Gunpoint Advertising
Fast and Furious action films are like the tortoise, compared to screeching online advertising on mobile phones and all electronic gadgets.
Traditional advertising places things on display, in
magazines, newspapers, television, radio, billboards, t-shirts, street lights, buses,
park benches and bus stop shelters with the hope that consumers will remember
the product when it is time to buy detergent or paint.
Online advertising threw out the gentleman act. They are in-house, in your phone, 24/7. Buy this or else. Commands.
Demands. Deadlines. Get
rewards. Get more points. Get cashback.
Everyday instructions, in fact, condescending instructions.
For example, people who don’t like going to the movies
should not be accused of not using their debit or credit card points. It’s like being taken to the principal’s
office for wearing a blue, instead of the school uniform’s white shirt.
Online advertising dances to its own music, outside
standards set by advertising bureaus found all over the world. Consumers are largely to blame. They never ask why cashiers want their emails
when they pay for goods and services. Cashiers never give reasons for the
demand.
What is your email
address? What is your postal code?
It is a lopsided situation because consumers go home with
what they paid for. Shops get both the
money and private information such as email, a tool they will use in future to
advertise their goods.
By: Nonqaba waka Msimang.
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