Why is Product Packaging So Deceiving?

When a package says “easy open” I end up using scissors, knife, hammer, gun and a light saber.

Thedailyquotes.com

I have a cranky knee that’s been behaving like a petulant child as of late. In light of the fact that I can’t use painkillers, I’ve been forced to seek alternatives. There are a myriad of topical creams and gels on the market that all promise to do the same thing and it’s just a matter of trial and error to see which one does or doesn’t work for you. After my very unscientific “clinical trials” I’ve settled on one that’s better than the rest (for me). I recently saw an advertisement for a new version of this topical painkiller saying that it was for “joint pain”, when all the while I thought it was for joint pain. And in fact on this new version, “For Join Pain” is emblazoned on the tube. When I was out shopping on Saturday I investigated this new “for joint pain” version. Upon reading the ingredients I discovered, much to my disgust, that the ingredients were IDENTICAL! In reality there are two versions of the same product in different packaging – one version says Original and the other says For Joint Pain. There is no reason for this other than to dupe the unsuspecting public and increase market share.

How many products have you seen with big advertising campaigns promoting “New and Improved”? I’d be willing to bet if you checked out the ingredients you’d find that in the vast majority of cases only the packaging is new and improved. I realize that advertising is fantasy but doesn’t there have to be some truth in product promotion? Why isn’t there a watchdog group monitoring these blatant attempts to mislead the public? And if there is such a group, they are certainly not doing their jobs.

If dogs don’t like your dog food the packaging doesn’t matter.

Stephen Denny

Make someone smile today.

Geri

Why Don’t We Demand Truth in Advertising?

Advertising is the art of convincing people to spend money they don't have for something they don't need.

Will Rogers

My mother has been asking me to take her to a particular outlet mall and today was the day; so off we went. We spent several hours wandering around the mall and went into most of the stores. I want to know why this mall is called an outlet mall. When I go to an outlet mall I expect DEEP discounts, not regular mall prices! I won’t even look at an item unless it’s 50% and at an outlet mall I expect better than that. There were very few items in the entire mall that were marked down by more than 30%. Why on earth should I schlepp out to this supposed outlet mall when I could do better at the Bay or the Eaton Centre?

Who decides what mall can be called an outlet mall? Shouldn’t there be some kind of criteria? Or can anyone call their establishment an outlet mall for the sole purpose of duping the public? Is this a Canadian issue? I ask this question because I have never encountered an outlet mall in the U.S. that wasn’t a legitimate outlet mall. Perhaps this is why Canadians still go to the U.S. to shop, even though the Canadian dollar is very weak. Lineups at the border attest to that.

Every summer my friend Sue and I make our annual pilgrimage to an incredible golf resort in northern Michigan called Boyne (I’ll tell you about it in another blog). Directly in our path is the Birch Run Outlet Mall and let me tell you, this is the mother of all outlet malls. This enormous discount shopping Mecca is surrounded by motels because it’s actually a destination. People arrive and shop for the weekend. Sue and I shop ‘til we drop and we get amazing deals! There’s none of this 30% crap. We buy top quality merchandise at incredibly discounted prices; typically 60% - 80% off. This is legitimate outlet shopping.

As a society we’ve come to expect that there is no truth in advertising. We’ve become so accustomed to the lies and manipulation that when we come across it, as was the case today, we’re momentarily pissed off and then we move on. Our complacency is the reason that there is no truth in advertising. Shame on us!

Advertising: the science of arresting the human intelligence long enough to get money from it.

Stephen Leacock

Make someone smile today.

Geri