In Response to Rachel Marra's Post

In Rachel's post, she referred to the following commercial made by T-Mobile for Valentine's Day and asked this question about their promise for a free phone (not advertised that you need to buy a two-year contract):  Is this false advertising or just really good marketing?

I think that T-Mobile, like many phone companies use the same promise that they will give you a free phone frequently throughout the year. This, in my opinion, is just really good marketing because there is always a disclaimer at the bottom of the screen or an asterisk following with the "catch". I think that this makes it good marketing instead of false advertising because they do show the consumer what is needed in order to get the good deals.

Though I believe this is really good marketing, I don't think companies should be allowed to keep their "catches" that small on the screen so it is near impossible to read. All phone companies, in my opinion, need to give all the information about their phones outright on commercials, like telling the viewer that they need to buy a two-year contract to get the deals they are promising. 

Do you think that all phone commercials should have to better advertise the "catch" involved with their sales? 

Chrysler Superbowl Commercial: Was it Political?

Superbowl Sunday is a big day for marketers, because this game is very highly watched and the commercials that play tend to be funny commercials that the watchers actually pay attention to. This is a great chance for marketers to get their advertisements out to consumers and for consumers to get a chance to see what is offered. This Superbowl Sunday, there was one commercial that seemed to advertise more than just the product.


Chrysler made a commercial about their cars, including a statement that seemed to be trying to persuade viewers to re-elect Barack Obama. Chrysler chief marketing officer, Olivier Francois said, “There were absolutely no political intentions,” Francois said in Chicago today. “The politicians can see political messages wherever they want, but we are not politicians.”


This commercial became the third most watched commercial on USA Today's Admeter and has received millions of hits on Youtube. 

Do you think this commercial was political? If so, do you think it should have been allowed to be aired during the Superbowl?