3 ms·

The same is true of cocaine. Yet without advertising the people who 'need' cocaine manage to learn about it and acquire it, often at great personal cost.

buboard 7y ago
Dealers advertise their stuff. Otherwise you have a chicken and egg problem
- rabidrat 7y ago
  Smart dealers don't "advertise". They communicate their available goods to individuals who are already looking and who pass a basic smell test. While on vacation a few years ago, I went out at night to see if I could find some plant matter, and passed a guy on the street who looked like he might know the score. (Being present at a particular time/place to serve a market and dressing in a non-official manner is not advertising). So I said "got any green?" and he said "no...white?" and I said "ah, no thanks" and moved along. No advertising required.
  - buboard 7y ago
    Didnt he just advertise that white stuff to you? How else you call that?
    - rabidrat 7y ago
      If I call up a restaurant and ask "do you have fish today" and they say "no, today we have steak" I do not consider that advertising.
      - buboard 7y ago
        That's because it's like targeted advertising: Now that they know you 're looking for food, they can make the advertisement relevant. It would sound worse if they said "No but would you like a pair of sandals"
        rabidrat 7y ago
        Advertising is understood to be push and broadcast (or at least multicast) communication. If I initiate the communication, that is not advertising. If it is targeted to an audience of one, that is not advertising. The OP was lamenting the ubiquity and tactics of abusing broadcast media to manipulate consumers en masse. I'm taking a wild guess here that the OP would not put consumer-initiated communication into the bin of "advertising" they were talking about.
        buboard 7y ago
        OP also mentions targeted online advertising which is central to the current debate and has even led to specific legislation. That is targeted to an audience of one, and is initiated by the person herself, by visiting the website.

buboard 7y ago

Dealers advertise their stuff. Otherwise you have a chicken and egg problem

rabidrat 7y ago
Smart dealers don't "advertise". They communicate their available goods to individuals who are already looking and who pass a basic smell test. While on vacation a few years ago, I went out at night to see if I could find some plant matter, and passed a guy on the street who looked like he might know the score. (Being present at a particular time/place to serve a market and dressing in a non-official manner is not advertising). So I said "got any green?" and he said "no...white?" and I said "ah, no thanks" and moved along. No advertising required.
- buboard 7y ago
  Didnt he just advertise that white stuff to you? How else you call that?
  - rabidrat 7y ago
    If I call up a restaurant and ask "do you have fish today" and they say "no, today we have steak" I do not consider that advertising.
    - buboard 7y ago
      That's because it's like targeted advertising: Now that they know you 're looking for food, they can make the advertisement relevant. It would sound worse if they said "No but would you like a pair of sandals"
      - rabidrat 7y ago
        Advertising is understood to be push and broadcast (or at least multicast) communication. If I initiate the communication, that is not advertising. If it is targeted to an audience of one, that is not advertising. The OP was lamenting the ubiquity and tactics of abusing broadcast media to manipulate consumers en masse. I'm taking a wild guess here that the OP would not put consumer-initiated communication into the bin of "advertising" they were talking about.
        buboard 7y ago
        OP also mentions targeted online advertising which is central to the current debate and has even led to specific legislation. That is targeted to an audience of one, and is initiated by the person herself, by visiting the website.