We're Screwed - And Willingly So

[JFN1]

This weekend, I did something I try very hard not to do.

I paid attention to commercials. On the radio, on TV, and on the Internet, I read, listened, and watched intently.

I'd like to say I learned something, but it has more the feel of confirmation of old knowledge, not the addition of new.

I must have paid attention to about 300 advertisements, for everything from cars to tampons, drain cleaners to soil, energy, clothes, restaurants, candy, laundry detergent.

We do sell a lot of stuff, In America.

But in all of these ads, and I mean ALL of them - there was not a single mention of "quality."

Businesses don't sell to us based upon the quality, durability, and dependability of their goods.

Nope.

They sell to us on how inexpensive their brand of whatever is, over the other guy.

Not a word about quality or value as it relates to quality.

There was a time, not so long ago - you young people might remember it, if you try - where quality and reputation were the first things a business sold you on - price was a bit farther down the line.

Companies wanted you to buy their product because it lasted, did what it said it would do - repeatedly - and wouldn't wear out before it should.

EVERYTHING business does these days is about profit, profit, profit.

Used to be, business understood, and acted upon, the idea of community service - that a business should not only profit monetarily, but should be a boon to the greater community at large.

Well, those days are over, apparently. Business has eyes only for profit, and any concern for quality and reputation, or the environment, or the communities in which they operate, or the country, is at best, mere pretense.

We. Are. Screwed.

[daggahead]

1. I would like to see some truth in advertising ...

It would be great to see the Country of Origin of the product in the TV/Radio ad, too.

[elocs]

2. Well, if we are screwed we may as well eat, drink, and beat Larry

as the 3 Stooges would say.

I'm not so sure about your "used to be" because we tend to romanticize the past when the good old days were not always so good.

[Soylent Brice]

3. you summed up the

only inevitable conclusion to a society that is driven solely by capitalism.

the only logical end result of such society, actually.

[xchrom]

4. 'cheap', 'low cost', 'every day savings' -- this is what america got

instead of the pay raise they deserve.

you can ship the manufacturing of a hammer to china -- and take away the americans job.

but the hammer is cheaper.

[Buzz Clik]

5. The Volkswagen commercials deal with quality.

So do Billy Mays's commercials about Oxy Clean.

Just two examples that came to mind in the first 5 seconds of considering your post.

[JFN1]

6. Got any links?

I've not seen these commercials.

[Buzz Clik]

7. Well, okay...

Oxyclean:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_NNv2oiWdRU


volkswagen:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dm32lpm4eyY

I will grant you that most commercials focus on sex or some other instant gratification. Just not all of them.

[Arugula Latte]

8. There are some small local businesses that do have integrity.

But the large corporations -- fuggedaboudit.

[cali]

9. there are lots of companies that stress the quality of their products

not the majority by any means, but there are lots of them.

[4lbs]

10. That's because many businesses are now publicly traded, and thus, have shareholders they are

accountable to placate.

Those shareholders only care if the value of the stock goes up, or if it pays a decent quarterly dividend.

How does the value of the company's stock go up? If the company records profit, or an increase in such.

That doesn't happen if the company focuses on giving the best quality and durability. Doing such requires they put more money into said product, making less money per unit.

That means less profit, and less profit reported in quarterly earnings. Shareholders aren't as impressed, and the stock price isn't as good or the quarterly divided not as great.

If only stock prices reflected product quality and durability, we'd see it different.

[JFN1]

11. So? Big corporations have always had shareholders

and they did not always conduct their business in the manner we now see. They used to care about quality and reputation, and they were able to answert to their shareholders in the process.

So respectfully - I don't think that is it...

[4lbs]

12. Companies haven't really cared about quality for about two decades now.

Do car companies care about gas mileage and durability? That is part of "quality" for me. No they always focused on ease of comfort and driving.

Until very recently, you'd rarely, if ever, see a car company advertise the mileage, or even something like a 10 year/100,000 mile warranty.

It was always about horsepower, leg room, trunk size, GPS nav, cupholders, CD/MP3 radio with gobs of presets and speakers, etc.

The looks were advertised as being more important than durability or mileage.

"Look how cool you look in this car. Your friends will be green with envy!" instead of "This car will still be running 15 years from now, with proper maintenance!"

Which line above is 'sexier' and likely to attract new customers?

Notice that they advertise mileage only when gas prices go above $3.00 per gallon? If gas was to go back down to $1.50 to $2.00 per gallon, good luck finding one that advertises good mileage.

A while ago, during the late 1980s and early 1990s, car companies did studies that showed that the great majority of car owners trade-in or sell their cars and/or get new cars after 6 years.

So, the car company execs figured, why build a car that can last 20, 15, or even 10 years, when the vast majority of the American customers end up replacing theirs every 4 to 6 years?

If you are a corporate exec, what would be the point in spending extra money in making a product that can last 10 to 20 years, if you discover that the vast majority of your customers just replace your product in 6 years? Make the product have an 8 year useful life instead and spend the money adding features to attract more customers.

Then we have electronics. With the prices of electronics ever dropping (except for the newest technology), that comes with a decrease in durability. After all, that new DVD player that you buy for $40 may only last about a year or two. Why spend the money to make it last longer or even fix it, when it would cost more than the price of a new one? Just buy a new DVD player every couple of years.

How about cell phones? Many people change their cell phones once a year. I know people who get a new cell phone every 6 months, and have been doing such for about 8 years. Why make a cell phone that can last more than 3 or 4 years when the majority get new phones with new features every year or so. Look at the new Apple iPhone 3GS. I would bet a large number of the people that lined up to buy this thing over the weekend were also there to buy the original iPhone 2 years ago and the iPhone 3G a year ago. Who cares if an iPhone can last even just 3 years, when people replace theirs every year or two at the minimum?