Unwanted Advertising
Gordon K. Glatz
September 10, 2007
I live in a small apartment where the mail is delivered to community boxes. That are set up on steel poles at three locations one for each group of apartments. The box is about 5 or 6 inches square by 12 inches deep, and will hold only so much mail. I don't always check the mail every day, and probable should. If for no other reason then to insure that the mail that counts gets delivered. Why? because every time I open the box it is stuffed, and if not cleaned out where will the mailman put the over flow. Now if you are wondering, I do not conduct a business through the mail, nor am I that popular. Mostly all I get is bills, and the rest is what we call junk mail. Which seems to come from every business in town. If a medium size city dweller receives this much junk, can you imagine the mail box in a large city.
One day I happened on the mailman while he was busy stuffing the boxes, and asked him if I could request no delivery of the junk mail. He replied with a big, "NO", adding that they had to delivery it. Why? because it has a stamp on it, they paid for delivery. Unlike the internet where mail can be blocked because it is free. So I stood there muttering about the stupidity of the system, while I sorted the junk and through it into the trash cans provided by the apartment manager.
Yes there are trash cans right in front of the mail boxes, so people will not just throw it on the ground. I could carry it to my apartment and sort it there, but I would just have to carry it back to the dumpster in my trash. The fullness of those cans attests to the fact that most people are not reading the advertisements. I don't know who dumps the cans, I assume the maintenance man who is paid by the apartment house, and that cost is past on to us through rises in rent.
One of the problems caused by our society is to much trash going to the land fill. Many cities are making an effort to decrease the trash by re-cycling plastic, paper, glass, metal, etc. The effectiveness is cut short with this practice of advertising in the mail. There are many people who do read the ads, but they still end up in the trash. I have know idea how many actually respond to the ads and buy something, but even a few customers increases the profits, and encourages them to continue the mailings. The businesses don't care as the cost is deductible on their taxes as a business expense. The US postal service doesn't mind since they are making all that profit.
This is only one source of the constant bombardment of advertisements we encounter daily. With news papers, and magazines we have the choice of not buying or ignoring the ads in them. Then there is the flyers stuck on our cars, home doors or knobs which we leave on the ground or put in the home trash.
Next biggie is Television which gripes me the most. When it began there was very little commercials, one in the beginning, middle, and at the end of a program, which were only a few seconds long. Your reception was not that good off the old antenna, but it was free. Now the programming is still freely broadcast, but you pay for the reception on cable or dish. You get five minutes of show to three or four minutes of ads. There are even half to one hour long shows that are just commercials, these are called info-commercials. I can not see anyone watching a half hour long commercial. They will run anything if someone is willing to pay the price. Why bother running a new program or movie when it is cheaper to run the repeats, and the advertiser still pays to sponsor them. This may not matter to those who can afford to go out for their entertainment, but there are many who have little choice but TV.
Now what about the out side entertainment there is of course all the usual night clubs, and bars, bowling, movies etc. that we had in the past. Let us consider the movies which I have always loved. In my home town when I was growing up there was five theaters and three drive-in's. All were in easy reach by bus or car, and were cheap entertainment with no commercials. They made their profit from your ticket and the refreshment sales. There were no advertisements shown on the screen while you waited for the movie to start, except for the refreshment stand ads. You bought your ticket and went right in, and could stay over and watch the part you missed, or check with the box office as to starting times and enter at the beginning. The shows ran continually all day with small intermissions between the main features. In 1944 when I first started going to the movies, you got two features plus a cartoon, news reel, and short subject all for the price of 35 cents.
Now you pay quit a bit more, the last time I went it was seven dollars for a ticket to see one feature, and cost of refreshments was ridiculous.You had to wait in the lobby for the show to end, before you could be seated. They ran advertisements for local businesses and coming attractions before the show started, and you had to leave when it was over.
The last thing I will mention is the ridiculous email spam I receive daily, I very seldom read any of it. It goes in to my bulk folder which I delete, after checking that good messages have not been directed there. They are wasting their time sending it. and if others do the same as I do, they can not be getting any profitable response.
