Xref: utzoo misc.consumers:26491 alt.activism:9208 talk.environment:2127 comp.org.eff.talk:1314 Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!usc!apple!voder!pyramid!oliveb!felix!asylvain@felix.UUCP From: asylvain@felix.UUCP (Alvin "the Chipmunk" Sylvain) Newsgroups: misc.consumers,alt.activism,talk.environment,comp.org.eff.talk Subject: Re: "advertising is not evil" Message-ID: <156343@felix.UUCP> Date: 30 Jan 91 02:18:27 GMT References: <856@argosy.UUCP> <156215@felix.UUCP> <1991Jan27.164332.22205@csn.org> Sender: daemon@felix.UUCP Reply-To: asylvain@felix.UUCP (Alvin "the Chipmunk" Sylvain) Distribution: na Organization: Foundation for the Advancement of Chipmunks Lines: 70 In article <1991Jan27.164332.22205@csn.org> schwartz@latour.colorado.edu (Mike Schwartz) writes: > In article <156215@felix.UUCP> asylvain@felix.UUCP (Alvin "the Chipmunk" Sylvain) writes: > > >Don't be so all-fired-up certain they're *not* doing a public service. > >When you have a family of four to feed (as I do), you appreciate learn- > >ing about bargains and getting coupons... > > I have nothing against making the information available. What I don't > like is having it forced on me. Ah, my friend, I beg to differ! It is definately not forced on you! It's only placed in your mailbox! I wouldn't consider it "force", unless the mail carrier brought a gun along to make certain you read everything. > If, for instance, advertising went to > an intermediary electronic bulletin board service that people like you > could browse, people like me wouldn't have to be subjected to it. Actually, that's not a bad idea. I could get the Pollo Loco coupons that I want, and ignore those silly Pizza Hut coupons! (Gadz, *every* week, Pizza Hut, Pizza Hut! >>>gag!! hack!! choke!!<< ) > (This > would also reduce the amount of glossy junk mail that fills our land > fills.) That's a slightly different issue. We simply need to convince advertis- ers of the economy of using recycled paper. Even glossy paper can be made this way, I understand. Write them letters, they do want to know your opinions. After all, they need your good graces in order to sell you something. Then, we need to convince consumers to put the stuff into a recycling bin instead of the trash. This is probably harder than the first part. Consumers don't give a damn whether you like them or not. > Of course, this won't happen, because another purpose of > advertising is to convince people to buy things they don't need. Don't sell advertisers that short. There are also things that people *want*, regardless of *need*. I *want* a Porsche Car and a Charbroiled Chicken, but I sure don't *need* them. OK, I'll likely never see a coupon for the Porsche (and if I did, I probably still couldn't afford it), but those chicken coupons certainly come in handy! I have sworn off KFC forever. This is thanks in part to Pollo Loco advertising. Also, there are things people *do* need, and are advertised regularly in this junk mail. Supermarkets are forever letting us know that if we shop there *this* week, we can save $$$ on bread and eggs. Well, actu- ally, you still don't *need* bread or eggs, but I think you get my point. My point is simple. Companies sell products. Consumers buy products. Without advertising, ne'er the twain shall meet. There is no way to perfectly target advertising to *only* the individuals who are 100% interested in it. With the coupons and information found in much of this junk mail, my family regularly saves around 20% off our grocery bill. That's money that can go into *true* necessitities! ... like floppies ... > - Mike Schwartz -- asylvain@felix.UUCP (Alvin "the Chipmunk" Sylvain) =========== Opinions are Mine, Typos belong to /usr/ucb/vi =========== "We're sorry, but the reality you have dialed is no longer in service. Please check the value of pi, or see your SysOp for assistance." =============== Factual Errors belong to /usr/local/rn =============== UUCP: uunet!{hplabs,fiuggi,dhw68k,pyramid}!felix!asylvain ARPA: {same choices}!felix!asylvain@uunet.uu.net