Avoid Associated Publishers Network

Although my main interest is obnoxious logos, I occasionally note obnoxious scams.

I recently got an offer to subscribe to Forbes from “Associated Publishers Network” in Henderson, NV.  The “best” rate they offered was $129.95, far more than Forbes’ regular rate.

These sorts of operations have no connection to the magazines themselves and send out offers to whatever mailing lists they can purchase.

Their credit card processor is “unitedpubex.com.”  Avoid anything that requires paying through them as well.

Brandwashed

I know I’m in the minority in not wanting to serve as a walking billboard for clothing manufacturers, but Martin Lindstrom’s new book Brandwashed: Tricks Companies Use to Manipulate Our Minds and Persuade Us to Buy reminded me of how much of a minority I am.  On p. 122, he cites evidence that “just under half of all the teens said that if there was no visible branding, they wouldn’t buy an item of clothing at all.”  If one is not wearing the "right” clothing with a logo to prove it, well, there goes popularity.

His book, by the way, has a wealth of fascinating and unsettling information on how susceptible we are to the techniques of persuasion.

Boogie Boards & Brookstone Logos

The Boogie Board is something of an LED Magic Slate.  It looked entertaining, so I bought it despite the annoying logos.  Not only does one get "Boogie Board," but Brookstone added its logo as well.

To increase my frustration, it turns out amazon sells it for $10 less than Brookstone with a slightly less intrusive logo in place of Brookstone’s:

Smart Phone Logos

Although I am an Apple fan, I'm slightly annoyed that when I receive a message from someone, the default tag is "Sent from my iPhone." The Blackberry adds a similar tag. Why should I care what type of phone the sender is using?

Once again, an obnoxious logo.

Musical Instruments

While watching the Stewart/Colbert rally, I was struck by the obtrusive logs on musical instruments. Why would one want to advertise the instrument rather than the musician?

More on Pickup Logos

As I mentioned in my previous post, pickup trucks are the champions of obtrusive logos. I'd be interested in comments as to why this is so. If you own a pickup truck with a really big logo, why?

Chevrolet is the industry leader, no doubt at all. Many Chevrolets have the long name across the full back of the truck.

Then there are models with "Chevrolet" in smaller letters.

And their upscale "Silverado" model has only the Chevy symbol, with the name "Silverado" in small letters.

Does this agree with my theory that the more expensive the vehicle, the less obtrusive the logo?

Why Do Pickup Trucks Have Such Big Logos?

Why do pickup trucks have such huge names on the back? Not all of them, and not all models, but many Chevrolet, Ford, and Toyota trucks announce their makers in large letters to anyone following. I'm going to be snapping pictures over the next few weeks to add to the collection.

Cars don't have such prominent names. Indeed, the fancier the car, the less obtrusive the logo. Think Audi or BMW (although even a pickup probably couldn't handle Bayerische Motoren Werke).

Here's the first, a Ford: