17 Sep
1998
17 Sep
'98
11:55 p.m.
On 17 Sep 98 at 9:02, John Foust wrote:
At 04:19 PM 9/16/98 -0700, Sam Ismail wrote:
Speaking of dogshit, why are McDonalds and so many fast food outlets
so successfull when usually the neighborhood greasy spoon has better
tasting and quality food. To me most people have lost awareness of quality
in things. A select few overpay for "gourmet" foods but are really generally
unaware of the taste difference , it's the "status"of the thing. And if
something has "status", it's expensive. West Indians I know complain about
how tasteless our commercial tomatoes and other produce is. And it's because
they were broght up on food right out of a garden rather than ripening on the
way to the market.
I go with Sam on this, but the reason the marketing succeeds is because most
people just don't know the difference. A mechanic who's livelyhood depends on
his tools will go for the best he can afford based on his experience no matter
what "The Home Handyman" says. Similiarly computer professionals will not go
with the flow, but what they require to acomplish their tasks. But of course
most people only use their computers for minor tasks so they go with what
they perceive as the best considering their circumstances.
ciao larry
lwalker(a)interlog.com
Anyway, sorry for the rambling. But I hope you see my point. The
majority of people buy stuff because a disembodied voice on TV or a
caption in a magazine compels them to.
Buy my stuff. Buy my stuff. Buy my stuff. Is it working yet?
This isn't an ordinary disembodied voice. Only *you* hear it
in your head, so it should be extra-effective.
The usual technoid misanthropy aside, "buy what everyone else
is buying" isn't a bad strategy if it's something that's
not central to your life. Do you spend as much time researching,
optimizing and comparing your decisions for buying food as you
do with buying computers?
The majority of the people buying
into your propaganda (marketing) is what it takes to make a successful
product. I could sell dogshit if I marketed it right.
Like <http://www.doodoo.com/> ? Someone's beat you to it.
- John