a veracity test.

The advertisements you cite are not necessarily deceptive.

The need that is being created in the first one is "if you have scraped the kerb, you may need your tyre fixed" - they just delivered it in a slightly humorous, therefore memorable, manner

In fact, it is asking you to take action to guard against a potential blow-out on the freeway. I'd say that was closer to a public service announcement than deceptive advertising.

The need that is being described in the second is simply "does your car have room for all your friends?", and once again uses humour to make it memorable. That's all.

But you will have made an ad exec somewhere extremely happy. They just love telling their clients about the "unassisted recall" their ads have created.

You're one of those ten people that complain about every single ad, aren't you?.

Anyone with a sense of humour would appreciate the humour in the tyre ad and actually be aware of the reality of the situation and approach it with common sense. It's a joke. Remember when you had a sense of humour?. As far as I remember the mother got why he back flipped on reason for tyre damage.

Didn't read the other one. Maybe volunteer somewhere and put your time into something where someone might benefit instead of whinging about ridiculous trivial things.

ahh yes...thanks for reminding me of the ...'tastes..just like milk'
[not because..it is milk]..because it isnt..

here is the trick..[why they cant say its milk]
when they make cheese..the left=over...whey...was tipped-out

then they found..with a bit of chemical magic..they could neutralise
the acidic/whey*...and add it..to actual milk..[water milk down]

[then lol..call it low fat]

they also found adding the other..'stuff'..also not milk
and hence the liteny...the shop lady..reels off

its rather pathetic

but compounded..by it not being stated..the less..'milk'
the cheaper they sell it for..

[thus the homebrand*]..wash water..sold as ..real milk
but that goes..off..before its expiry-date..into the slimey whey..that constitutes up to half..of its bulk

the pathetic part of it is..farmers are only getting 25/35 cents for each liter...and we need to pay over the dollar for its waterd down...liquid...[real milk is rare]..thus the waterd down..brands offered as replacement

soy especially is a con...[again a lot of its the whey..left over from making soy curd]...we are being ripped off big time..with the it tastes...'just like'...mainly because we forget what real milk tastes like

but hey the shareholders dont mind at all
and no govt agency checks on this sort of stuff either

[the lawyers have done their jobs well]
but inbetween the what they say...
and what you think..they said
well..you only get that you demand..

and even then..some fool has a heavey thumb on the measure
[just to keep the shareholders happy..

and a nice bonus..for someone..
who wouldnt even buy the product..earning them..their divedend

Deception ? aaah yeS.

EASY OFF BAM... just spray and wipe and the WHOLE tap become glistening shiny :) (even the parts you didn't wipe)

The soap scum does NOT come off in any way like the AD shows.

DECEPTION.!

thinker2 makes an excellent point.Deception or the greed is good philosophy does not make for a productive cohesive society.Pericles says this has always been so but never to this degree.There seems no limits to the depths of human depravity in the name of profit.

That's pathetic.

>>There seems no limits to the depths of human depravity in the name of profit.<<

We're talking about advertising here, Arjay. It's a part of the process of making and selling stuff.

If you aren't smart enough to realize that they may exaggerate a little here, and embellish the story a touch there, then you probably shouldn't be allowed to handle money in the first place.

There are people in the world, I understand, who actually think those nice people who send them emails from Nigeria promising money are for real. They are the same people who believe the guy when he says "Bam, and the dirt is gone".

Sadly, there's also a bunch of folk suffering a massive sense-of-humour failure, along with the total loss of a sense of proportion.

Because as far as a measure of "the depths of human depravity" goes, advertising is pretty far down the list. Somewhere between rap music lyrics and not picking up after your dog, I would imagine.

Yes Arjay this is the point I'm trying to make. Consumerism is now a philosophy and deception is the core driver.
Nairbe refers to the me generation, the effect .
Collusion in commerce is now entrenched and re-inforced by all kinds of deception.

In the case of the car ad, the friends would do best to stand back and collectively view the car as the hunk of metal it is, along with all the other same hunks of metal. Humour or fun has nothing to do with it. Cars are not an extension of personality.

Recall the Cherry Ripe ad promoting one on one deception. The deceiver excludes the victim from sharing the spoils. The actress who performed in this ad must be very good because I still can't stand her visage no matter what program she appears in.

I haven't bought a cherry ripe since.

Selling itself is now deceptive not just in the media but when your actually dealing with a business or purchasing anything you can think of.

To provide evidence of this, my wife was lied to by a prominent telco when negotiating a contract. I proved this to the telco. They responded by saying they they would provide a $40 credit. I said "Oh so you can quantify deception in dollar terms can you".

Example 2. I suffer occasionally from Sciatica. If I went to a doctor they would expect me to subject myself to an MRI or such. Unnecessarily subjecting my body to harmful radiation equivalent to 80 chest x-rays.

If I went to a chiropractor he would not rectify the condition in one sitting. even though that is possible. But instead would have me come back over and over again. Each time telling me, "I'm on track".

I was a patient as a footballer of a expert chiropractor when young, who would never attempt a manipulation without a massage first. One thing you won't get from a modern chiropractor even if you request it because they know that you wont have to come back.

