We all know to beware of false claims in advertising. Fortunately we have government agencies to regulate the advertising industry so they can’t actually lie to the public anymore. Unfortunately advertisers have become very adept at cleverly misleading us so it’s difficult to determine what we are purchasing. It makes the old buyer beware adage more prevalent than ever. It’s getting harder and harder to spot the deceptions. In the past few months I have become more aware of just how much I hate today’s marketing strategists. They are good – very good – and that is bad for the consumer! Here are a few examples…
Most magazine companies now continuously send you renewal notices even when it may be a year or two before your subscription is ready to expire. This makes you think it’s time to renew at this great price they are offering when it is not time to renew. I finally caught on to this ploy, but not until after a few times. I think I’ll be getting Better Homes and Gardens until I die.
This week I received my renewal notice for the San Jose Mercury Newspaper. In bold letters it reads, “Important Message! Your invoice has a new look! Please refer to the back for helpful information on how to read our notice.” Indeed it has a new look, but what they fail to mention in the helpful information section is that the price you are paying is now for 26 weeks, not the 52 weeks you have always paid for in the past. So people think they are getting a good deal because the price seems lower. After much closer inspection you find that is not so. The price has actually gone up.
During a hot spell I bought some all fruit juice popsicles from Costco. I knew they were made with 100% fruit juice because it was written in BIG BOLD LETTERS – 100% FRUIT JUICE – across the package. When I got them home I notice some tiny lettering underneath that you almost needed a magnifying glass to read which read “and other added ingredients,” which was the added sugar I wanted to avoid.
And what about packaging? Ice cream companies now only give you 1.75 quarts of ice cream, yet the packaging looks exactly the same as it did when you got a half-gallon. The cost is the same as well. This happens with other products as well.
What about not letting consumers know the ingredients have changed? A few years ago Juice Squeezes changed their formula from being 100% fruit juice to include the usual corn syrup byproducts. The change was listed in the fine print of the ingredients but not anywhere that regular consumers could know that a change had been made. Therefore, you thought you were getting the same product you had always gotten, but you weren’t. My complaint was not that they changed the formula. That is their prerogative. My complaint was they did not alert loyal customers. What about diabetics, mom’s regulating their children’s sugar intake or others with health issues? After a few letters of complaint, they changed back. Sometimes one voice does make a difference.
Don’t kid yourself. Companies may say they have a new look, better packaging, or something more convenient for you, but what they really have is a shrewd way to make more money by duping you into thinking you are getting something you are not. It’s all quite legal.
I can’t help but wonder if this modern marketing mania doesn’t spill over into the Christian sector. Are we trying to coerce people into coming to church with entertaining music, dramatic presentations, and programs designed more for physical results than spiritual. These things are not necessarily wrong, but they don’t really reflect what Christ is all about. Our world’s marketing plans are about selling people what they don’t need and convincing them to buy it.
Buyer beware if someone tries to sell you Christ, for He can’t be bought. But what He has can be freely given with no fear of fine print, hidden fees, or changed formula.
Ephesians 2:8 “For by grace are ye saved through faith;
and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.”
