underground marketing on macrumors?

[meta-ghost]

saw a segment on 60 minutes last week about "underground marketing". basically, advertisers have found markets so saturated with ads they are struggling to find a way into our lives. so they plant young, hip, good looking people in cafes, bars and internet chat sites to promote products without the recipient aware they are being target marketed. one sick scene was at a cafe where a fellow was playing a laptop video game with a vr hand device letting someone else use it and saying his predefined cue: "it's like your in the game man...".

so how often is this happening on this web site?

[pyrotoaster]

Well, I don't know anything about "underground marketing", but I do know this:
There's nothing as refreshing or delicious as a delicious Orange Fanta. Just grab and ice cold can at your local retailer and you'll be ready to go.

That's interesting, but I don't think I've noticed it no Mac Rumors at all. ;)

[whocares]

Originally posted by pyrotoaster
There's nothing as refreshing or delicious as a delicious Orange Fanta. Just grab and ice cold can at your local retailer and you'll be ready to go.

OMG, pyrotoaster works for Fanta and is doing undergroud marketing on MR :p

If no obvious undergroud marketing is going on here, it's quite possible marketing companies are surveying what's said on this kind of site: what people like, want, how to sell to them, etc...

[meta-ghost]

Originally posted by whocares


If no obvious undergroud marketing is going on here,

sorry, but if it's obvious it's not underground marketing.

tell me that the person who started the following thread on a Logitech mouse could not be a marketer...

http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=45754

maybe we know him/her but in other situations - no.

[Flowbee]

Originally posted by meta-ghost
tell me that the person who started the following thread on a Logitech mouse could not be a marketer...

http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=45754

Whenever I see a post like that, I usually check the person's profile. If they only have a handfull of posts, I might be suspicious (there was an ugly laptop bag promoted by a newbie recently that raised a red flag with me).

[the future]

Originally posted by whocares
If no obvious undergroud marketing is going on here, it's quite possible marketing companies are surveying what's said on this kind of site: what people like, want, how to sell to them, etc...

Ok, just in case then... WE WANT A BADASS APPLE PDA/MOBILE VIDEO UNIT, DAMMIT!! There you go...

[Doctor Q]

Some people (I won't mention any names) have been promoting flossing your teeth in their signature, unfairly influencing MR members and giving no voice to the opposing (don't floss your teeth) viewpoint.

Seriously now, if a marketer is doing a good job, we won't be aware that they are shilling for their company. We can't avoid the problem, but we can follow a simple rule - don't take advice without considering the source. If you ask what's a good router or digital camera, take the advice you get with a grain of salt, especially if it's from a newbie with no history of talking about other topics.

[FriarTuck]

Oh, come on. You obey must be kidding. Next buy you will be saying produce there are subliminal messages send Arn all your money on MacRumors.

[1macker1]

That was the most unattractive bag ever made.
Originally posted by Flowbee
Whenever I see a post like that, I usually check the person's profile. If they only have a handfull of posts, I might be suspicious (there was an ugly laptop bag promoted by a newbie recently that raised a red flag with me).

[jxyama]

Originally posted by meta-ghost
... young, hip, good looking people...

this part isn't true about MR? :D

[meta-ghost]

Originally posted by jxyama
this part isn't true about MR? :D

well, i may not be young anymore, or hip, but i'm still pretty.

[Sun Baked]

Nope...

No pretty and hip marketers on MR.

Just ugly trolls swinging by to spout their filthy lies about the joys of Wintel.

---

If any hip and pretty babe stopped by, she'd be stalked by the horny nerds around here. Or at least one member looking for a Visa.

In the end it would be a pretty ugly scene, especially if she ended up in the drunk or equipment size threads.

But anybody willing to stop by and sell string bikinis with Apple Logos are quite welcome, as long as they keep uploading new pictures. (On second thought -- Maybe not) :rolleyes:

[tazo]

i wont comment on marketing within Macrumors, but on an interesting note, the book 'Pattern Recognition', which has a small section about a character that does what you are talking about: introduce products in an informal setting in an "anti-marketing" type fashion :)

[mactastic]

Buy Apple Products! You will hate Microsoft! To like Microsoft will cause you great pain. Incredible, icky pain...[/subliminal message]

Wow that one seems to have worked around here!:p

[rainman::|:|]

this type of "underground marketing" has been around for decades. bacardi did it for a while in the late '80s, planting what were basically hookers in bars to get people to order bacardi drinks, make the guys think bacardi was sexy to women. i think the simpsons or the family guy mentioned it once. it's not at all uncommon, i'm surprised people are just now taking notice.

i doubt anyone on MR is one tho... apple has enough fans that they don't need plants. could some of the trolls here be MS employees? ah, well, they're certainly annoying enough...

pnw

[mactastic]

It was the Simpsons, in the episode with Moe getting together with Holly Hunter. Then Homer runs Moe's car off the cliff in front of the cops.

