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Turn Offs

by Mark Singletary
17 replies
I've been seeing this ad on MSN (Microsoft Edge new tab page) that has this headline:
Within the Next 20 Day You Could Start Speaking a New Language
This grates me to the core.

I'm bilingual (mostly) and working on my third language and am interested in more. I mostly speak a language that is not native to me for all my daily interactions so I'm always thinking about, worrying about, and trying to figure out how to be better.

So, I might be part of their target market. But they will never know because I will never even click the ad. I assume it's a scam run by crooks because of the typo. I'm probably wrong but that was my first reaction, and it gets reinforced as I see it again over time. They have forever lost any chance of any of my money, and they won't ever get a referral either no matter how great their language program may be. Yes, one letter matters.

What are the things that turn you off in ads or sales copy?

Mark
#offs #turn
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  • Profile picture of the author Princess Balestra
    tbh I would be srsly pissed with this offah also -- bcs as most people here know, I take langwidge as srs as the degree to which ima pissed 'bout it when YEAH, like you say: that real stoopid typo.

    Natchrlly you always seekin' to advance yr own narrative as an exotic ansah to mortality's inevitable demise, an' it is into this intrinsic intrest areah that the scoundrels of the planet inject their unwholesumly rip-off-orientated semen.

    So the prime movah you gaht always to signin' up for stuff sounds real consequential is DOUBT.

    Hackles raised.

    Uneasy gut feelin'.

    Sumthin' naht right.

    Whiff of rat.

    Baboon in your pants.

    K, so I made that las' one up, but we all gaht a pernickety spidey sense augmented by our life experiences ... an' if'n you feel THE TWINGE OF DISTURBIN' SPAZZO, it can only mean 1 of 3 things.

    1) You sensed troo danger. Heads up for bein' smart.

    2. Whooomsoevah wrote the shit you read nevah worked hard enough to address your perfectly reasonable objections.

    3. I lied 'bout the baboon in your pants. Contact the emergency services NOW.

    As it turns out, perfick Hingerlish is way more important than we may think when it comes to makin' the most of all kindsa interfaces between usselves & the seemingly evident world.

    bcs if'n it shimmies out all peculiah, eithah it is vanishingly inconsequential, or weird shit happens bcs it is naht.

    Plus also, I can speak in tongues aftah only a few cocktails, so what the frick do these clowns know anyways?
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  • Profile picture of the author savidge4
    So I actually had to read that over and over way to many times to find the error - not that I would call it that actually... it was probably intentional.

    In many languages the word in question is spoken the same with or without the correct spelling ( trying not to give the word away ) So it is more than possible that YOU specifically are NOT the target audience they are looking for - given your current geographical location.

    Another angle of this for me is the SEO aspect letter vs no letter right? So I use this all the time, maybe not specifically for that word in particular, but a good amount of words. BUT after reading this, this is something I will for sure test in my far east endeavors.

    ***Added*** My one major turn off in ads text etc.. measurement. If its ment for me its in Inches. Ironically I am proficient using both, but give me an ad or an article in Centimeters and CLICK i'm gone LOL
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    • Profile picture of the author Princess Balestra
      Originally Posted by savidge4 View Post

      ***Added*** My one major turn off in ads text etc.. measurement. If its ment for me its in Inches. Ironically I am proficient using both, but give me an ad or an article in Centimeters and CLICK i'm gone LOL
      Such is the drip of nichely division.

      Hey, but ain't it troo we so uniquely individyool hooman creatures?

      You say PO-TAH-OH, an' I say "whatchoo talkin' 'bout, you dumbass frickin' dickcheese?"

      So offahs gotta match up to wannaers always, othahwise we gonna see evry shade of obstacle to smoochie.

      That is why zoo guys toss fish at penguins an' evrywan screams WOOOOOOOOOOOO.

      It is from outta the detail of the specifics that we may command the miraculature of the moment.

      Toss them penguins McDonalds McWhatevah, they ain't playin'.

      Plus also your zoo gonna look stoopid.
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  • Profile picture of the author Claude Whitacre
    In information offers, specifically money making offers.

