by Stuart Lawrence

Created on: September 23, 2010

I remember in college being required to take a Practical Logic class. Reflecting back, my mind flashes to a sketch by Father Guido Sarducci (a character made popular by comedian Don Novello). The  sketch centered on Sarducci’s establishment of a five minute college, in which he teaches what the average student retains five years after they graduate.

 Practical Logic helped understand many different types of advertising, and how they can affect perception. It would make an  excellent addition to Sarducci's five minute college, as I remember very little about it except  advertising is not about truth, it is to bring in customers.

  Carfax, however, has done this very successfully. They have flooded the media, and introduced an on-line website that supposedly offers “The Facts” about potential automobile before a consumer makes the decision to purchase. Use of the fox as their mascot seems a perfect mascot as it brings to mind the simile “as sly as.”

 Their advertising goes further to imply that if considering purchase from a dealer, ask for the Carfax. If the dealer, cannot (or will not) provide this, then walk away, further implying that the dealer is either unethical, or their cars is substandard, and they have something to hide.

 What the advertisement doesn’t say, they have raised their prices to dealers, and the price increases with the number of reports pulled. In the adds, customers are told to ask for their free car fax. Perhaps free to the customer, but the dealer has to pay for the "free” somewhat ambiguous and questionable reports.

 The dealers must place the expense somewhere. The cost must be attached to an expense report, and divided up between the cars sold that month. The cost may be placed in advertising expenditures, then be charged to the months “bottom line.” Ultimately the customer will pay for the report, regardless of the hype offered in the Adds.

 Some may ask. “How dependable are the reports?” Carfax reports obtain information from New Car dealers for work performed on customer’s cars. And anyone can call the dealer’s service department and possibly obtain repair information. Service records go into the report. If the vehicle is involved in an accident where law enforcement personnel are called, it goes into the report.  Insurance claims also go into the report. But the problem comes in where John Doe has an

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