Posted by
Ed Greenberg, California on April 9, 2007:
Well, I don't appreciate ads for products that specify the religion of the advertiser. I think that the message is that the customers should favor that seller over others for reasons other than product quality. While I don't really object to the ads -- we all (usually) have the right to publish as we see fit -- I figure that if a business needs to rely on such a non-sequitor, the product or service must not be good enough to stand on its own. So I don't buy from folks who call themselves Christian sources, or publish fish symbols.
I also can't think of any religion other than Christianty whose adherants run such ads. Nobody ever runs an ad saying that they are Jewish or Muslim and that they somehow deserve more business because of it.
Perhaps this is because there is an implied synonym in "Christian" for "Good." After all, we hear such phrases as "it's the Christian thing to do."
I suppose it's good to be proud of what you are. But there's an underlying message to those who do not believe as these posters do, which leads me to take my business elsewhere.
---
And to be sure, that's fine with me. It's up to the advertiser to decide how s/he wants to come across, and then up to you to decide whether to do business with them. Criticizing a publication for running the ad the way the advertiser specifies is the ridiculous part. -rc
Posted by
Lisa, Ohio on April 10, 2007:
It IS very annoying to see people using Christianity to sell things. Cheesy and bigoted. Yes, I can understand a complaint or two...but to unsubscribe over one ad??
In a publication whose very reason for existing is to make fun of bigots and hypocrites in every single issue? Hmmm. Somebody's undies are just a tiny bit too tight!
Posted by
Bill, Virginia on April 11, 2007:
It is interesting to read this today as just yesterday I ordered some new personal checks from a company that advertises itself as "Christian." I must admit, I hesitated to order from them because wearing one's religion on one's sleeve for commercial purposes is something I find a bit questionable. I recall quite a few scams that used their "Christianity" to dupe sincerely religious folks. I know it's not their intent, but any business that puts their "Christian" identity up front raises my scam sensor levels a bit.
In the end, their prices and their policy of selling re-orders at the same price as initial orders seemed a good deal, and even though many of their check designs featured religious images and/or bible quotations, they also had plain checks without those.
Finally, I see no problem with accepting advertisements from such a company. I'm sure most of them are perfectly sincere and legitimate. I can be an overly suspicious curmudgeon sometimes.
---
I find that the biggest mistakes I make are when I don't listen to my intuition. It's hard to blame someone else when you say "I knew it!" While I didn't have that feeling about the particular advertiser in question, I have had the feeling you describe, and I've learned to listen to it.... -rc
Posted by
Sixten, Finland on April 20, 2007:
How do you know if a firm is Christian or not? It's not enough that it says so, it might be cheating you. Think of all those Nigerian scam variants where some "widow of a deceased God's servant" wants to give you or your church money if you help them. ;o)
If I need ink, I buy it where the quality and price co-ordinate the best, not from a so called Christian firm, just because it calls itself that. If two firms sell good quality ink for the same (or almost same) price and I happen to know that the owner of one of them is a Christian, I might buy from that firm.
Posted by
Denise, NC on April 21, 2007:
While looking through my husband's 1979 high school year book, I noticed an advertisement in the back selling used tires. The largest words were "We Love Jesus".
Personally, I always thought it was a little fishy to imply that "because we love Jesus, you'll prefer our product", no matter how well or poorly made it is. Sorry, but Christian or not, I'm just not that gullible. Show me the bottom line, the percentages, and Consumer Reports, thank you very much.
My favorite play on this tactic, though, was a company that proclaimed "Jesus Saves. We Recycle!"
Grasp Of The Obvious - Comments
Posted by Ed Greenberg, California on April 9, 2007:
Well, I don't appreciate ads for products that specify the religion of the advertiser. I think that the message is that the customers should favor that seller over others for reasons other than product quality. While I don't really object to the ads -- we all (usually) have the right to publish as we see fit -- I figure that if a business needs to rely on such a non-sequitor, the product or service must not be good enough to stand on its own. So I don't buy from folks who call themselves Christian sources, or publish fish symbols.
I also can't think of any religion other than Christianty whose adherants run such ads. Nobody ever runs an ad saying that they are Jewish or Muslim and that they somehow deserve more business because of it.
Perhaps this is because there is an implied synonym in "Christian" for "Good." After all, we hear such phrases as "it's the Christian thing to do."
I suppose it's good to be proud of what you are. But there's an underlying message to those who do not believe as these posters do, which leads me to take my business elsewhere.
---
And to be sure, that's fine with me. It's up to the advertiser to decide how s/he wants to come across, and then up to you to decide whether to do business with them. Criticizing a publication for running the ad the way the advertiser specifies is the ridiculous part. -rc
Posted by Lisa, Ohio on April 10, 2007:
It IS very annoying to see people using Christianity to sell things. Cheesy and bigoted. Yes, I can understand a complaint or two...but to unsubscribe over one ad??
In a publication whose very reason for existing is to make fun of bigots and hypocrites in every single issue? Hmmm. Somebody's undies are just a tiny bit too tight!
Posted by Bill, Virginia on April 11, 2007:
It is interesting to read this today as just yesterday I ordered some new personal checks from a company that advertises itself as "Christian." I must admit, I hesitated to order from them because wearing one's religion on one's sleeve for commercial purposes is something I find a bit questionable. I recall quite a few scams that used their "Christianity" to dupe sincerely religious folks. I know it's not their intent, but any business that puts their "Christian" identity up front raises my scam sensor levels a bit.
In the end, their prices and their policy of selling re-orders at the same price as initial orders seemed a good deal, and even though many of their check designs featured religious images and/or bible quotations, they also had plain checks without those.
Finally, I see no problem with accepting advertisements from such a company. I'm sure most of them are perfectly sincere and legitimate. I can be an overly suspicious curmudgeon sometimes.
---
I find that the biggest mistakes I make are when I don't listen to my intuition. It's hard to blame someone else when you say "I knew it!" While I didn't have that feeling about the particular advertiser in question, I have had the feeling you describe, and I've learned to listen to it.... -rc
Posted by Sixten, Finland on April 20, 2007:
How do you know if a firm is Christian or not? It's not enough that it says so, it might be cheating you. Think of all those Nigerian scam variants where some "widow of a deceased God's servant" wants to give you or your church money if you help them. ;o)
If I need ink, I buy it where the quality and price co-ordinate the best, not from a so called Christian firm, just because it calls itself that. If two firms sell good quality ink for the same (or almost same) price and I happen to know that the owner of one of them is a Christian, I might buy from that firm.
Posted by Denise, NC on April 21, 2007:
While looking through my husband's 1979 high school year book, I noticed an advertisement in the back selling used tires. The largest words were "We Love Jesus".
Personally, I always thought it was a little fishy to imply that "because we love Jesus, you'll prefer our product", no matter how well or poorly made it is. Sorry, but Christian or not, I'm just not that gullible. Show me the bottom line, the percentages, and Consumer Reports, thank you very much.
My favorite play on this tactic, though, was a company that proclaimed "Jesus Saves. We Recycle!"
---
"Fishy." Heh heh heh! -rc
Read the article that everyone's commenting on, or post a comment about it.