Many podcasts ads that I hear fall into the scam category – supplements, aromatherapy, essential oils, hair growth products, erectile dysfunction, and “nutritional” water. I try to skip all ads, but sometimes am busy doing something where I am forced to listen.
The commercials for these products remind me of the old tables at Wendy’s restaurants which had reprints of old newspapers with ads that claimed their “magic” elixirs and “miraculous” products enhanced male vitality, promoted hair growth, cured menstrual issues, enhanced beauty, improved metal acuity, improved health, etc.
Not much has changed in 150 years.
Supposedly, the FDA regulates ads by prohibiting companies from making false health claims. In actual practice, companies sidestep this with disclaimers that are printed in teeny tiny print on labels or raced through in barely discernible tones at the end of commercials. We’ve all heard and seen (and most importantly, ignored) these.
What is interesting to me is that these advertising techniques selling bogus products work. I don’t think it is because consumers are stupid. I think it is because consumers want the products to work.
- Scrawny boys want to build big muscles.
- Balding men want thick hair.
- Fat people want to get skinny without dieting or exercising.
- Sick people want to get well.
- Everyone wants to feel energetic, enthusiastic and happy.
And if only, some supplement or drink or product can do this for us, we’d gladly pay $50 or $100 or $500 for it.
The problem is they don’t work. Ever.
Except in the ads.
The older I get, the more I think that there is nothing new in the world. All you need to do is read a little bit of history and you’ll see that whatever is happening today has happened before.
If you dig a little deeper, you’ll find it has happened over and over in the past.
We tend to ignore these lessons – either because we never learned them or because we think “this time it’s different”.
It is never different.
Save your money.