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scam adds you can't believe made it on air..

S

Shredder

there are two i notice:

A business man named "Chet" selling 'business secrets.' sorry, but anyone named chet who sounds like the guy from pen and teller is not selling anything i need to know. Most likely they give you free crap and re-sell your email address for a hefty profit.

The other one was a clear scam. i had it written down on my phone, but the tag line had 88 in it. something about going to a web address and they send you $1,000's for shopping purposes...

i mean, really, does anyone fall for these things? Does no one check the spots for fear of being sued, should someone be stupid enough to fall for them?
 
How about the marketing of those fat-burning electric probe devices, you know, the ones you stuck on your belly to lose weight? They were especially popular in the late '90s and early 2000s.

And while we're on the subject, how many advertisers have we heard reeling in viewers with offers to share "the secret" behind the success of their product? Really, who the hell spends thousands or millions of dollars sharing "secrets"?
 
I think THIS explains it pretty well.

While the focus of the article is on political advertising, you can see how well shielded broadcasters are from liabilty no matter what's being sold.

Personally, I don't think it makes for good listening, and I certainly don't think it helps radio's reputation when so much of the advertising is like the audio equivalent of spam instead of for legitimate products.

People don't necessaily hate commercials. Just look at the Super Bowl, people actually look forward to the ads because they're so good. But feeling like you're being targeted by scams is completely offensive, and I think that's the impression radio gives people all the time.

Your station can have the best imaging in the world but if people feel like they're getting spammed & conned every time there's a break do you think they're going to have a positive image of it?

I believe this is the elephant in the room that always gets ignored by studies looking into issues with radio. They consider the paid commercials to be totally separate from the programming, and untouchable when it comes to looking at ways to improve.

But is that how listeners think?

I'd argue if they hear something they hate, they'll turn it off. And if they keep hearing it every time they listen then eventually that will drive them away from the medium altogether.

My impression is that an unfortunate majority of radio commercials come across as smelling deceptive in one way or another these days. And that's not good for radio in the long run.
 
Theater of My Mind said:
I think THIS explains it pretty well.

But is that how listeners think?
Click to expand...

i can tell you this.. i remember one commercial cause it was funny! It aired in 1995 and was a christmas milk add that involved the ghost of christmas past... the last line was 'just kidding!', and i think it was read by tom spongebob kenny even back then. funny radio spots are things to look forward too..not so much now..
 
92.3 played that ad for free-us-ipads.com pretty often earlier this year. It's too good to be true a.k.a. scam. But they must have made so much money that they could buy those ads, and maybe give away a few iPads to keep some people satisfied.
 
How about those spots voiced by that guy who has that weird inflection when repeating the phone number three or four times at the end of the spot? "EIGHHHHHT-HUN-dred..."
 
DToTheJ said:
How about those spots voiced by that guy who has that weird inflection when repeating the phone number three or four times at the end of the spot? "EIGHHHHHT-HUN-dred..."
Click to expand...

I think i've heard that one, but ican't remember what it's about. sort of like the guy is announcing a wrestling match..right? 1-eight hundreed....five sex seven...niiiiinnnneeeee...
 
Those ads with the phone numbers repeated 900 times are P.I. ads. Per Inquiry.

Each station they are on has a separate number, and the results are tracked by which 800 numbers get dialed. Each time the number gets dialed, the station gets paid.

They're used to fill inventory which would otherwise be empty. It's a no risk situation for both parties. If nobody dials the number then there is no outlay from the "client". If the station has a few gullible listeners, they make a little money in what would have been unsold inventory.
 
I remember those "thicker and wider" ads on Pulse 87. Also remember those scam ads for Guaranteed Consumer Funding. I wonder if the station would have made money if I just called and hung up. If that were the case I'd have called those numbers every day!

And since today's the supposed end of the world, remember the biggest scam of all, Family Radio's prediction that the world would end twice last year.
 
Any spot with a disclaimer! I have heard infomercials for medical products that have a disclaimer that says, not designed to help, cure or prevent any diseases...I guess that says it all! Also have heard incredible car ads that have a disclaimer that basically says that everything they just told you is a fib! Ah yes, radio advertising has become so much fun for the consumer!
 
The sports betting ads that run regardless of state laws and always promise for me "my stone cold lock of the season, year, decade, or century" that are a staple on sports radio.
 
Spots for police radar jammers.

A FCC-licensed broadcasting station, selling advertising for a product which intentionally violates FCC regulations, by transmitting without a license for the express purpose of intentionally interfering with a licensed service, with an underlying purpose of allowing the user to escape prosecution for intentional violation of state & local safety laws.
 
w9wi said:
Spots for police radar jammers.

A FCC-licensed broadcasting station, selling advertising for a product which intentionally violates FCC regulations, by transmitting without a license for the express purpose of intentionally interfering with a licensed service, with an underlying purpose of allowing the user to escape prosecution for intentional violation of state & local safety laws.
Click to expand...
You know, I never quite saw it that way. But you're right!
 
Theater of My Mind said:
But is that how listeners think?

I'd argue if they hear something they hate, they'll turn it off. And if they keep hearing it every time they listen then eventually that will drive them away from the medium altogether.

My impression is that an unfortunate majority of radio commercials come across as smelling deceptive in one way or another these days. And that's not good for radio in the long run.
Click to expand...

If they don't turn off RADIO altogether, they'd certainly tune away from the offending station. There are SOME stations where the ads are more reasonable, and/or listener-supported stations which don't have ads. (Such as the one I work for.) :)

The point about the Superbowl is valid! I look forward to those ads, myself! Many times, I like the ads more than the game, itself! ;)

Sadly, the megalopolies that own far too many stations these days, don't CARE what listeners think! If they did, they wouldn't be laying-off ALL of their creative staff, and feeding all of their stations from one central computer. Those companies only care about making the "next quarter" look good for the stockholders. They can only do that for so long... you can't beat the eggs out of the Golden Goose for very long, before she dies. They don't get that... but when the goose is dead, they won't know what to do next. HOPEFULLY, they will be forced to sell their stations at a DRASTICALLY reduced price, and the LOCAL broadcasters can RETURN to the airwaves... before EVERYONE abandons Radio.

How much time is left? The Goose is on it's last breath.
 
The diet drug Phen-Fen, endorsed by porky DJs nationwide in the 90s until it was finally pulled off the market for its unfortunate little side effect: death.

Then there was the late, great Sonny Bloch, whose "rare coin" investments were overpriced coins that weren't rare enough. He also heavily promoted "wireless cable" long after it was clear that using multipoint distribution for that purpose was going nowhere except obsolescence. At the end, Sonny fled the country to avoid tax charges, did his show from the Bahamas, and as a result lost a grand total of zero affiliates. That speaks volumes about the radio biz, none of it good.
 
stevations said:
Shouldn't the topic be Scam ADs.....not Scam ADDs?
Click to expand...
whoopsie.....I did not notice that..#johnycarson

Regarding those coin adds. What about the ones where they claim that the us government found these 'rare gold coins' and 'that's why you've never seen a gold coin in circulation before'. IF these things are so rare , how come the ad pops up every few months? sounds like a scam to me :).
 
How about the "Total Transformation?" If I were Jeremy I'd have slammed the door in that woman's face too! :D
 
a tad off topic, but still a WTF moment... On the internet side of wplj streaming, an add in SPANISH for, I think, the NJ lotto game. when you move to this country, learn to speak the language ;o).
 
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