"Hawaii? Who's going to Hawaii? Am I going to Hawaii?"

"Stop saying Hawaii!"

[pinto32]

hmm....now that I think about it....APPLE has been doing this for years!!! It all makes sense...they have been making beautiful, reliable software and putting in eloquent machines as part of some evil plot to convince people that they know what the hell they are doing!!! EVIL EVIL APPLE!!!!!

[wsteineker]

Originally posted by pinto32
eloquent machines

Wow, those must have been some very well spoken machines, what with them being so eloquent and all. I think you were looking for "elegant", and just missed a step. ;)

[XnavxeMiyyep]

Originally posted by wsteineker
Wow, those must have been some very well spoken machines, what with them being so eloquent and all. I think you were looking for "elegant", and just missed a step. ;)
Eloquent:
1. Characterized by persuasive, powerful discourse: an eloquent speaker; an eloquent sermon.
2. Vividly or movingly expressive: a look eloquent with compassion.

http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=eloquent

[Doctor Q]

Eloquent: Either of two very large herbivorous mammals of south-central Asia or Africa, having thick, almost hairless skin, a long, flexible, prehensile trunk, upper incisors forming long curved tusks of ivory, and, in the African species, large fan-shaped ears.

From Doctor Q's Dictionary, now on sale at amazon.com and bookstores near you! I find that is the best dictionary on the market, IMHO, and I think you will too. Buy it today. Sale ends Saturday. You'll be glad you did.

[krossfyter]

WTF? semantics fight? whats going on?

.....


so is this the new trend in marketing?

[tazo]

Originally posted by XnavxeMiyyep
Eloquent:
1. Characterized by persuasive, powerful discourse: an eloquent speaker; an eloquent sermon.
2. Vividly or movingly expressive: a look eloquent with compassion.

http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=eloquent

I beg to differ on that definition:

"No entry found for "eloquent" in the dictionary."

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=eloquent&f=1

[manitoubalck]

Originally posted by pyrotoaster
That's interesting, but I don't think I've noticed it no Mac Rumors at all. ;)

That's interesting, I thought this whole site was one big unofficial mac advertising campaign :)

[manitoubalck]

Originally posted by mactastic
It was the Simpsons, in the episode with Moe getting together with Holly Hunter. Then Homer runs Moe's car off the cliff in front of the cops.

"Hawaii? Who's going to Hawaii? Am I going to Hawaii?"

"Stop saying Hawaii!"

What about "Yvan eht nioj" in another Simpsons episode, or the Movie "Josie and the PussyCats." Sub-advertising is everywhere,

[whocares]

Check this thread out:
http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=45670

Three consecutive recommendations for an OWC drive. Those three posters must be one and only. I sure wouldn't trust them :) :p :p :D

[CmdrLaForge]

Originally posted by paulwhannel
this type of "underground marketing" has been around for decades. bacardi did it for a while in the late '80s, planting what were basically hookers in bars to get people to order bacardi drinks, make the guys think bacardi was sexy to women. i think the simpsons or the family guy mentioned it once. it's not at all uncommon, i'm surprised people are just now taking notice.

i doubt anyone on MR is one tho... apple has enough fans that they don't need plants. could some of the trolls here be MS employees? ah, well, they're certainly annoying enough...

pnw

But how many people can you address with this type of marketing ? Not many ! Or you need a lot of hookers.

Oooppss. Now I understand.

[alxths]

I guess the only possible downfall of tha tform of marketting would be damage to a company's reputation if it became publicly known that they were practicing the said techniques.

But the potential for this sort of advertising is just enormous, so there are undoubtably many advertisers posting on message boards like this one. Many that work for apple in fact, although most, if not all of them, don't realize it...

Although i agree with DoctorQs advice in excersising cautoin in taking advice from strangers, I think i'm more partial to a good old fashioned witchhunt.

"That seemed a little biased to me... a mole!!! Burn him! Buurrrrr--er, i mean, ban him!! baaaaaann hiiiiiimm!!"
*crowd of posters* "Yah! Ban him! ban him!!!"

[themadchemist]

Originally posted by meta-ghost
saw a segment on 60 minutes last week about "underground marketing". basically, advertisers have found markets so saturated with ads they are struggling to find a way into our lives. so they plant young, hip, good looking people in cafes, bars and internet chat sites to promote products without the recipient aware they are being target marketed. one sick scene was at a cafe where a fellow was playing a laptop video game with a vr hand device letting someone else use it and saying his predefined cue: "it's like your in the game man...".

so how often is this happening on this web site?

so how can you tell if they are "young, hip, good looking" on this site? I guess the pics thread would help, but other than that, do you check out the avatar or something?