GET #HOODWINKEDWISE
Ask yourself the 3 questions below any time you interact with advertising.
And—be aware—an article, a video, or an influencer post just might be advertising & you might not know it.
What motivated this message?
Every marketing message is constructed to get you to buy. It may be a product or an idea.
Most marketing will have a “call to action,” or CTA.
Buy a car!
Go to our website!
Tell a friend!
Well, duh! Of course, marketers want us to buy their products. What you may be less aware of is the extent to which we do the selling for them. Entreaties like “tell a friend” or “share this video” exist because digital advertising is dependent on us promoting content to our friends and family. This is a boon for advertisers. The more we share, the more exposure the advertiser gets, and they get it all for free. Not only exposure, but believability. I’m far more likely to buy a product if my friend sent it to me than if it’s from, say, Tide or Bobbie Brown.
#HoodwinkedWise means making conscious decisions about purchases. It also means refusing to act as an unwitting, unpaid promoter.
Bottom Line: Marketers may be selling you a product or they may be trying to get you to sell it for them.
What information is missing or hidden?
Marketers are magicians. They get you to look at the shiny, beautiful thing in one hand so you don’t see what is going on in the other. Think tobacco companies showing glamorous women and rugged cowboys, but hiding the lethal effects of nicotine.
Marketers know you don’t want to see advertising, so they need to hide the sales message. They use branded content (ads that look like articles) or defuse enticing aromas in the mall or distribute influencer videos that aren’t labeled as advertising, even though the FTC requires they do. Why? Because if you knew any of this was advertising, you would be less likely to purchase what they are selling.
Become #HoodwinkedWise by pausing to ask yourself if the message you are receiving really is unbiased, or has it been written or produced by someone paid to get you to think a certain way or buy a certain product?
Bottom Line: Marketers are magicians, and their best trick is separating you from your money and your serenity. Don’t let them.
Who profits?
Behind every marketing campaign are lots of people profiting from your attention.
The advertiser—the toothpaste company or the computer manufacturer—makes money when you buy their product. Media companies make money when you watch their programming or scroll through social media feeds because they sell that attention to advertisers. Advertising agencies make money producing the sales pitch. Influencers make money from acting like your friend. I could go on and on.
Before you engage with content, consider who might be making a buck off your time. Time is our only true inventory. Be willing to take back your time, to own your time. Get #HoodwinkedWise.
Bottom Line: Your attention (and your anxiety) is the basis for a very lucrative economy. Don’t let anyone take that away from you.
Understanding the marketing process will help you gain control over your time, your sanity and your pocketbook. Here are some resources to help you do this:
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Truth in Advertising is a nonprofit advertising watchdog group. Using investigative journalism and advocacy they alert consumers to deceptive advertising practices and provide information for filing complaints at the state level.
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Fairplay for Kids, formerly called Campaign for Commercial-free Childhood, is helping children and their parents navigate and “thrive in an increasingly commercialized, screen-obsessed culture.” They advocate for ending kids marketing.
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Federal Trade Commission is the leading US organization responsible for protecting consumers against deceptive trade practices, including deceptive marketing.
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Ad Text Online provides a list of scholarly articles, including visuals and video, that cover topics from “What is Advertising” to “Does Sex Sell?”
