COMMERCIAL ADVERTISING ON THE FORUM?

sinusoidal · Joined: 23 Feb 2009 Posts: 37

How do you guys feel about seeing commercial advertising on this forum in the form of posts?
Seems certain shops are taking advantage of this free advertising without naming names.
I guess if sailors find it informative, then it's okay, but then to be fair, what if all the sailing shops and equipment makers added posts on a daily basis touting their new gear and demos and whatever else? Where do you draw the line?

Just curious how others feel?

victor · Joined: 03 Aug 1998 Posts: 581

there aern't too many shops and they really don't overdo it. otherwise it might get annoying.

i find it informative

timwnitram · Joined: 03 Aug 2002 Posts: 130

I think the posts have been tasteful and informative. Seems like they are offering nice services for the windsurfing community, so they haven't bothered me. That's just my 2cents.

-Tim

crashman · Joined: 15 Jul 2002 Posts: 83

I agree with the other replies for the same reasons, plus let's give the shops every opportunity to thrive!

isobars · Joined: 12 Dec 1999 Posts: 20935

Occasional informative posts about windsurfing gear and events suit me. But pages about luggage? ABUSE report time.

Mike \m/

Arrgh · Joined: 05 May 1998 Posts: 864 Location: Rio

Sounds like we're all in agreement. Wow! I find these posts handy and, just in case I miss one, I subscribe to a certain Bay Area shop's email list. If it starts to get out of hand, that's another story (and that's why iwindsurf has an "events" tab.)

beallmd · Joined: 10 May 1998 Posts: 1154

I have always thought that marketing to me about stuff I am interested in is fine, this included. I always look through the catalogs from the various shops, look at the pics, check out what they're selling, see what's new. But I hate crap sent to me that I am not interested in. Plays into this whole list selling thing-where a company packages lists of clients for other people to market to-it needs to be very focused.

isobars · Joined: 12 Dec 1999 Posts: 20935

I'm just the opposite. I never look at ads in magazines or newspapers (they are 100% banned from my computer), for one reason: they're ADS, not information. A telephone pollster once asked me, "Do you recall seeing the TV ad about [that car full of "cool peeps" dancing to the beat in the front seat as they're bombing through city streets]?"

"Yes".

"Would you buy that car based on that ad?"

I involuntarily laughed out loud, and thought she was kidding. "Lady, I choose cars based on performance and reliability as rated by professional test agencies and my own educated rear end, not because of stupid commercials." (I could say the same about political candidates, but I won't ... here. Wink

)

Notifying us about a demo event, an honest-to-God new product (as opposed to just the latest product line), or a significant price break suits me fine; this is a good place for that. Just saying "Ours is the best" (and especially "everything else sucks") ... sucks. And I don't believe anyone's latest "whatever" is dramatically different from last year's model (and I'd worry about it if it were, given 1993's no-nose fiasco, the later Flip-
Tip "revolution", and later yet, twitchy boards whose only REAL characteristic is that they're twitchy -- i.e., like Ford Econolines in highway grooves -- not actually looser) until four trusted buds and two magazine tests concur, so I don't wanna hear it from the PR dept. I want to hear and see and feel both sides, not just the ad agency's and not just from individual owners whose sailing style and ability I do not personally know.

That's why I take any individual equipment raves or pans here -- or commercial ads anywhere -- with a bucket of salt. Anecdotal experience is subject to way too much luck (re durability) and personal preference (re performance), and I, for one, am loath to publicly criticize equipment on whose marketing rests a shop's or designer's livelihood. I've done it in extreme cases based on personal experience, but have kept my brand name equipment criticisms to myself (plus a rare PM) far more often, especially when it concerns people I know personally and/or small niche shops. We have plenty of non-brand-specific issues to debate, but may all feel less obliged to withhold brand name criticism if commercial ads got out of hand here.

Mike \m/

pacspeed · Joined: 14 Sep 2000 Posts: 627

That's funny....I got the same survey question about that same ad. My reaction was about the same. Except I think I might have added "but I would never buy a Mitsubishi anyway.."

isobars · Joined: 12 Dec 1999 Posts: 20935

The fact that I didn't know then (and couldn't remember until you mentioned it) what make of car the ad was for says a lot about my response to ads. They're about as useful as the blow-in (actually fall-out) ads littering the floor in front of the bookstore magazine racks. If I don't see good T&A or humor in an ad, I don't even look, and if I'm looking or laughing at those, I'm not looking at the product.

Mike \m/