Hook figures and the reality

June 9, 2006

posted on his LJ about an offer: An airline has announced "cheap flights to Singapore". The figure, prominently displayed in the ad, is "Rs.3,500"...one-way, that is (who would want to go one-way to Singapore, assuming the Singapore government would permit it in the first place?)...and then of course it has those little stars or asterisks or whatever next to it. This, praise be, doesn't mean that you have to travel when the wind is in the third quarter or the moon is on the wane (well, some conditions like these often come attached, with the cute little words" conditions apply" giving a microscopic warning of rough times ahead.) But it does mean that taxes are extra. So...what is the final figure arrived at? Rs 11,900 for the trip. That's nearly 5000 rupees more than the Rs.7,500 that you imagined when you first saw the ad. And you will have to get the visa for Singapore, too. I HATE this kind of advertising.I HATE having to be wide-awake all the time in order not to have something slipped over me. I detest mobile phone offers of Rs.999 only. Why not Rs.1000? WHO are they fooling? Why can't advertising be honest? Is there something that says honesty and publicity have to be mutually exclusive? One of the honest advertisments I remember after many years is an ad for DLF Qutb Enclave. It said, in effect, "for an salaried person, investing in real estate will always be difficult. But our housing project is a good investment that will appreciate". Today DLF Qutb Enclave in Gudgaon has appreciated incredibly highly. They managed to advesrtise while being honest. And that's very unusual, especially in the real estate market!