If you turn on your television in wee hours of the morning you’ll see a similar program running on many channels: TELE-SHOPPING NETWORK. Here you’ll see many angrez log ( in ridiculously dubbed hindi) and few of our usual telly actors trying to sell us a wide range of products. Face creams and hair lotions to slimming and fitness equipment are popular ones while there’s a new found one; gem stones. How good they really are is another story!
Out of sheer curiosity (and the fact that I could use some help to put down few extra pounds) I saw one of these slimming equipment commercials. A guy with 6-pack abs and big biceps (looking very obviously steroid-fed) and a girl in a two-piece bikini with an enviable figure were giving some gyan on how our sedentary lifestyle (read, hogging and doing nothing style) is bad for our health and what a boon the slimming-belt is which helps melt all that extra fat from our body.Yeah right!
While switching channels one day I saw a serious looking old (presumably knowledgeable) person lecturing on how our stars affect our lives and how big a role gem stones play in consoling (???) them and making them mend their ways. Hello, whatever happened to a person’s dedication, ability and perseverance? Our life can be good if we put in some effort for it, yes?
Highly irritated with this, I felt I should write something about it. I don’t mean to say that I have anything against them. They have to sell and we’re their target audience. However as an end-user I need more persuasion and authentication than seeing and believing a person who’s paid to say that a certain thing will do wonders for me. It all sounds too good to be true.
Time and again we’ve talked about exploitative marketing strategies adopted by companies to sell their products. As consumers we’re always taken for granted. That’s the reason why we can get banned drugs and medicines very easily over the counter. They know that no matter what newspapers or news channels say, we’re ignorant.
Online shopping sites have replaced this experience to a great extent now but they come with their pitfalls too. We expect them to act responsibly when we need to do that ourselves first. It is our life and our health we’re talking about here.We must practice caution and act with awareness. It depends on us to choose the best and we cannot afford to be naïve, right?
The dubbed hindi is hilarious. Have you actually listened to the words they use? Right out of the Kumarbharati textbook :DAnd hey, I doubt anybody actually buys their products. Cos they do so much of advertising all the time using various gimmicks. A good product sells no matter what, even without ads. So dont worry about it and enjoy the funny hindi. 🙂
There are people who do buy them. When Asian Sky Shop had launched those Roti Makers they did succeed in selling many of them.There's also one Aunty I know who bought one of those slimming belts for her grossly overweight son. The whole point is, with marketing being the key word it is difficult to differentiate a good product from a not-so-good one,which puts us in a tough spot.
and that is where common sense prevails I think. :)You have to have basic knowledge about things like you cannot reduce weight with just a vibrating belt. Exercise is necessary and so is diet control upto some extent.
Yupp…so sad they cant read our blogs and get all this knowledge for free 😛
I don't think anybody buys these product, for that matter watches on Tv, Otherwise who would telecast at odd wee hours of the morning when all of us are snoring away to glory…
Varsh, I like the crumpled look of these comment notes. Makes me feel as if each comment is typed after rolling out the paper neatly and pressing it.
Thanks G :)It does give a nice feeling na…I mean…we do like to get good comments on our blogs and this gives it a look of rolled-and-guarded-like-a-secret 😛
Oh my gosh I do remember those annoying night ads ! Sometimes I would watch and wonder who bought those things. Do those ads still exist?
Those hilarious voiceovers saying main phele bahut pareshan rahtatha.. is so annoying, but then I also know people who have wasted thousands on teleshopping. Only after bad experience they mend ways.
I remember I watched this hilarious ads when I had to stay awake. As during those wee hours nothing sensible was aired in any of the TV channels. I wonder if it’s still shown.
Ha ha.. your post has made me laugh first varsha, I agree that this kind of over marketing is really annoying. And ya me too feel so irritated by watching them over and over again. Unfortunately we can not do much.. so having a funny time with these is not a bad idea.
Loved the topic you selected and enjoyed reading it.Those Teleshopping commercials are indeed funny as well as much misguiding.
I guess that’s the reason they telecast it in the wee hours when all of us are snoozing peacefully…LOL.
(Snehalata Jain)
I absolutely hate those ads where people nod their heads in agreement with everything!!! Silly voice overs. We need to keep caution anyways.
Oh ho! Those voice-overs. You caught it right. Really those ads are hilarious. Full-time pass, very funny as well. You really nailed it Varsha.
Hehe.. yes these ads are crazy. My daughter saw one the other day and she was like oh! If I wear this stone I don’t need to study ?
I still remember such ads on TV even sometimes today there are some dedicated channels for such selling products!!
I just change the channel. Find these advertisements hard to believe. Guess it’s just time pass.
I agree we need more authenticity if the facts they state I can’t trust them the way they advertise
Oh God, that “mai pareshan tha, tab mujhe mila”line. These ads are real annoying. Not sure who buys such things.
People in small towns still by a lot from these tele shopping sites. It’s sad that here are not many regulations on these. Also, I make sure I do my research & read about ingredients, manufacturer etc before buying anything, even if I have to spend a few extra bucks. But not all have that kind of time & budget too. I am wondering what’s the alternative!
Those advertisements have given fodder to so many comedians, they are indeed hilarious. YoiY point is absolutely right the online platform needs to sell responsibly and the buyers must understand the need before buying just not gall prey to advertisement.
Agree that proper awareness while shopping online is must so that we don’t fall prey to any marketing tactics
I so hear you! Have seen those shows and they are anything but convincing. Apparently customers these days aren’t fools. They do apply their sense and knowledge.
This reminds me of one of the marvel movies that I watched the hindi dubbed version on television and it turned into a comedy drama. I absolutely agree It all depends on us. We must practice caution and act with awareness.