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February 28, 2005 12:01 AM
Broken: Yahoo Personals ad
Tobin Lam writes:
This ad seems to imply that people aren't always truthful in online personals. It looks like that woman is claiming to be a man seeking a woman.
Actually, that's just a picture of a form, if you try to click anywhere on it, you'll actually be clicking on a link to the Yahoo Personals section. The fact that it looks like a form is meant to get more people to click on it, thereby automatically launching the link.
I am surprised this made the broken site. This is a classic advertising ploy. What guy could pass up a pretty face without giving it a second look. Mr. Lam, it got your attention. The advertisment did exactly what is was supposed to do. Not broken, works perfectly.
I have to agree, this reminds me of those upside-down ads they put on bus benches, to try to get your attention.
The thing that gets me about Yahoo!'s advertising is related to webcam use in Yahoo! IM. At the bottom of the image of the person you're watching, it generally has an ad saying "Rather be looking at someone else?" with another of these Yahoo! Personals ads. Frankly, that style of advertising disgusts me, and even if I was looking for someone else (I'm not, I'm engaged, and it's currently long-distance), I'd never use Yahoo! Personals as a result. I do realize this is just my opinion, but bad advertising generally turns me off, even if it gets my attention. An ad's broken if all it gets is negative attention. Same goes for *ANY* company that advertises in pop-ups and pop-unders.
i think the fact that it is telling you to "flirt shamelessly" is a little backwards.
it sounds to me like they almost want you to act like you are a different person while you are there. that isnt really what you want to do when you are trying to meet someone...
What's "broken" about these ads is that they purport to be a high-tech communication system that easily and conveniently links people socially/sexually.
Actually what these sites are doing is preying on people who would like that sort of connection. The sites place RESTRICTIONS on electronic communication between interested parties until "RANSOM" is paid to the host thereby creating MORE frustration and loneliness. (Do I sound frustrated and lonely? Write me!)
You people are missing the point. It shows a picture of a woman but the 'form' is defaulted to Male seeking Woman. The problem is that 'Annie' is actually a Male who had a sex change. Or so one might think by looking at this broken ad.
I agree with Jeff on the ransom comment. Isn't that some form of prostitution? Yahoo asking for money to see one of their clients?? I also think it's funny how many of you are scoffing about sites like yahoo personals but you seem to know oh-so-much about them!!
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This is quite a stretch.
The ad most likely contains a form for user input. I would imagine it is pre-set to "M seeking W" because straight men are the primary target for the advertisement (also note the presense of a woman and not a man in the ad). It is not implying that the woman is lying, it is implying that one can create a relationship with her.
The ad *does* (in a roundabout way) imply that you can concievably be untruthful, as it says "flirt shamelessly." This implies anonymity for those users who would be ashamed to flirt in a real life meeting and so they could hide behind a persona not their own.
Posted by: Isaac at February 28, 2005 02:01 AM