Cracked dot com, which touts itself as, “America’s Only Humor & Video Site, Since 1958” has put together a compilation of what can be called “The 5 Creepiest Advertising Techniques of the (Near) Future.”
Funny thing is, most of these “techniques” are already in practice. If your place of business (or one you know of) employs these methods (or other, creepier ones not mentioned, let us know at agencyspy@gmail.com, IM agencyspy, or twitter).
They are, as follows (in short):
5. Tracking Every Site You Browse and Every Show You Watch
— This is pretty self-explanatory, and also possible thanks to cookies and deep-pocketed marketers. Wait, those still exist?
4. Custom-Made Shilling
— Or, ads customized for the viewer. Ladies, ever see an Axe commercial and think, “I’ve never had a stripper pole in my apartment…” Conversely, Summer’s Eve commercials are always lost on your male counter-parts. Nevertheless, you know you’ve been hyper-focusing spots since your first day on the job.
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3. Fusing Ads and Culture
— Cracked notes the placement of characters like Fred Flinstone in cigarette ads. Now if only Denis Leary would appear in a Lexapro spot.
2. Going Undercover
— Read: Fake blogs, secret customers and generally using douchy, subversive methods to get consumers’ trust.
1. Getting in Your Head
— One example trumps all; Moen’s study, in which they paid people to watch them shower. They swear it was so they could learn about how the average person spends his/her/her/her/her time cleaning shop.
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