cab
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...that advertisers say things like......lowest CO2 emissions of any seven seat four by four?
Yes, just heard that phrase on an advert on telly. Of all the most meaningless, idiotic, greenwashy piles of excrement, I mean, does such a phrase not make your heart sink? Is it not indicative of how so many people are either in the 'selfish' camp of not caring else they're in the 'gullible' camp where they believe such claims mean that a vehicle like this is in some way greener?
Car advertising- sadistic parasitism pushing an unethical, indesirable, unsustainable dream for the individual at the cost of the wellbeing of all.
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Rob R
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As I understand it car company advertising is nothing to do with selling cars but is everything to do with making the buyer feel they've made the right choice/making people who can't afford that vehicle, envious.
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cab
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| Rob R wrote: | | As I understand it car company advertising is nothing to do with selling cars but is everything to do with making the buyer feel they've made the right choice/making people who can't afford that vehicle, envious. |
Thats also my understanding... Its raising brand profile and associating owning a product with lifestyle. Or, in other words, its clever and dishonest manipulation. But add to that an element of blatant greenwashing and I think that the result is sickeningly discreditable.
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Cathryn
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I ask my naive question, if it doesn't work on us why should it work on too many others?
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cassy
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green, low CO2, environmentally friendly
The quicker these term lose their meaning in an advertising context, the better as far as I'm concerned. If they have no real value and if people stop trusting the words then they will have to start using their brains and question the claims being made, rather then just swallowing it and saying "oh well, it might be a big {insert consumer product here}, but at least I've done my bit because it is more environmentally friendly/greener/has lower emissions than x"
It used to make my blood boil, but now I think it's a good thing that they're abusing these terms. Mind you, once these words are no longer successful to flog things, they will just invent new ones.
We've already had dark green, what about far green, sub-low CO2, hypo-environmentally friendly. They're probably being used already
 .
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cab
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| Cathryn wrote: | | I ask my naive question, if it doesn't work on us why should it work on too many others? |
The psychology of advertising is pretty big really; don't assume that you're unaffected by it (I don't). Simply, advertising works, it affects peoples views and the perception of products. It can backfire, sure, and you'll get some cynical blighters who will snipe, but the principle is very sound and very effective.
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Cathryn
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Yeah that's what I imagined - and it's difficult to evaluate from our perspective because I only notice it when it backfires and devalues the words and hopefully the product. Think I will read more on this.
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wellington womble
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'Snuffin. As a physio, I am not allowed to advertise that exercise will help you lose weight, as you cannot claim that anything but dieting will result in weight loss. I never beleive anything in an advert!
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Rob R
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That's true, if people could see the power that advertising has on them they would stop buying bigger cars because they need them and start having smaller families instead and maybe driving what they have a bit more economically instead of buying Prius' or whatever in the misguided notion that it's a better car for the environment.
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cab
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| wellington womble wrote: | | 'Snuffin. As a physio, I am not allowed to advertise that exercise will help you lose weight, as you cannot claim that anything but dieting will result in weight loss. I never beleive anything in an advert! |
I'll confess that excercising never seems to help me lose weight. I like to think its because I'm losing fat and gaining muscle, but I suspect its the meat pies eaten after excercising.
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cassy
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Thank you  , that's the word I was looking for (might have saved me ranting a bit if I'd remembered it earlier ).
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Jonnyboy
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| Rob R wrote: | | That's true, if people could see the power that advertising has on them they would stop buying bigger cars because they need them and start having smaller families instead and maybe driving what they have a bit more economically instead of buying Prius' or whatever in the misguided notion that it's a better car for the environment. |
Problem is that for a lot of people car ownership is an aspirational thing, and it's hard to get away from that. But if people can get away from buying a car because it makes them a better person then they might make more practical choices.
Of course that also means I can get a 4x4 without people looking down their noses at me.
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dpack
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i need more bozwellox now
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sean
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| Jonnyboy wrote: |
Of course that also means I can get a 4x4 without people looking down their noses at me. |
Nearly right. 
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Rob R
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There are two very important things a car should do, in equal measures- go & stop. Both quickly & cheaply.
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Maxwell Smart
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| Rob R wrote: | | There are two very important things a car should do, in equal measures- go & stop. Both quickly & cheaply. |
Now that is a little bit like saying that food should only satiate your appetite and nourish you and whether it tastes good or not is irrelevant.
Sure a car should go and stop - but it is also nice if it can put a smile on your face. Now whether that is a smile because its getting 80mpg or 8mpg I leave for you to decide.
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Rob R
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| Maxwell Smart wrote: | | Sure a car should go and stop - but it is also nice if it can put a smile on your face. |
If it does all those four things, trust me, I'll be smiling.
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Jonnyboy
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| sean wrote: | | Jonnyboy wrote: |
Of course that also means I can get a 4x4 without people looking down their noses at me. |
Nearly right. |
Sorry, up.
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