No dirty tricks for technology

It is understandable that some consumer goods present a considerable challenge to marketers charged with promoting sales because there are some pretty awkward things that need to be advertised, when you come to think of it.

While copywriters saddled with having to find a sales pitch for anti-dandruff shampoos, sanitary pads, laxatives and the like are to be pitied, why can`t they just stick to the facts when it comes to hi-tech consumer goods?

There seems to have been an explosion of marketing messages around various hi-tech goods and showcase events this past week, which have all had one annoying thing in common.

Instead of merely describing what each of these techno-gadgets can do, they all seek to imbue these goods with social value in an effort to exploit to the maximum people`s willingness to spend more money on digital services and gadgets as they become more comfortable with technology and the idea of technology in the home.

Given an interesting and useful product to sell, marketers should stick to the facts by letting the market know that the product is available and what it can do, instead of trying to mess with people`s heads and trade on feelings of inadequacy by associating products with a desirable way of life.

If the product really does enhance one`s lifestyle, why is it necessary to resort to manipulative psychology to boost sales?

Warwick Ashford, portals managing editor

The widespread use of the word "lifestyle" in just about every bit of text associated with the latest digital device or service has led me to suspect that the hi-tech consumer market has begun resorting to the same "dirty tricks" formerly associated with tobacco and alcohol advertising.

The insidious nature of it all becomes more apparent when one considers that the term "lifestyle" is not as neutral as it may appear to be. Instead of referring to a way of life or a style of living, in the context of advertising, "lifestyle" comes to mean a preferred or desirable style of living.

Like those having to push various sanitary products, copywriters tasked with coming up with adverts for tobacco and alcohol products are faced with the challenge of having to overcome the health hazards associated with these products.

So while it is almost forgivable that these advertisers tended to resort to selling their products in terms of lifestyle concepts, it is unforgivable that similar tactics are now being used for hi-tech consumer goods.

If the product really does enhance one`s lifestyle, why is it necessary to resort to manipulative psychology to boost sales?

Advertisers seem all too willing to exploit the potential of peer group pressure for goods aimed at the youth market to peddle their goods by implying in many subtle and not-so-subtle ways that the mere possession of a particular product will guarantee social acceptance and status.

Although children are probably the softest target, the same principle is also skilfully applied to the adult market by implying that the possession of a particular product is essential to having or being perceived to have a particular kind of lifestyle.

Judging by the price tags of some of the latest techno-gadgetry on the market and reports of gamers becoming so engrossed in cyberworlds that they commit murder and neglect their children in the real world, these products appear more likely to lead to a degraded lifestyle rather than an enhanced lifestyle. It is also rather ironic that the more time people spend using technology to communicate via e-mail, online chat rooms and a host of other channels, the less time they spend talking and listening to the people around them.

How many of the millions of people who buy particular brands of alcohol or cigarettes have bronzed and muscular bodies or own a yacht, an island, executive jet or landcruiser as a consequence? Allowing for the fact there may be some people who fall into that category, I am willing to bet there are many more suffering the consequences of these products than enjoying the 'benefits`.

As alluring as some of these hi-tech goodies are, anyone falling for the ploys of advertisers will soon be forced to face the fact that not only are they a lot poorer for the experience, but that the mere possession of such goods does not necessarily guarantee a better lifestyle.

Technology spend at any level should not be an emotional decision and consumers should assert their independence by getting real about the lifestyle they have and choosing the technology that either fits into that way of living or will enhance it in a positive and meaningful way.