“So little trouble do men take in search for the truth; so readily do they accept whatever comes first to hand.”
~ Thucydides~
Five hundred years ago the average citizen believed that if you went too far in the ocean you would fall off the ocean cliff and into the great abyss.
Fortunately, the age of world exploration and discovery enabled us, step-by-step, to debunk that (and other) false rumors. I say fortunately because to live in mysticism and fear is to live and die in ignorance.
Whether actress Cyndi Schaeffer or talk show host Oprah Winfrey or MLB Superstar Derek Jeter uses a certain deodorant or endorses a certain diet plan or recommends a certain book should be irrelevant to you. You too would likely endorse these things if a sponsor would pay you millions of dollars for your wink, wiggle or stern tone.
But it is our responsibility to create responsible products and services which will not be up for auction on eBay one month later. “As seen on TV” is not for you, an intelligent, value-added entrepreneur or concerned individual.
In marketing circles, many would state that my idea is anti-marketing and that if I adhere to such a philosophy then I cannot be a good marketer. I beg to differ.
When one lives on a competitive plane and sees limited resources at every turn, then conniving and treachery rules. A few winners and many losers will be the result. Look at our present economic straits and those of the bulk of the world and you see the result of excess, deception and hedonism.
Selling should be based on creating true and lasting value to an individual’s life. Buying the hottest 1000-calorie Salsa music video will breed nations of fatties, not skinnies.
As seen on TV is selling you a physical dream that most people can’t even imagine in their present flabby state. They buy on an impulse – which is great for the marketer – and then put the DVDs, jump ropes and whatnot in the closet next to the exercise bicycle, the boxes of “date expired” diet drinks, and belly massagers.
Rather than opening markets and creating future customers, we are creating hundreds of millions of lifetime skeptics and put-your-hand-on-your-wallet cheapskates. If the purpose of deception is to sell products today and then run from the lynch mob in the dead of night…..then “As Seen on TV” will dupe many. But the long term effect will be devastating.
Japan is the oriental capital of such schlock. Buy and throw away is built into the system. The idea – like too many others – was artfully designed and implemented by the American automobile manufacturers of yore. It is called planned obsolescence and in a sustainable environment it must finally be buried next to the dinosaurs. Our future undoubtedly depends upon planned obsolescence becoming obsolete.
The adjustment to such a responsible idea will be a bitter medicine for most to swallow, yet it is coming to our world regardless of whether we oppose such frugality and consciousness. Mark my words.
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