Some novelty products still print that red "As Seen On TV" logo on the box, even though the days when people see it and think "Well, if it was advertised on TV then it's got to be good!" are probably long past.
Why not impress me instead by certifying that this product has *never* been advertised? There could be a certification from Consumers Union stating that this product has never appeared, in any form, in an ad on TV, newspaper, film, magazine, or radio. The box would sport a blue question mark with the logo "Never seen on TV", and this way companies could target some of their products to the anti-advertising consumer segment in a sanctioned way.-- phundug, Jul 03 2008 NO-AD (Flash site) http://www.no-ad.com/Line of suncare products, advertising that they're not advertising and are therefore cheaper. [jutta, Jul 03 2008] http://www.brandcha...ofile.asp?pr_id=433 [Brian the Painter, Jan 19 2013] //this product has *never* been advertised//Could the box have the name of the product, or would this be considered advertising too? And would word of mouth ruin the whole deal?-- ldischler, Jul 03 2008 The box should be devoid of information. People might come to recognize a given style of box, and so the product should also be available in barrels, bags, bottles and bales. Periodically a different product would be substituted for the product in question.-- bungston, Jul 03 2008 Wonderful circular reference here: In stating, "this product has not been advertised" isn't it, in fact, being advertised right then?-- squeue, Jul 04 2008 Very good+-- zeno, Jul 05 2008 //Periodically a different product would be substituted for the product in question.//And so could be advertised as "new and improved," just as long as the consumer didn't know *what* was new and improved.-- ldischler, Jul 05 2008 Isn't the certification a form of advertising in itself? There's no escaping the ad man... I used to be one! "We interrupt this programme to bring you some breaking news about a totally new product range that refuses to carry any advertising" +-- xenzag, Jul 05 2008 what about product placement in movies? [+]-- xxobot, Jul 08 2008 Controlled dangerous substances for recreational purposes are never advertised yet they are always sought out by the consumer-- Jscotty, Jul 08 2008 Excellent, yes! I always think that if something's advertised on TV, there must be something wrong with it, and i'm speaking as someone who must advertise my own services, though not on TV of course.-- nineteenthly, Jul 08 2008 In the US, "Not endorsed by Good Houskeeping" should be added too!
I think this would drive "gadget addicts" crazy! (My roomate). She would sob at the store and throw tantrums when she read the package. Yes, Yes. (evil giggle).-- blissmiss, Jul 08 2008 You could make it mean the company has not paid anyone to advertise the product. After all it is paid advertisements that are distorting our view of products. Word of mouth, or independent product reviews based on the product's quality are actually doing us a service.-- loggor, Feb 09 2009 [+] cool, how did I miss this? (oh yeah, it wasn't on TV!)-- xandram, Jan 18 2013 //bungtsen// We call that no name. see link-- Brian the Painter, Jan 19 2013 random, halfbakery