Charlies new commercial, just a smoke-screen?

[shadough]

Saw the commercial w/ Charlie saying, to the effect of, "Why should you pay more for HD channels?" Stating that HD channels will now be included in your programming package. Of course there is a fine print on the screen, "available in certain packages".

The only way to get HD that *I* know of is the 'HD for life' which is $99. Unless you sub to an HD only package. So unless I'm wrong, I don't see how the commercial can be considered "Truth", unless they think $99 is free.

[BattleZone]

Commercials are MARKETING, not reports of facts. Anyone who believes ANY company's marketing at face-value is an idiot. The whole purpose of marketing is to point out a couple of advantages of that particular product, even if those advantages are taken out of context or unfairly compared to the competition, while simultanously obscuring or denying any negatives.

TANSTAAFL.

[tsmacro]

Saw the commercial w/ Charlie saying, to the effect of, "Why should you pay more for HD channels?" Stating that HD channels will now be included in your programming package. Of course there is a fine print on the screen, "available in certain packages".

The only way to get HD that *I* know of is the 'HD for life' which is $99. Unless you sub to an HD only package. So unless I'm wrong, I don't see how the commercial can be considered "Truth", unless they think $99 is free.

You can also sign up for autopay w/ a credit or debit card to get HD free for life, so that's about as free as free gets in todays world.

[shadough]

im already enrolled in 'autopay'. But the CSR said to get HD I'd need to pay $10 more.

[BattleZone]

im already enrolled in 'autopay'. But the CSR said to get HD I'd need to pay $10 more.

You have to have BOTH Autopay AND Paperless Billing (bill via email) in order to get Free HD For Life without paying anything.

[shadough]

Hmmmm. Interesting. I'll look into it. Allthough I never recieve a bill, unless for some reason my CC doesn't have room for the charge.


Ok.......confirmed. I am enrolled in BOTH. Still no HD. w/ AT120+ Errr hold that thought. I'm working thru the 'online' activation of HD for life.

Ok, my request has been processed, and now I get HD. YAY.

Thanks for your help.

Ugh! But I can't get ALL of them until I add 129west orbital.

[FarmerBob]

Commercials are MARKETING, not reports of facts. Anyone who believes ANY company's marketing at face-value is an idiot. The whole purpose of marketing is to point out a couple of advantages of that particular product, even if those advantages are taken out of context or unfairly compared to the competition, while simultanously obscuring or denying any negatives.

TANSTAAFL.
So Truth in Advertising means nothing to you and don't buy anything you see in any type of advertising? Yeh, Right.

The Charlie ads are to fool idiots in the hope of gaining them as future DISH subs to offset those that have, are and will leave after they get fed up his crap. I do marketing and advertising and have done it not only for DISH, but Charlie himself while he was selling C Band dishes out of a vacuum cleaner store.

[phrelin]

Truth in Advertising? What do you smoke while watching TV commercials?

[BattleZone]

So Truth in Advertising means nothing to you and don't buy anything you see in any type of advertising?

"Truth in Advertising" means that most of the time, the very specific "facts" talked about can be proven true, *even* if the phrase is intentionally worded to imply something very different, or even if important facts are left out. The standard is very, very low, and even then, is often not met.

Examples:

Comcast talks about having "More HD than anyone" and while "DirecTV may have over 100 HD channels, Comcast gets you THOUSANDS of HD choices!" Many Comcast cable systems have less than 2 dozen national HD channels, but they aren't talking about that. They are talking about HD content delivered via OnDemand, and are counting every individual episode as a "choice." But the commercial is intentionally phrased and articulated to make most people believe that they heard that Comcast has thousands of HD *channels*, and I've met many people who really believe that.

Another, old one. Palmolive dish-washing liquid. Those old ads where the woman would go into the nail salon and end up with their hand in a bowl of soap. "Palmolive: softens hands while you do dishes." Heavily implying that it had some kind of magical power to leave your hands soft and smooth. Really, it meant that, WHILE you were doing the dishes, and had your hands soaking in water and some soap, your hands would be soft. It made no claims about how your hands would feel AFTER you were done with the dishes. But people bought the deception for decades.

[MysteryMan]

"Truth in Advertising" means that most of the time, the very specific "facts" talked about can be proven true, *even* if the phrase is intentionally worded to imply something very different, or even if important facts are left out. The standard is very, very low, and even then, is often not met.

Examples:

Comcast talks about having "More HD than anyone" and while "DirecTV may have over 100 HD channels, Comcast gets you THOUSANDS of HD choices!" Many Comcast cable systems have less than 2 dozen national HD channels, but they aren't talking about that. They are talking about HD content delivered via OnDemand, and are counting every individual episode as a "choice." But the commercial is intentionally phrased and articulated to make most people believe that they heard that Comcast has thousands of HD *channels*, and I've met many people who really believe that.

