Have you ever noticed how aggressive advertising campaigns have become? The consumer is flooded with heavily biased information that can influence them to make decisions and purchase products that they wouldn't have otherwise. We see ads telling us to buy certain brands of dishwasher detergent and we see ads telling us to eat at certain restaurants. Companies like McDonalds and Burger King use small toys and games to draw children to their products and images of luscious food products to draw hungry adults. However, there isn't really a way for consumers to differentiate between which products are worth buying and which products should be left behind. We live in a world with an overblown market and no restrictions on advertising. Some ad campaigns even attack other products with silly phrases and accusations. I'm sure all the children of the 80's remember the bit wars between Nintendo and Sega. Do you remember the ads Sega ran in which they said things like "You can't do this on Nintendo" and "Genesis does what Nintendon't"? If not take, take a moment to watch the ad below.
Really? Do you remember the ads for the 3do? They referred to the Sega Genesis and the Super Nintendo as being "baby toys". Ads for Finish dishwasher detergent attack Cascade and claim that it leaves the dishes with dried on food stains. Ads for Swiffer mops claim that sponge mops simply spread germs and do not kill them. How is the consumer supposed to figure out what's true and whats BS? There are websites like Rip-Off Report and magazines like Consumer Report who's sole goal is to weed out the bad products and the scams and warn people. If you search for a product online you can often find reviews from other poor saps who bought the product. But what if you're the sap who buys the product? You're out of luck. I really think some rules and regulations should be applied to the advertising world to keep them from alienating consumers.
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