It is estimated that in 2021 an average person might be exposed to as many as 10,000 ads per day. It seems like a lot, but when you think about it, ads bombard us on social media, TV, billboards, and even inside our fortune cookies. We get so used to them that we don’t even notice.
One would like to think that marketing and advertising should bridge the gap between the seller and the buyer; make people trust the product and encourage them to use it. But their words often sound too good to be true. And they often are. If you see a big sign yelling “Everything’s 30% off”, it might be designed to make you miss the small line at the bottom where it says that the offer applies to a handful of selected items only. Congratulations, you’ve just encountered false marketing.
This time, we will check out a few ‘sometimes ridiculous, other times alarming and infuriating’ marketing techniques that evil businesses use to take advantage of us and manipulate customers into buying more stuff. Continue scrolling and see these examples for yourself!
After you’re done reading, don’t forget to check out this previous Bored Panda post with 30 pictures that companies do not want you to see.
#1 Trashy Company
Image source: mkbhd
#2 Man, That’s Really Cheap… Oh
Image source: LuMo096
#3 Packaging For These Markers
Image source: Chev_350
#4 And During A Pandemic
Image source: Colon Brew, Colon Brew
#5 I Have An Ad In My Fortune Cookie
Image source: Full_Metal_Machinist
#6 Bought A Chicken Pot Pie Thinking It Was The Size Of The Outer Tin Before Cutting Into It And Seeing This Monstrosity
Image source: ItRhymesWithFreak
#7 New Cereal Box Is 11% Taller With 1.6% Less Cereal
Image source: ______———
#8 So Basically Every Price
Image source: BrendanTFirefly
#9 Imagine Cleaning A Fan So Well That You Uncover 2 New Blades
Image source: erkang06
#10 That Would Explain Why My Ankle Hurts
Image source: ASAPxSyndicate
#11 By Opening The Envelope For The License Agreement, You Agree To It
Image source: PandaKing185
#12 Walmart Employee Here. We Were Given These Shirts Today. Walmart Profits Billions Off Of This Pandemic, Then Compares Their Sacrifice To WW2 Veterans
Image source: TehAwkwardOne
#13 This “Dual” Camera Smartphone Doesn’t Have Two Functioning Cameras
Image source: Funnyonol
#14 False Advertising Should Be A Felony
Image source: anniemaymoo
#15 When You Thumbs Down Trash Like This On Netflix But It Keeps Coming Back At The Top Of Your Homepage
Image source: wozmatic
#16 Went In For The $1.99 Lunch Special. Sorry Sir, That Says $7.99 Lunch Special
Image source: JeffTrav
#17 The Mixed Signals Of This Shoe Sale Advertisement
Image source: MNgirlinaNDworld
#18 Unremovable Ads On My $2,500 Samsung Smart TV
Image source: BrownLandlord
#19 My Mother Recently Passed Away. This Morning I Thought I Got An Email From Her. Nope, Just A Spam Tabloid Naming Their Contact “Mom”
Image source: Raise_Master
#20 This Packaging. Was Wondering Why It Ran Out So Quickly
Image source: GreenCupcake23
#21 Walgreens Replaced Their Freezer Window Panels With Screens That Constantly Flash/Move And Don’t Even Accurately Represent What’s Inside The Fridge
Image source: catmomextraordinaire
#22 This Post Card Is Made To Look Like It’s From The Dealership. It’s Printed To Look Like The Information Is Smudged So That You Will Call Them
It’s a third-party warrantee company.
Image source: Darknight1993
#23 This “Avocado” Oil
Image source: BoringGrass0
#24 Dish Network Sent Out Advertisements In Envelopes That Make It Look Like A Special Occasion Card
Also, trying to manipulate people by making the cards look handmade by a child.
Image source: Pie-Makers-Mistress
#25 I Live In Minneapolis, Some Jerk Is Leaving This In Tip Jars Around Town Ahead Of Trump’s Rally Today
Image source: catherine_zetascarn
#26 An “Empty” Ink Cartridge That Probably Could Have Printed Another 50+ Sheets
Image source: Anonymous_None
#27 Sign The Contract Without Reading It Please
Image source: cy6nu5
#28 I Just Found 20 Tunisian Dinars (7.5 Dollars) On The Ground, Then After Opening It, It Was Just An Advertisement For Some Stupid Discount
Image source: khalil-ammari
#29 This Website Hilariously Just Stretches The Pixels To Turn Regular Clothing Into “Maternity” Clothing
Image source: LurkeyMcLurkersen
#30 They Took Away The In-Store Signage To Force You To Download Their App
Image source: JustDewItPLZ
#31 I Just Got Ad In The Mail Disguised As A Hand-Written Letter. Address Is Covered So I Don’t Doxx Myself
Image source: pillager_of_poopers
#32 This Pamphlet I Got On My Door Making Me Not Want To Touch My Doorknob Until I Realized
Image source: yusefudattebayo
#33 This “Gold” Chalk That My Daughter Received As A Gift. White Chalk Spray-Painted Gold
Image source: Benci007
#34 I Love Ads On My £250 Console That I Continue To Pay £6 A Month To Play On
Image source: TS_Optics
#35 Is That Really Free Delivery?
Image source: theskyopened
#36 This Vending Machine Is 100% Sold Out. It Only Tells You That Items Are Sold Out After You’ve Put Money In/Used Your Card
Image source: Digiboy62
#37 Food Delivery Service That Tells You “Someone Is At The Door! Okay We Lied”
Image source: kmartshoppr
#38 This Kettle Saves 70% Energy. As Long As You Need To Boil 70% Less Water
Image source: UnlikeSome
#39 Nearly Didn’t Notice The Cheapest Car Wash Program
Image source: tarek122
#40 Chipotle Goes All-Out Advertising That For The Next Week Delivery Is Free, And Then Casually Makes The Delivery Menu Priced Higher Than The Regular One
Image source: Arucious
#41 Advertise Free WiFi But Make Sure The Customers Know The Procedure For How To Pay For It
Image source: mauricewilliams455
#42 Retail Sign At H&M Today. The Small Line Is Hard To Read In Person
Image source: DarkRoastt
#43 I Got A Ticket. No, Just An Ad For A Tattoo Place
Image source: Hummocky
#44 My School Has Vending Machines With Candy That Costs 1.50. They Conveniently Leave Off The 1 So It Looks Like It Costs 0.50
Image source: Lopad_NotThePokemon
#45 Who Thought It Was A Good Idea To Put An Image Of 7 Churros For The Sign Of 3 Churros
Image source: Imhereforgiofilmsbro
#46 Please, Just Stop Using Fake Money As Advertising
Image source: notbeatrizportinari
#47 Got A Letter In An Envelope Which Said My Lease Was Terminated. Just Another Ad
Image source: enderr920
#48 How To Dissapoint Every Student On Campus
Image source: sharkyboi
#49 Film Producers: “We Need To Advertise We Have Multiple CGI Dragons.” Marketers: “Say No More”
Image source: is_it_a_lie
#50 This Advertisement Designed To Look Like An Amazon Package
Image source: Nic0lodeon
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