Another, old one. Palmolive dish-washing liquid. Those old ads where the woman would go into the nail salon and end up with their hand in a bowl of soap. "Palmolive: softens hands while you do dishes." Heavily implying that it had some kind of magical power to leave your hands soft and smooth. Really, it meant that, WHILE you were doing the dishes, and had your hands soaking in water and some soap, your hands would be soft. It made no claims about how your hands would feel AFTER you were done with the dishes. But people bought the deception for decades.

Truer words were never spoken.

[l8er]

Truth in advertising is an oxymoron. Has been since before P.T. Barnum walked the face of the earth. Don't you guys learn anything from being online or watching TV? :D

[FarmerBob]

Truth in Advertising? What do you smoke while watching TV commercials?
Same stuff you are . . .
But in Charlie's case it's not "truth in advertising" it's "lack of integrity".

P.S.
I don't watch commercials. I have a DVR that allows me to skip them. That makes it easier to flee when I see ol' Chucks face pop up.

[finniganps]

The only way to get HD that *I* know of is the 'HD for life' which is $99. Unless you sub to an HD only package. So unless I'm wrong, I don't see how the commercial can be considered "Truth", unless they think $99 is free.

Do they still offer an HD ONLY option? I didn't think you could get only HD any more as a new or existing customer unless you already had that plan?

[Wilf]

While the free HD for life offer is still on their website, these days Dish seems to be pushing autopay with free movie coupons. I least that is what I'm seeing on their email Webpay reminders. I am wondering if the HD for life thingy is being phased out?

Wilf

[tsmacro]

Truth in advertising is an oxymoron. Has been since before P.T. Barnum walked the face of the earth. Don't you guys learn anything from being online or watching TV? :D

I do find it amazing when people get bent out of shape when they think an ad might not be completely accurate and/or skews and spins the facts. I mean lets just take for an example one of the most common ads out there, ads for beer. Now if you watch them you'd think that if you drink beer it makes you good looking and desirable to be around and you'll be surrounded by hotties of the opposite sex. Ok now lets compare that to the truth, if you drink a lot of beer chances are you're a fat obnoxious slob that no one wants to be around except maybe for other people who are also too inebriated to notice how annoying you are. So anyone that puts too much stock in anything they see in an ad really should know better if they took even half a second to think about it.

[SaltiDawg]

... you'd think that if you drink beer it makes you good looking and desirable to be around and you'll be surrounded by hotties of the opposite sex. ...
Actually, by drinking lots of beer it makes all members of the opposite sex look like hotties...

[tsmacro]

Actually, by drinking lots of beer it makes all members of the opposite sex look like hotties...

Which is exactly why you'll get lots of guys flocking to "ladies night" at bars, the more they drink the better looking you get! ;)

[Kent Taylor]

Actually, by drinking lots of beer it makes all members of the opposite sex look like hotties...

!rolling

[sigma1914]

Actually, by drinking lots of beer it makes all members of the opposite sex look like hotties...

:lol:
http://www.johnnygoodtimes.com/beer_goggles_3.jpg

[tsmacro]

:lol:
http://www.johnnygoodtimes.com/beer_goggles_3.jpg


What's that t-shirt i've seen? Something like: "Beer, helping ugly people reproduce for thousands of years". :D

[l8er]

Actually, by drinking lots of beer it makes all almost all members of the opposite sex look like hotties... Some still won't make it through the alcohol filter. :D

[TBoneit]

I do find it amazing when people get bent out of shape when they think an ad might not be completely accurate and/or skews and spins the facts. I mean lets just take for an example one of the most common ads out there, ads for beer. Now if you watch them you'd think that if you drink beer it makes you good looking and desirable to be around and you'll be surrounded by hotties of the opposite sex. Ok now lets compare that to the truth, if you drink a lot of beer chances are you're a fat obnoxious slob that no one wants to be around except maybe for other people who are also too inebriated to notice how annoying you are. So anyone that puts too much stock in anything they see in an ad really should know better if they took even half a second to think about it.

If you think regular commercials are bad wait til the November 2010 election adverts start running.

I believe that political ads are exempt from the "Truth in Advertising" regulations.

[GrumpyBear]

If you think regular commercials are bad wait til the November 2010 election adverts start running.

I believe that political ads are exempt from the "Truth in Advertising" regulations.

Nothing would be better than removing, Drug ad's, Lawyer ad's, and Politcal Ad's from the airwaves.
I know, I know, wishful thinking.