Now I don't know about the rest of you, but I have certain products that I like and will buy regardless of any advertisement. I will not be pushed in to buying anything I do not want, or need. I am not saying that I will not try new things, but only if I can afford too, and all the advertisement in the world will not make any difference.
Copyright September 2007 by Gordon K. Glatz
One day I happened on the mailman while he was busy stuffing the boxes, and asked him if I could request no delivery of the junk mail. He replied with a big, "NO", adding that they had to delivery it. Why? because it has a stamp on it, they paid for delivery. Unlike the internet where mail can be blocked because it is free. So I stood there muttering about the stupidity of the system, while I sorted the junk and through it into the trash cans provided by the apartment manager.
Yes there are trash cans right in front of the mail boxes, so people will not just throw it on the ground. I could carry it to my apartment and sort it there, but I would just have to carry it back to the dumpster in my trash. The fullness of those cans attests to the fact that most people are not reading the advertisements. I don't know who dumps the cans, I assume the maintenance man who is paid by the apartment house, and that cost is past on to us through rises in rent.
One of the problems caused by our society is to much trash going to the land fill. Many cities are making an effort to decrease the trash by re-cycling plastic, paper, glass, metal, etc. The effectiveness is cut short with this practice of advertising in the mail. There are many people who do read the ads, but they still end up in the trash. I have know idea how many actually respond to the ads and buy something, but even a few customers increases the profits, and encourages them to continue the mailings. The businesses don't care as the cost is deductible on their taxes as a business expense. The US postal service doesn't mind since they are making all that profit.
This is only one source of the constant bombardment of advertisements we encounter daily. With news papers, and magazines we have the choice of not buying or ignoring the ads in them. Then there is the flyers stuck on our cars, home doors or knobs which we leave on the ground or put in the home trash.
Next biggie is Television which gripes me the most. When it began there was very little commercials, one in the beginning, middle, and at the end of a program, which were only a few seconds long. Your reception was not that good off the old antenna, but it was free. Now the programming is still freely broadcast, but you pay for the reception on cable or dish. You get five minutes of show to three or four minutes of ads. There are even half to one hour long shows that are just commercials, these are called info-commercials. I can not see anyone watching a half hour long commercial. They will run anything if someone is willing to pay the price. Why bother running a new program or movie when it is cheaper to run the repeats, and the advertiser still pays to sponsor them. This may not matter to those who can afford to go out for their entertainment, but there are many who have little choice but TV.
Now what about the out side entertainment there is of course all the usual night clubs, and bars, bowling, movies etc. that we had in the past. Let us consider the movies which I have always loved. In my home town when I was growing up there was five theaters and three drive-in's. All were in easy reach by bus or car, and were cheap entertainment with no commercials. They made their profit from your ticket and the refreshment sales. There were no advertisements shown on the screen while you waited for the movie to start, except for the refreshment stand ads. You bought your ticket and went right in, and could stay over and watch the part you missed, or check with the box office as to starting times and enter at the beginning. The shows ran continually all day with small intermissions between the main features. In 1944 when I first started going to the movies, you got two features plus a cartoon, news reel, and short subject all for the price of 35 cents.
Now you pay quit a bit more, the last time I went it was seven dollars for a ticket to see one feature, and cost of refreshments was ridiculous.You had to wait in the lobby for the show to end, before you could be seated. They ran advertisements for local businesses and coming attractions before the show started, and you had to leave when it was over.
The last thing I will mention is the ridiculous email spam I receive daily, I very seldom read any of it. It goes in to my bulk folder which I delete, after checking that good messages have not been directed there. They are wasting their time sending it. and if others do the same as I do, they can not be getting any profitable response.
Now I don't know about the rest of you, but I have certain products that I like and will buy regardless of any advertisement. I will not be pushed in to buying anything I do not want, or need. I am not saying that I will not try new things, but only if I can afford too, and all the advertisement in the world will not make any difference.
Copyright September 2007 by Gordon K. Glatz
Print
Email
