Conversation I had two days ago (almost verbatim)
My phone rings while I am out buying groceries:
Person: Hi, This is Jenna from 1-800-contacts. Is this Ro-heat Sum-meat-ta?
Me: Yes this is Rohit.
Person: Hi Mr.Summeatta, we are calling to let you know that we got your online order for contact lenses. However, we could not verify the prescription with your doctor as the brand names do not match.
Me: Oh ok. Maybe I could just call my doctor and sort it out. Will that work?
Person: Yes sure. Just give us a call back when you fix this.
Me: Ok, since I have you on the phone, could you give me my doctor's phone number so that I can call him right away?
Person: Sure. It is xxx-xxx-xxxx.
Me: Ok thanks. I'll call him right away. Can you give me your...hmmm....I can just call 1-800 contacts once I get this fixed right?
Person: Yes you idiot. You almost defeated the whole point of us naming our company 1-800-contacts, you fricking moron!!!
She should have said that!
She just said yes!
But Im sure she thought it!
Monday, June 30, 2008
Monday, June 02, 2008
Rosetta Stone: Advert Criticism
Today I was mindlessly surfing channels while eating my awesome fish curry...(It is a secret recipe which has been passed down through generations in my family. Seriously, every new born in my family is taught to make fish curry when he/she reaches the age of 10 and then is made to take an oath of death not to reveal it. I will tell you for $9.99 + shipping and handling costs)...I made when I chanced upon the ad for Rosetta Stone.
For those in the unknown, it is a software that helps you...(adults mostly, cuz you can teach a kid anything and the kid will learn it. I wonder if anyone has tried doing this before as a social experiment. You know, talk to a kid using gibberish to refer to basic words like food, chair, etc. and nonsense grammar to make sentences. Then send him off to school and videotape him asking for permission to use the bathroom!!! Ok...where was I?)...learn a new language. Now this might seem like a fairly common thing.
Except, something struck me as strange.
The entire ad is in English. Right from the letters on the screen, to the narration, and to the supposedly satisfied customers talking. Everyone speaks English.
Huh...Rosetta Stoners...what the hell???
If I am to be convinced that this is a powerful software that works then I want to see some conventional people speaking unconventional languages with thick accents. I am convinced easily and I expect at least this much.
The butt-clenchers amongst you might say, “But stupid Ro, that would seem so fake!”
To which I would reply, “Shut up butt-clenchers, I know in all probability the people talking would not be actual customers, but don’t you expect to see people drinking coffee in a coffee ad, people walking down shopping aisles after slimming down in a weight-loss ad and people actually talking on the phone in a 1-900 ad? Do you think those are all real customers? Do you really think hot girls are waiting for someone just like you to call? (They are not! I just know...lets leave it at that). Don’t you still expect a visual demonstration of the product?”
In the ad people go on about how well the software works and how easily they were able to learn a new language. But everyone talks in English. That is bad marketing. This is what I want to see...
1) A blue-eyed beach blonde chic talking in Swahili
2) A black guy speaking Hindi
3) An Asian lady speaking Arabic
Don’t tell me you won’t trust this software more if you see the above three on TV!
And since I am in a giving mood, here is another idea. If this doesn’t convince you to buy it, I don’t know what would!
For those in the unknown, it is a software that helps you...(adults mostly, cuz you can teach a kid anything and the kid will learn it. I wonder if anyone has tried doing this before as a social experiment. You know, talk to a kid using gibberish to refer to basic words like food, chair, etc. and nonsense grammar to make sentences. Then send him off to school and videotape him asking for permission to use the bathroom!!! Ok...where was I?)...learn a new language. Now this might seem like a fairly common thing.
Except, something struck me as strange.
The entire ad is in English. Right from the letters on the screen, to the narration, and to the supposedly satisfied customers talking. Everyone speaks English.
Huh...Rosetta Stoners...what the hell???
If I am to be convinced that this is a powerful software that works then I want to see some conventional people speaking unconventional languages with thick accents. I am convinced easily and I expect at least this much.
The butt-clenchers amongst you might say, “But stupid Ro, that would seem so fake!”
To which I would reply, “Shut up butt-clenchers, I know in all probability the people talking would not be actual customers, but don’t you expect to see people drinking coffee in a coffee ad, people walking down shopping aisles after slimming down in a weight-loss ad and people actually talking on the phone in a 1-900 ad? Do you think those are all real customers? Do you really think hot girls are waiting for someone just like you to call? (They are not! I just know...lets leave it at that). Don’t you still expect a visual demonstration of the product?”
In the ad people go on about how well the software works and how easily they were able to learn a new language. But everyone talks in English. That is bad marketing. This is what I want to see...
1) A blue-eyed beach blonde chic talking in Swahili
2) A black guy speaking Hindi
3) An Asian lady speaking Arabic
Don’t tell me you won’t trust this software more if you see the above three on TV!
And since I am in a giving mood, here is another idea. If this doesn’t convince you to buy it, I don’t know what would!
Click on the figure or the rabbit gets it!
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