Marketing

 Every time you see an ad, TV commercial, radio spot you are seeing the end product of a team of marketers who construct an appeal for your heart and billfold.  This is no slapdash affair.  The ad, by the time you see or hear it has passed a gauntlet of team leader, marketing company layers of supervisors and owner.  And finally, it must be approved by the buyer of the spot.  Sometimes it is fascinating to see what passes this strenuous testing process. 

One of my credit card companies, State Farm, joined with US Bank and I now have a new card with accompanying literature telling me how great this merger will be for me.  

 This was a photo on the literature anoounbcing all the ways this will improve my banking, although I noticed the interest rate wasn't any lower.  One perk seemed to be that I could tap it somewhere instead of sliding it in.  Okaaaaay.

On first glance that picture says nothing.  Three people happily chatting.  On second glance look at those people, or should I say kids.  They look like they just got home from school and are going to work on some kind of science project.  How old are they?  16?  18?  And they are using these kids as a pictoral explanation of their new credit card merger?  It actually looks more like some kind of stock photo they pulled from some other advertising campaign.  

The Credit Card Act of 2009 bans cards to those under the age of 21 unless they have an adult co-signer or unless they have an income that can support it.

Hey, I don't know how old these guys are. I can hardly remember my own.  But why would you steer your card advertising toward a demographic that probably doesn't have the resources at this stage of their lives?