Ultimately I have to go to a pharmacist who can ask for a license number. On the last occasion the pharmacist who tried to pretend that I was known to her and claimed that my condition was chronic and then asked me why I was buying this medication. I had never been in that pharmacy in my life and said "invade my privacy because you can, pretend all you like that you know whats good for me, but don't pretend that you know me or that you have ever met before in any incorrect assumption that I must be seeking this non prescription medication for anything other than valid reasons".
And get on with it because the pain of sciatica makes me impatient".

Fraud deception and buls..t in every facet of our lives by process is wearing me down

>>> Recall the Cherry Ripe ad promoting one on one deception. The deceiver excludes the victim from sharing the spoils. <<<

Good God.

Truth in advertising?

From my earliest Xmas's it never failed to amaze me that the most advertised toy that season that did wonderful things on the tv, lay dormant and short of expectation in its application on our lounge room floor on Boxing day. I believe the days of bridge buying gullibility has passed us and most consumers are savvy. If you look at the demographics for consumer rip offs you will see that the young and old are over represented in those numbers, suggesting that we wake up at some stage but regress with age when it comes to consumer value judgments.

Thinker2 I believe "caveat emptor" is the word for the day. Re the kid the car and the kerb, mine lie about that too, but they can't fool us, we know they did it, somehow, someway, at sometime, and I let them know I know.

While Pericles claims deception has always been part of advertising I also have noticed a shift to the 'selfish' in Ads but much of it is done tongue in cheek and in humour ie. 'this is so good I don't want to share it". Does it reinforce selfishness in society? I am not sure advertising is taken that seriously but am no expert on the sub-conscious but the media can certainly influence to some extent.

Even in the days of old there was those travelling salesman who used to sell those magic Elixirs that would fix up all maladies and those pretty weak cleaning products that were not as good as claimed - so it is not new even if the technology is more flamboyant.

If an Ad annoys you don't buy it - that is consumer power.

There are worse influences. As a mother of young children I would not let my kids watch The Simpsons until they were older because they tended to parrot the rudeness and other undesirable attitudes without understanding some of the 'deeper messages'. It was not only the Simpsons but many other programs that seem to either reflect/encourage the growing lack of general courtesy and respect in the community including unneccesary swearing in children/teen programs.

Some parents even let their kids watch that unsuitable SBS program 'South Park' (unbelievable) and wondered why behaviour and attitudes changed. Kids are like sponges and they soak in everything as every parent will attest.

I don't believe I said that at all, pelican.

>>While Pericles claims deception has always been part of advertising...<<

Advertising has its own purpose, its own language - in fact, its own grammar. While there may be occasions where someone oversteps the mark, deception per se is not "part of advertising". In fact, where it exists, it is seen to be damaging to the brand, therefore worse than worthless.

Although it does seem to me that complaining about it in such dramatic and emotional terms is a highly positive sign.

Because if you consider "deception in advertising" a serious issue, the rest of your life must indeed be a sea of tranquillity.

(I should make an exception for Arjay from that suggestion. Everywhere he looks he sees disaster, so his visceral reaction to advertising is par for the course.)

If this thread were simply about "isn't that a silly advertisement", it could be quite fun though.

How about that one where the old guy whips up a meal in the time it takes for his lady to climb the stairs? Or the one where the guy hasn't a clue about "feminine hygiene products" and plays chase-the-mousy with the cat?

Duh.

I have always understood the caveat emptor principal sonogloin. Obviously your right.
But I cant help thinking the principal of relationships (even business one's) were built on trust.

As an older person I still remember a time when business was based on trust more than a lot of other things. Maybe the older people just wish it were still that way. So they "see if they can trust again this time" in a sort of wishful thinking loop. Thereby more vulnerable.

And Pelican your comment regarding selfishness is central to point I'm trying to make.
How healthy or necessary is this messaging when all we are doing is selling some consumer crap?,
mostly unnecessary and overall doing more harm than good.
Can't we do this without telling the young to put themselves first at all cost to acquire it?.

Thinker2 I hear what you are saying, I believe I lived through the best times this country and society had to offer. I have a profession and have always worked for corporate and there WAS some social and corporate conscience until the mid eighties. Greed was the name of the game and growth at any cost usually by acquisition rather than initiative and diligence became the accepted norm. Sadly thinker there is no way back for you or I as the new young set the standards not the previous generation.

Pericles

Huh?

You are looking for criticism when there wasn't any. I was in fact concurring with the humour/irony aspect of your previous post.

Funny how two people can read the same thing and come to different conclusions or interpretations.

It ain’t a new paradigm it’s been around since Adam and Eve –get a load of this:

“And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:
For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil”

I’ve heard variations on that often enough in everything from breakfast cereals to cosmetics.

Ads actually pre-date humans –what are these if not advertising (and misleading advertising because the female does most of the hard work after being conned by the display):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ud_6o6UGP9Q&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5oONd930qk

What has changed is that ads are now an art medium.

Some are very creative:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MROAQ4C0VHM
I don’t believe a word of it, but it’s brilliant.

Some are informative:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lx_kxp3R2oU
This is as good as any travel documentary —tells you all you need to know about kiwiland!

Then there’s ads like this …( holy Moly!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3xGpnR1fIo
that just blow you away –that keep you coming back again and again and again …

Welcome to the real world Thinker 2. Didn't your Daddy teach you discernment. Up here in Qld we invented a machine to put the bend in the banana, and have cows with one long leg to graze around the hills. Laughter is the best medicine, another Bible quote. Please remember,
"life wasn't meant to be easy".
Richie 10

As you clearly demonstrate Richie10, even humour is misunderstood and has degenerated to ridicule and laughing at your own jokes.
Even art itself is a fraud.

If I can demonstrate, recently in a major art prize, the winner proved to be a poor copy of a forgotten master from 15th century.
After the prize was awarded the truth was revealed.
The judges responded by saying that "all art is an adaption".

The greatest art and greatest artists have always been the bearers of original idea's not adaptions.
All great artistic advances have been copied by many. So what?.

On the subject of humour, truly comic things don't require laugh tracks.
Nor ridicule, the stocking routine of trendy FM jocks for example,
where laughing at your own jokes (at someone else's expense) becomes the laugh track.

It's not that I can't see the real world or don't have a sense of humour Richie10,
it's just that I need something genuinely funny to laugh at from my point of view.

What's fun for some, can be not fun for others, and this now passes for comedy,
as well as appropriate social behaviour.This is the point of my original post.

You want DECEPTION ? :)

"HERE" is 'deception'.....it has a definite plot.

1/ Glenn Beck is pursuing (on his show) George Soros, Left wing billionaire/financier/philanthropist (cough)

2/ Soros gives $1,000,000 to Media Matters (to fight Beck)

3/ SURPRISE.... Media Matters comes out with a very 'pro Soros'and anti Beck spin.

http://mediamatters.org/research/201006210062

You get what you pay for I guess.

If ya dont like it turn it orf..

Sonofglion:"Sadly thinker there is no way back for you or I as the new young set the standards not the previous generation."

No, no, no, we are their bosses, their parents, their supervisors, we are the judges, we are the politicians that make laws and the police that arrest them, we run the prisons and welfare agencies.

We are the CEO's of the companies that hire us to make the adds.

What they do is done with our permission.

You're taking it all far too seriously, thinker2.
Advertising has never been about "truth". Nor has it ever been about lies, either.
Posted by Pericles, Friday, 5 November 2010 9:29:00 AM

Dictionary.com says that Advertising is "the act or practice of calling public attention to one's product, service, need, etc., esp. by paid announcements in newspapers and magazines, over radio or television, on billboards, etc."

Calling public attention to a product, service, need or business does not require of the advertiser the encouragement of amoral behaviour, deceptive collusion to the detriment of another or the overt promotion of selfishness and disregard.

Nonetheless, advertisers are seeking to promote their goods, services and business through the promotion of such things as described above and then some; including gender denigration.

Given that Australia has the highest saturation of advertising with approx 18 mins or more per one hour block of programming, I think that Thinker is not taking it too seriously at all. It is a serious issue worthy of discussion, and you Pericles are not taking it seriously enough.

If business can brand us with their business name and motto so easily as they do, limiting our consumer inclinations to those that are branded into our brain (Nike "just do it" but what Asics?) then it doesn't take a master of psychology to see that we can equally be branded into engaging in amoral behaviour if it is sanctioned in our daily tv viewing

I guess that's why this Forum's title contains the word "Opinion", George Jetson.

>>It is a serious issue worthy of discussion, and you Pericles are not taking it seriously enough.<<

It is only a "serious issue" to a section of the population. Personally, I cannot see myself taking it more seriously than I do at present, for the simple reason that I do not belong to that particular group.

>>If business can brand us with their business name and motto so easily as they do, limiting our consumer inclinations to those that are branded into our brain...<<

Well you see, that's where you and I differ.

I do not consider myself "branded" with anyone's business name or motto. Nor are my "consumer inclinations" limited. I view any advertising that stretches itself further than simple information-transfer as an amusing, if trivial, art form.

I enjoy the beer commercials on TV, but they do not influence my purchase, which is purely based upon taste. I am entertained by the car and ute commercials, but haven't bought a new vehicle - or even a second-hand one - in twenty years. I had to physically check which brand of leisure footwear I sport.

As a result, I tend to treat people who take advertising seriously with an element of suspicion: are they actually in control of their lives, I wonder. Should they be allowed out of the house...

>>it doesn't take a master of psychology to see that we can equally be branded into engaging in amoral behaviour if it is sanctioned in our daily tv viewing<<

And there's the reason why. Right there.

The waltz was once considered "amoral behaviour"

http://www.examiner.com/ballroom-dancing-in-san-francisco/the-history-of-the-waltz

Have you ever waltzed, George Jetson?

Did you feel that you had been manipulated into amoral behaviour?

Or was the amoral behaviour in which you indulged, entirely of your own volition?