And lo on Mon, 19 May 2008 17:42:36 +0100, Jim Henderson  
<nos### [at] nospamcom> did spake, saying:

> On Mon, 19 May 2008 16:58:44 +0100, Phil Cook wrote:
>
>>> Hey, that could help with my allergy shots.
>>
>> PhilCo, serving the needs of tomorrow yesterday.
>
> Better that than "serving the needs of yesterday tomorrow". :-)

I wouldn't want to compete with the government.

>>> LOL
>>
>> "Is this you stuck in a queue at your local megamarket? If so chances
>> are they're using a slow and outdated till. See this like-for-like
>> comparision between two queues, one using a standard till and the other
>> a PhilCo 8000. Your time is precious, why wait, ask your megamarket to
>> buy a PhilCo 8000 today."
>
> LOL, if I start laughing and have to explain to coworkers.  Bugger,
> forgot to mute my phone and had to explain about cats fighting  
> outside....

Gods I'm still free-associating "Why settle for being served by ugly  
people, get your store to call Supermodels 4 Hire today", "Still breathing  
the same old regular air as everyone else? Don't you deserve better?  
Install a PhilCo air provider. Now with 5% more oxygen!"

That last bit came from a cosmetic ad that boasts its product now has %  
more oxygen... wooh! :-)

>> I mean it's nuts nobody would think about getting customers to suggest a
>> store invest in a particular brand of till, or CCTV camera, or floor
>> tile and advertisers won't bother targetting them. Yet talk about
>> pharmaceuticals and bam everyone's a bleedin' expert based on a
>> one-minute infomercial on the benefits of Bendroxalphaltimine over other
>> brands.
>
> Yep, I agree with this.  Then you get people who have no background in
> pharmacology or chemistry making claims about drugs based on those 60-
> second spots.

Which is the entire point it's much easier to gull them; you don't have to  
show them your clinical trials etc.

>> of women said they noticed a difference' - based on a survey of 52
>> women; wooh that's statistically valid.
>
> Heh, yeah, gotta love that.

And it's normally white text on a light background too.

>> The funny part was that Ch4 blind-tested some women with cheap to
>> expensive products and most of the ones seemed to claim a difference
>> after four weeks. That was until they were re-examined by dermatolgists
>> who came back with the results that a few had improved, a few had not
>> changed, and a few had got worse; with no apparent difference between
>> the £5 tube of moisturiser and the £100+ complete skin care range.
>
> I see this kind of thing fairly regularly - it's amazing what you can
> sell people on, and how gullible the average person really is.

One of them said this herself 'If I'm spending £50 on a cosmetic then I'd  
expect to see a difference'.

>> Oh and all the companies asked to comment on this result came back with
>> a 'well our surveys/studies were larger then yours, but we're not going
>> to let you see them'
>
> Yeah.  Get 'em on video saying that, that'll tank their marketing as long
> as enough people see it.  Get Newsnight to do an expose on it. ;-)

Written statements to Ch4. The journalist got taken around Loreal R&D in  
Paris and asked some interesting questions about claims, the rep was  
visibly squirming.

She talked to the government department about claims made by POS staff and  
the outcome was "We can't act on hearsay" despite it being taped, and  
'they don't make these claims in their advertising or on their products'.  
So basically the POS staff can make whatever claims they like provided  
it's not written down anywhere or broadcast.

Heh one rep claimed that their product 'produced new stem cells, by  
increasing their replication rate'. One medical guy said "Well we have a  
word for that - tumor"

>>> Why am I suddenly hearing George Carlin? ;-)
>>
>> I don't know, has he just rung you? :-P
>
> Heh, wishful thinking - he doesn't know me from Adam.  I was thinking
> about his bit on jumping up and down on seat cushions...

Don't recall that, I'll have to Google/YouTube it when I get chance.

-- 
Phil Cook

--
I once tried to be apathetic, but I just couldn't be bothered
http://flipc.blogspot.com

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