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Without advertising, no matter how good your product is, people will never find you. People would just go with whatever product they happened to know (the marke

by cm2012 7y ago

Without advertising, no matter how good your product is, people will never find you. People would just go with whatever product they happened to know (the market incumbent, usually), or just not have access to that category of product.

TeMPOraL 7y ago
I agree that competition against incumbents might get more difficult, though if the offering was truly superior, it would become known through word of mouth alone. As for not having access, why would that happen? When people have problems, at least a fraction of them is actively looking for a solution, and those people would introduce everyone else to a new category of products. What would definitely suffer is products that exist only to fulfill a manufactured demand, but that would be a good thing.
philwelch 7y ago
I have never seen advertising for Zojirishi rice cookers, and yet I somehow own one. The same is true for my shoes, which I bought at a shoe store. I don’t really see advertising for firearms but I have purchased some, and particular models thereof for that matter. I have seen advertising for the mattress brand I own, but it was sleeping on a friend’s mattress of the same brand that made the difference. Most of my net worth is in a brokerage I have never seen advertised. My primary credit card was one I learned of by way of mouth; it’s seemingly-deliberately advertised nowhere. I have booked airlines I’ve never heard of before. My charitable donations go to a charity that does not seem to advertise. The beer I drink has a funny name, but I saw it in the beer store and tried it and I’ve been drinking it ever since despite no advertising that I’ve seen. And none of these individual decisions are particularly rare or hipsterish; in fact, the main reason I give my business to most of these companies is because other people do so as well and recommended it. Likewise, all the advertising in the world didn’t seem to save a particular obnoxiously-promoted product that one is meant to “apply DIRECTLY to the FOREHEAD!”
wpietri 7y ago
"It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends upon his not understanding it!" -- Upton Sinclair As I told you, I find good products all the time without looking at advertising. The problem you imagine might conceivable have been a big issue before the rise of the internet. But now anybody who feels a lack can quickly search. E.g., right now I'm traveling; before I left I looked at Wirecutter's travel products guide: https://thewirecutter.com/reviews/travel-guide/ https://thewirecutter.com/reviews/travel-guide/ It was great. I found and tried out a few new products. I'll buy more of some of them, and have already recommended a couple to friends. The reason you keep failing to understand a pretty simple point is that you are identifying with a particular business, rather than consumers. But think of it the other way: Why should I as a consumer care if a given business can't manipulate me into buying their product? Answer: I don't. I trust that I'll find sufficient good products when I need them. Indeed, without paid audience manipulation, I expect I'll find better products on average.

by cm2012 7y ago

TeMPOraL 7y ago

I agree that competition against incumbents might get more difficult, though if the offering was truly superior, it would become known through word of mouth alone. As for not having access, why would that happen? When people have problems, at least a fraction of them is actively looking for a solution, and those people would introduce everyone else to a new category of products. What would definitely suffer is products that exist only to fulfill a manufactured demand, but that would be a good thing.

philwelch 7y ago

I have never seen advertising for Zojirishi rice cookers, and yet I somehow own one. The same is true for my shoes, which I bought at a shoe store. I don’t really see advertising for firearms but I have purchased some, and particular models thereof for that matter. I have seen advertising for the mattress brand I own, but it was sleeping on a friend’s mattress of the same brand that made the difference. Most of my net worth is in a brokerage I have never seen advertised. My primary credit card was one I learned of by way of mouth; it’s seemingly-deliberately advertised nowhere. I have booked airlines I’ve never heard of before. My charitable donations go to a charity that does not seem to advertise. The beer I drink has a funny name, but I saw it in the beer store and tried it and I’ve been drinking it ever since despite no advertising that I’ve seen. And none of these individual decisions are particularly rare or hipsterish; in fact, the main reason I give my business to most of these companies is because other people do so as well and recommended it. Likewise, all the advertising in the world didn’t seem to save a particular obnoxiously-promoted product that one is meant to “apply DIRECTLY to the FOREHEAD!”

wpietri 7y ago

"It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends upon his not understanding it!" -- Upton Sinclair As I told you, I find good products all the time without looking at advertising. The problem you imagine might conceivable have been a big issue before the rise of the internet. But now anybody who feels a lack can quickly search. E.g., right now I'm traveling; before I left I looked at Wirecutter's travel products guide: https://thewirecutter.com/reviews/travel-guide/ https://thewirecutter.com/reviews/travel-guide/ It was great. I found and tried out a few new products. I'll buy more of some of them, and have already recommended a couple to friends. The reason you keep failing to understand a pretty simple point is that you are identifying with a particular business, rather than consumers. But think of it the other way: Why should I as a consumer care if a given business can't manipulate me into buying their product? Answer: I don't. I trust that I'll find sufficient good products when I need them. Indeed, without paid audience manipulation, I expect I'll find better products on average.