The basic business model ...
Submitted by wmoran on Mon, 2009-07-20 12:41
If you ever stay up late at night and end up watching those late-night advertisements, you've probably noticed the formula they use:
- Tell you that you have a problem. Do your friends think that you stink?
- Establish that their competitors don't solve the problem, and are actually embarrassing or dangerous to try. Normal deodorants can't mask your stench, or they smell too strong and freak everyone out. Some of them actually cause nasty rashes, requiring months in intensive care to recover from.
- Show that their product solves your problem. No-stench fixes your BO permanently, by cybernetically mounting hundreds of tiny fans to your armpit hairs, making it seem like you're constantly downwind!
- Offer it at a price anyone can afford (use lots of 9s, or an installment plan) For only 73 simply payments of $19.99!
- Scare them into buying now But this TV offer is only available for limited time, after which the price will climb to $1459.27!
- Repeat the cycle for the full 30 minutes.
Most internet companies follow a formula as well:
- Make snazzy advertisements with silly jokes that convince people to visit the site. Bla bla bla, sing freecreditreport.com!
- Offer the first one for free to get the sucker to sign up and provide their email address. Get your free credit report via email!
- Lie. We'll never spam you
- Disguise your spam as legit information about the person's "account". This is not spam, this is important information about your account: you have not signed up for the services that make us money yet! Click here to fix your account!
Yes, freecreditreport.com follows that dishonest model. Don't know why I'd be surprised by it.
Luckily, I own my own mail server, so I'll just block their friggin domain and save myself the headache of the endless mails. It'd be sad if you couldn't do the same.
Just remember, everything is legal if you lie cleverly enough!