    1) "It's not your fault"
    2) 'Quick and easy"
    3) "No talent/experience/knowledge/list/aptitude/consciousness required"
    3) Limited time offer.

    These aren't things that will keep me away. But they are things that are insulting to my intelligence.

    Of course, these things work, so they can't be insulting to too many people's intelligence.

    And...listening to Gurus talk about how they are in such demand that...they had to be begged to produce their latest coaching group. And not everyone will be accepted, and they have only 2 openings left until the 'open window" will be closed for a year.

    Of course, I've been forced to do a little of that myself...but it makes me throw up a little in my mouth when I see it.

    Humans.
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    “Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the wise; seek what they sought.” - Matsuo Basho
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  • Profile picture of the author Odahh
    What is wrong with the add. I know day should be days.

    You can be taught how to start speaking a language in a day. Does not mean you will be any good at it.

    I am actually curious what is misleading about the ad
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    • Profile picture of the author Mark Singletary
      Originally Posted by savidge4 View Post

      So I actually had to read that over and over way to many times to find the error - not that I would call it that actually... it was probably intentional.

      In many languages the word in question is spoken the same with or without the correct spelling ( trying not to give the word away ) So it is more than possible that YOU specifically are NOT the target audience they are looking for - given your current geographical location.
      This was something interesting that I hadn't thought about. I mostly live in Asia where the 20 day would be acceptable English. It's wrong but most of the people I know, including my own family, would make that mistake.

      I turned on my VPN for a couple of days set for the USA and never saw that ad at all even though it has seemingly always been there when not surfing with a VPN. In other words, my normal Asian IP was seeing it, but the American IP through the VPN was not. So, I ass-u-me that they were targeting Asia and not the USA.

      ***Added*** My one major turn off in ads text etc.. measurement. If its ment for me its in Inches. Ironically I am proficient using both, but give me an ad or an article in Centimeters and CLICK i'm gone LOL
      Again, maybe a targeting issue to think about. Here they talk in Metric and would be lost with the "normal" way of measuring.

      Originally Posted by Odahh View Post

      What is wrong with the add. I know day should be days.

      You can be taught how to start speaking a language in a day. Does not mean you will be any good at it.

      I am actually curious what is misleading about the ad
      The turnoff is "20 Day." It's bad grammar. It makes me think if they can't get an "s" right, then what are they going to teach me about any language?

      Mark
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      • Profile picture of the author Odahh
        Originally Posted by Mark Singletary View Post

        This was something interesting that I hadn't thought about.



        The turnoff is "20 Day." It's bad grammar. It makes me think if they can't get an "s" right, then what are they going to teach me about any language?

        Mark
        Ok guess bad written grammar is something I can't hold against anyone else. . But I have read enough texts from non native English speakers . I grew up speaking Boston English . Even the Canadians made fun of my accent.
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        • Profile picture of the author Mark Singletary
          Originally Posted by Odahh View Post

          Ok guess bad written grammar is something I can't hold against anyone else. . But I have read enough texts from non native English speakers . I grew up speaking Boston English . Even the Canadians made fun of my accent.
          I ain't got no good grammar either but I expect it from someone teaching languages.

          Mark
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          • Profile picture of the author Odahh
            Originally Posted by Mark Singletary View Post

            I ain't got no good grammar either but I expect it from someone teaching languages.

            Mark
            You win you win

            Though probably teaching chunking or blocking based language learning verse grammar.

            And I can understand why you can hold on to that little pet peeve. Are you in a country where if you set a meeting time with people at 6 pm they show up at around 6 or mostly everyone gets there by8 pm
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  • Profile picture of the author WF- Enzo
    Administrator
    Some of the worst are the WSOs I reject.

    "Earn $1000 in just 7 days" Okay...

    Originally Posted by Mark Singletary View Post

    I've been seeing this ad on MSN (Microsoft Edge new tab page) that has this headline:


    This grates me to the core.

    I'm bilingual (mostly) and working on my third language and am interested in more. I mostly speak a language that is not native to me for all my daily interactions so I'm always thinking about, worrying about, and trying to figure out how to be better.

