The Ever-Changing Landscape of Spam

[thedeadlyhook]

I've gotta say, it's hard not to wonder why certain types of go in and out of fashion in one's mailbox. These days, marketers seem convinced that I'm not so much interested in enlarging my penis anymore, but would really be up for getting some "discount medz!" or meeting a nice young lady from Russia. Is this, like, a data-mining thing, in which something of my correspondence suggests drugs+Russian wife search as my interest areas, or are they just guessing? It's worth wondering, too, where the assumption comes from that only guys use email, because I'll be damned if I've ever seen a piece of spam that seemed aimed at a woman's interest areas... not that I'm particularly complaining about that. Maybe the "medz" thing counts as unisex. Marketing blows my mind, sometimes.

I'm honestly waiting for someone to write a book. Marketing through the ages. The kinds of stunts people play to sell each other something. There's a Sucker Born Every Minute with a mirror on its cover. Ye gods, what a fascinating topic. In the sense of, it's the 21st Century, and I'm not flying to Mars on a regular basis, but instead I've got this."

Comments

[bogwitch.livejournal.com]

>>where the assumption comes from that only guys use email

Maybe only men fall for them?

[thedeadlyhook.livejournal.com]

That would certainly put paid to all those "gullible women" advertisements I keep seeing on TV. I mean, I don't think I've seen one of these things that didn't scream "scam."

[bogwitch.livejournal.com]

Gullible women adverts???

[thedeadlyhook.livejournal.com]

Just in general - there's this image, apparently, in certain marketing circles of women as buying machines who will get allll excited about practically anything. It drives me nuts. While men, on the other hand, are typically presented as all practical-like. Or indulging their manliess with oversized cars, and telling the girlfriend that "oh, this'll be great for a family." Wink-wink, nudge-nudge. Bleah!

[bogwitch.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure it's quite like that over here, but I don't really pay attention. At least we have some ads with men cleaning.

[thedeadlyhook.livejournal.com]

Oh, we get those too, but adverts really do seem to be going through this sort of oinking chauvanist phase right now in which guys cleaning is presented as some large achievement. Like, aren't you amazed that a guy is cleaning? Wow!

Sigh. Obviously my rage butons are set a little too high if advertisements piss me off, but...

[bogwitch.livejournal.com]

Perhaps I should back away slowly...

[thedeadlyhook.livejournal.com]

Oh, not to worry. I swear I'm not dangerous. : )

[madam-rptr.livejournal.com]

You and I must be in the same focus group - except apparently they think I'm easily swayed to click my claiming that they have pics of my husband with some gurl...or how to please my husband 28 ways before Sunday...I shall not go on.

[thedeadlyhook.livejournal.com]

Wow, that kind of thing I've never gotten - the usual email-masquerading-as-from-a-friend, sure, but claiming they've got pics of your husband?!? Jeebus. There are no depths to which these guys won't stoop.

[zanthinegirl.livejournal.com]

Lately my work mailbox is absurdly filled with investment spam. It's completely crazy! And I've never used my work address for a non-work related emailing; why bother when I've got several other addresses?

I can't figure out why anyone would think I'd invest money with someone based on Spam; what kind of an idiot do they take me for? It may just be that our work spam filter just catches the penis enlargement/ russian brides spam better, but i have to wonder...

[thedeadlyhook.livejournal.com]

I guess maybe that Nigerian scam (http://www.snopes.com/crime/fraud/nigeria.asp) made a big enough impression on the world of shady email business that they just can't resist giving it a try. I suppose from that perspective, we ALL look like idiots to someone out there.

[auroramama]

Last I heard, the reason that males are the favored demographic of advertisers was that women were too darned rational about their buying decisions. Companies that make consumer goods already know it's nice to be able to offer quality stuff at a reasonable price. A lot of the added value offered by advertisers is getting people to buy more of your stuff than the quality and price warrant. Men are a better target for that sort of thing.

This is one sociobiological just-so story that I actually buy: the female of the species is more businesslike than the male, especially if she's a mother. I'm happy to draw a link between my deadly-serious, smart, eerily responsible female cat and a mom going to the store with a copy of =Consumer Reports=, while my neutered male cat is just a lovable goof. Of course, this doesn't explain my other female cat, who makes both the others look like Einstein. And they're all alters who have never been bred. It's just... there's a recognizable look about a mom hunting down stuff for her family.

[thedeadlyhook.livejournal.com]

That does make sense, and it's the sort of thing you'd think would put people off certain product-buying habits. Like the SUV thing. I mean, there are studies, outright studies that say straight up that SUVs sell best to certain personality profile that's hardly a flattering one ("need for security," as I recall it), but all the advertising is geared to give the opposite impression, like it's a big adventurous choice. Every woman I know who drives one of these things has it for utterly practical reasons - they live out in the boonies, they need to haul a lot of groceries - but for some reason, for men, that whole snake-oil pitch about how this big powerful car will turn them into big, powerful outdoorsmen... works. Not that women can't be big into self-deception too, but not so much when it comes to buying things, maybe. Practical things, at lesat. It's interesting.

It's just... there's a recognizable look about a mom hunting down stuff for her family.

Oh, god yes. A serious lady on a sale hunt is like a jungle warrior tracking a panther. It's a mission.

[kitmarlowescot2.livejournal.com]

It always all about the tits. Never any porn for a woman to enjoy.

[thedeadlyhook.livejournal.com]

It's a sad world in some ways. Sigh...