marketing

Scams are still abundant in this day and age, and one really popular system designed to separate well-meaning people and their money are massive pyramid scheme-like multi-level marketing operations. What makes them hard to deal with is that they're not the traditional kind of scammer that you can just mess with. They suck people in with promises of being your own boss and giving bonuses for recruiting more people, all while siphoning money out of their own "employees" pockets. One big issue with this is that the convinced don't want to be unconvinced, so when given the facts about predatory companies, the duped people involved just double down. It also provides a lot of strange, interesting and frustrating interactions like these, where a near stranger at this person's gym wanted to tell them about a "new and exciting opportunity."

Sure, it is kind of funny to see KFC get in an argument with Wendy's on Twitter, but what's really going on here? Is this even good marketing? As brands like this try to get personal with customers and each other, what kind of post-ironic soap opera is this? This is weird right? Like, it's kind of funny but this is mostly weird?

All it had to be was a dumb marketing project with some giveaway stuff, but one "do you know who my father is" type just had to be involved. Overzealous and aggressive parents speaking on behalf of their children can lead to a lot of pain and suffering down the road, like this parent who blamed a teacher for their own kid not being in virtual class.

Nothing fills our hearts with joy and appreciation like a couple Tumblr users swapping knowledge about the history of soda and carrier pigeons in a totally random Tumblr thread. But hey, that's what Tumblr is all about. Can't say that we knew that drinking Pepsi cold and Coke warm would result in them tasting the same. Is that real life? 

Every industry has its sketchy secrets, and once tons of companies realized they could use their popular brand to leverage their loyal customer base into paying more for less, you can find yourself looking at a creme egg going "whhaaaaa???". It's also easy to fall into the nostalgia trap of "remember the better olden days" when that product wasn't much better to start with, but shrinkflation has definitely attacked a variety of products and things from all sides.

Whether it was an idiotic promotion, lack of oversight, a glitch in the system, an escape room scheduling loophole, or a sandwich place that also sold discounted ingredients to its own sandwiches, these people found a way to play the game and save a couple dollars in the process. The commitment and dedication it takes to notice these loopholes is admirable, in a chaotic, roguish sort of way.

Someone on AskReddit asked for people to share their experiences with commercials that were so bad, they ultimately deterred interest in people giving companies any business. Breaking out the loud, squeaking tires on a commercial is no way to go about winning over the hearts of someone. Or, showing the same commercial over and over again, like they forgot about it when they saw the commercial a mere few minutes ago. 

Some things that we all can agree to hate are telemarketers, spam, and convincing scams.The whole "please don't call me back, take us off your list thing" is working less and less these days, so this guy opted to set up a meeting and make an inception style mockery of the whole process. People have their own strategies for shutting down marketing and scam calls, but the effort put into this is awesome.

These honest slogans do away with the deception that brands put out when it comes to marketing, and instead just get right to the damn point. Sometimes you had a hell of a day, and just need to take a pint of Ben & Jerry's home with you, to eat your feelings away. 

After being put on a waiting list for way too long and seeing his wife blown off by incompetent healthcare administration, this guy took the matter into his own hands, with some creative emailing and the use of telemarketing software. The world is full of people complying maliciously, like this IT guy who came up with a masterful plan after being told he had to work on vacation.

One day someone asks if you mind being in a couple pictures, then the next day you find yourself in an ad for extra-small condoms. The stock photo game can be a weird one, and these people found out the hard way.

The people who make bathtub trays seem to be under the impression that the people who buy them are in search of a lifestyle of elegance. Sharon Su investigates this incredible phenomenon in the thread below. Also, it looks like they used the blue drink twice. Huh.