    So, I might be part of their target market. But they will never know because I will never even click the ad. I assume it's a scam run by crooks because of the typo. I'm probably wrong but that was my first reaction, and it gets reinforced as I see it again over time. They have forever lost any chance of any of my money, and they won't ever get a referral either no matter how great their language program may be. Yes, one letter matters.

    What are the things that turn you off in ads or sales copy?

    Mark
    Signature
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    • Profile picture of the author DABK
      You should not: it's tame compared to what I heard on my youtube feed today: Listen to me ... make $170,000 in 2 months.


      Really: 170,000 in two months...


      He did not say we, the listeners, will make that much in two months, he just implied we could make that much in the next two months because he did.


      Ad geared towards the I-heard-you-can-make-good-money-online crowd.


      Originally Posted by WF- Enzo View Post

      Some of the worst are the WSOs I reject.

      "Earn $1000 in just 7 days" Okay...
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      • Profile picture of the author Claude Whitacre
        Originally Posted by DABK View Post

        You should not: it's tame compared to what I heard on my youtube feed today: Listen to me ... make $170,000 in 2 months.


        Really: 170,000 in two months...
        I've known several people who have made that much money in that short a time. In fact, I've done it myself a few times.

        The problem is that the readers assume they can do that from a dead start. With no experience, no customer base, no selling.

        It takes an enormous amount of effort to build momentum in a business, before you are capable of earning these sums of money quickly.

        Also what they leave out (assuming the claim is true) is the effort that went into building up to that $170,000...and the almost zero amount of business after the customer base was squeezed that hard.

        Or it's a one time event with a joint venture partner. Something a newbie just isn't going to accomplish without extensive coaching and effort.
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        • Profile picture of the author DABK
          Precisely.


          He was using the fact that he made $170k in the previous 2 months to sell a course... by implying that his prospects could do the same in their first 2 months.


          If he had said, I've made $170k in the last two months, having been at it for the past 5 years (or however long), and my last 2 months are far better than my first two months, I'd have had no problem. I might even have bought.


          The other thing I hate:
          Done for you things, where they sell you a complete money-making system where all you have to do is buy whatever they're selling and drive some traffic to what you bought.


          As if driving traffic is no biggie.


          Originally Posted by Claude Whitacre View Post

          I've known several people who have made that much money in that short a time. In fact, I've done it myself a few times.

          The problem is that the readers assume they can do that from a dead start. With no experience, no customer base, no selling.

          It takes an enormous amount of effort to build momentum in a business, before you are capable of earning these sums of money quickly.

          Also what they leave out (assuming the claim is true) is the effort that went into building up to that $170,000...and the almost zero amount of business after the customer base was squeezed that hard.

          Or it's a one time event with a joint venture partner. Something a newbie just isn't going to accomplish without extensive coaching and effort.
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    • Profile picture of the author savidge4
      Originally Posted by WF- Enzo View Post

      Some of the worst are the WSOs I reject.

      "Earn $1000 in just 7 days" Okay...
      What would happen if I made a WSO with that claim? LOL
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      • Profile picture of the author Mark Singletary
        Originally Posted by savidge4 View Post

        What would happen if I made a WSO with that claim? LOL
        If YOU (or a select few others) did, it might be believable. But that's because you've earned the forum's (or at least some of us) respect on marketing and business. But the average Joe? Scam alert!

        Mark
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  • Profile picture of the author IM2Pat
    Banned
    looks like it's clickbait in the form of those nasty fakish ads at the bottom of most news websites now! They come from syndicated ad networks like Outbrain and Taboola so if you ever see those names nearby the ad, run....click away from the site!!
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  • Profile picture of the author max5ty
    If you could get just $1 from 1000 people you could probably get $1000 in 7 days...if you hustled.

    I'm guessing some would probably give you more than $1, and it would go quicker. You'd have to look right and have the right attitude, but I'm guessing it could be done.

    Yesterday, when AWS went down, it affected me and I was on a site where updates were coming in and thousands of people had commented. Some bank cards also couldn't be used...

    someone, and it amazes me how people come up with some of their ideas...but someone posted they were stuck at a gas station and couldn't use their cards, and had no cash, and so could someone send them even a couple bucks through cash app.

    Don't know if it worked, but some people are always scheming...or maybe they were serious
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