Dirty Marketing Tricks

13 replies
I haven't seen this one in a while and didn't know people were still doing it...

I just downloaded a stock image pack from a Photoshop related website and while on the download screen you have two options.

1. Slow download

2. Fast download

Naturally I clicked the slow download as I did not want to get roped into getting some download service.

I then had to wait for 30 seconds as a timer counted down before my download even started.

Next to this it said "Using the Premium Fast download option users will experience faster downloads and no wait time before downloads".

It is the wait time that kinda bugged me, as a marketer I don't believe in going out of your way to cripple a free option rather than just making the premium option more enticing.

Is it just me or is this trick a little dodgy?
#dirty #marketing #tricks
  • Profile picture of the author kindsvater
    Did you pay for the images? Often this is seen on file sharing aka mass copyright infringement sites.

    Someone is probably paying for the premium fast load so someone like you can download for free. Doesn't seem like this is something to complain about. Would you prefer if there was no free option?

    .
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  • Profile picture of the author TheSalesBooster
    Don't complain about something you get for free. Even if you have to wait 30 seconds...
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  • Profile picture of the author Redwyn88
    Hrmm, not sure I'd classify that as a "dirty marketing trick", it's pretty common and it makes sense. How else would you make the paid service more enticing in this case?
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  • Profile picture of the author RedShifted
    Thats definitely not a dirty marketing trick afaic. Not when you compare it to some of the truely dirty techniques some marketers are using. A dirty marketing trick to me is a site that offers a product "FREE", they don't mention one single word about paying for anything, and then after you give them your email they ask for credit card info or try to get you to pay a "trial" fee.

    Like if you search for "free seo tools" most sites on page 1 do exactly this. Traffic travis is a good example. If you go to their site: Free SEO Software | The Best PPC & SEO Management Tool -Traffic Travis you will be 100% convinced that the software is FREE, because they say it more than once on the homepage so wtf.

    You read all the feature and think "wow, this is A LOT of features for free software". Then of course you download the software and discover 90% of those features don't work unless you pay.

    Needless to say I think traffictravis sucks and any other website using this strategy. I will purposely go out of my way for the rest of my life NEVER to visit their site again. Some marketers will try to tell me its good software, but I don't GAF. If the software is good, great. But do NOT try to convince me that crap is free right up untill the point I decide I want to check it out.

    Total horse**** and any marketers using this "trick" need to throw themselves off a 10 story building. You're NOT duping anyone into buying your crappy inaccurate software anyway, you're just pissing most people off. Sure a couple idiots will always buy, but its never a smart idea imo to target people of a lower intelligence level. They generally don't have as much money as educated people anyway.

    So if you're going to use a "dirty" marketing trick, at least try to be clever about it. There is just nothing clever whatsoever about bait & switch techniques.

    -Red
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  • Profile picture of the author KirkMcD
    Stock photos from a file sharing site?
    As kindsvater asked, did you pay for the file?
    Did you get the proper rights to actually use the images?
    Did the seller have the rights to distribute the images?
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    • Profile picture of the author Daniel Evans
      It's quite common.

      It's a pain, but you're still getting something for free. Bandwidth costs.

      Assuming I ever have to use a site of this nature I just wait it out.


      Daniel
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  • Profile picture of the author mickeyroad
    Don't complain if you get files or software for free, be grateful that someone is generous enough to share
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  • Profile picture of the author Jtraits
    I wouldn't categorize it under "dirty" marketing trick ... You have both options either wait and get it free or pay and get it at instance...
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  • Profile picture of the author IMFury
    I always see this when watching movie online
    You have options so I don't consider it as "dirty". It's like some FREE WSo here where there are paid offers (annoying than the counter) before download.
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  • Profile picture of the author AgentHomes
    Some time you need to wait, it's no big deal at the end of the day.
    I always take that time to get up and stretch!
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  • Profile picture of the author Yulia from DNP
    Yes i understand what you are talking about , its like- ok you dont want to pay? fine , instead of just letting you download it right now, wait.and then, wait some more.
    Believe it or now, people pay for this, and yes they feel like they have the better service then all the other - who are left to wait like poor people :- ) (im just kiddin about the poor, but it works)
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