Today’s rant is about the “Corporate Marketing Shell Game”. You might wonder what I’m talking about. Well, as luck would have it, you’re about to find out.

The “shell game” has been around for many, many years. The game involves rapid hand movements in order to confuse and divert attention from the object (typically a small ball) which has been hidden under one of three empty turtle shells. The shells are swapped around several times in random patterns and the player is then asked to pick a shell. Some unsavory game runners are able to use slight-of-hand to remove the ball from the shell so that the player can’t win.

This tactic of changing the odds has also been called “stacking the deck" because it was used in underhanded card games so that players rarely won. The corporate world has adopted an “open interpretation” view of marketing that amounts to a virtual shell game for consumers. It’s apparent in just about every gimmick thrown at us, as consumers. Perhaps you’ve seen the word “FREE” on something? Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary gives one definition of “free” as… having a scope not restricted by qualification. However, people have now been conditioned to accept a new spelling of the word Free. Perhaps you’ve seen it. It’s now spelled F-R-E-E-*

The asterisk was added, recently, in order to help sucker would-be consumers into a situation whereby they believe they’re about to receive a gratis or obligation-free promotional offer. However, their hopes are suddenly dashed by the fact that the asterisk points to a phrase denoting something to the effect of “some restrictions apply”, or “subject to qualifications” or perhaps “see details”. This asterisk has led to a mood of disrespect for corporate marketing because it totally dismisses the whole root of the word, itself.

How are they able to bastardize this word? They use the excuse of “open interpretation”. They argue that they are, indeed, offering something for free. However, in order to actually receive the free item, you must “qualify” yourself for it. Technically, they’re avoiding false advertisement litigation by merely sidestepping it. By advertising only a portion of the marketing strategy, they’re drawing customers’ attentions to the part where they receive merchandise or a promotional item without having to pay for it. This is the bait for their participation in the marketing strategy.

That is when the shell game begins. They are told that in order to “qualify” for a particular item, they must meet a certain criteria. This can be anything from being approved for a credit account, to paying full price for the object…only to get mail-in rebates that they have to send in after a waiting period, to merely having to pay the shipping and handling costs for the object. One way or another, the corporate world will no longer give hand-outs in order to win customer loyalty. This is a sad realization. Because in doing so, they make themselves part of a sea of greed and selfish tactics that have embittered the buying public.

Years ago, marketers wanted to win the loyalty of paying customers by focusing on the needs of the customer (rather than lining their own pockets with every opportunity that they could invent). By keeping the “little guy” in mind, they made the buying-&-selling relationship into one of a personal friendship. Customers felt loyal to a manufacturer who had their best interests in mind. It was called “honest marketing” and it worked! Now days, business owners try to find gimmicks and loopholes in order to take advantage of overly-trusting individuals. It was rightly said that a sucker is born every minute. Don’t let yourself become one of them. Watch out for the ever-present asterisk. It is NOT your friend, friend.

More later…