by Ron Busby

Created on: July 31, 2008

I know that I am certainly jaded by advertisements that are, less than true. Maybe it is because of my background. In the early 80's I started selling "Timeshare Vacations", in this form of marketing tricks are used to have the prospect come to you for the chance of a free vacation. What we did was probably against the law, however in the early 80's "Timeshare Vacations" were not regulated by any government agency.

The advertising we used was one step short of an outright lie. We gave away a Lazy Boy chair, or so you thought. What they were was bleacher seats that were really called Laze Boy chairs. You know what a bleacher seat is, don't you? Well a bleacher seat is something you would bring to a high school football game. On the long continuous bench that stretches across the length of the bleachers. The bleacher seats had a metal hook on the bottom you just attached to the bleacher seat. Then it had this metal back that you would lift into position, giving you back support at the game.

The funny thing is people would show up with U-Haul trailers behind their cars to carry their new Laze Boys chairs. The truth is you could carry it under your arm and still be able to bring along a burger and soda. We operated just inside the gray area enough that we were not technically telling any lies. Is it our fault that people only hear what they want to hear? Everyone is still thinking that there really is something for nothing. Why do you think car dealers give away free hotdogs to anyone who tests drives a car? Now you can understand that Johnny Lunchbucket', that was our nickname for the customers.

Well times change but advertising tricks do not. Everybody has heard about the Timeshare salesmen and all their tricks to misinform you. Well guess what, they are still stretching the truth, aren't they?

There is a new TV commercial on right now that is a perfect example of the type of deception that advertising agencies use. It is a commercial that shows the all new 9-11 $20 bill. The first half truth you see is right up front. This Government Issue $20 bill is legal tender. It is but the assumption the Lunchbucket crowd does hear the part where the say, and show you in fine print, quickly, that it is legal tender for the country of Liberia. That makes a huge difference in the perceived value of the Silver $20 bills.

Which brings me to the next half truth of this commercial; they say it is .999% pure fine silver leaf. What is silver leaf? Have you ever heard Silver or Gold

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