10 PLACES YOU DO NOT WANT TO BE CAUGHT ADVERTISING

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Appealing to potential customers' emotions can have a powerful downside, and there are pitfalls to avoid.

The most successful advertising speaks to our basic need for instant gratification. If an ad makes people think: "I want that. I want it now. I have to have it," then it is a success and people make an effort to remember your brand, your product, and your name. But appealing to the emotions can have a powerful downside and there are some pitfalls to avoid regarding targeted marketing misfires and unsolicited bad practices.

Porn Industry

Porn is a multibillion-dollar business. Although it might be tempting to reach such a huge audience, you should probably avoid advertising in the adult sector unless the product is sex-related. For most people, porn is a dirty little secret and any product that's mentally associated with it will have negative connotations.

Marketing Directly to Children

Over the past few years, it has become increasingly controversial to gear marketing campaigns toward children. Remember when the arrival of the Sears Wish Book was a cause for great family excitement? This is no longer the standard technique. Advertising has become much more overt and aggressive in recent years, and the growing negativity surrounding such advertising has potential to end in scandal.

Marketing Adult Products to Teens

Cigarette manufacturers have tried to display smoking as cool and glamorous since the 1950s, and this concept was most easily marketed to impressionable teens desperate to appear older and worldlier. Tobacco companies sometimes used cartoon characters in their ads, targeted the after school television time slots, or advertised in teen magazines aimed at young teens; today, this is a sure-fire way to attract lawsuits and negative attention in the press.

In-School Advertising

Sometimes, corporations will offer funding to struggling schools that are trying to make ends meet. The first forms of in-school advertising were local business support banners on the fence around the sports field, but today, the aggressive nature of corporate advertising is rapidly becoming controversial.

Subliminal Advertising

Subliminal advertising was everywhere in the 1970s. When the scandal broke and the scam was exposed, the public was horrified at the blatant manipulation of the subliminal messages. Even though subliminal advertising messages are still occasionally used, they are often exposed and ridiculed.

Overt Product Placement in Movies

Product placement is very common because big-budget movies need revenue to produce the quality that audiences demand. Subtle placement can be observed in nearly every movie, whether it's a clothing ad on a bus station wall or a perfume display in a department store. This type of advertising is both acceptable and effective as long as the focus of the scene is not on the product. Overt placement will be panned by critics and jeered by the public.

Telemarketing

Privacy laws are becoming more restrictive and telemarketing has been a direct casualty. There are over 50 million numbers on the Federal Trade Commission’s "Do Not Call" list, which proves that people feel telemarketing is annoying, ineffective, and risky.

Email Spam

Ten years ago, spamming was a great way to get your product noticed. People were much more likely to click on a link in an email (or even to open an unfamiliar email) and there were very few tools in place to prevent emails from getting through to inboxes. However, with modern anti-spam laws, spam-killing blacklists, and the countless amounts of daily spam hitting the average inbox, there is simply no point to advertising via spam. Building an opt-in mailing list is a much better option.

Free Program Downloads

Attaching a browser redirect or a product ad to a free download (like a screensaver) is a bad idea; it is even illegal in some cases although it's difficult to prosecute.

Unsolicited Fax Advertising

Fax spam is annoying and costly to the recipient because paper and ink must be purchased to receive faxes. Think twice before advertising this way!

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