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#1 2009-07-07 11:53 am
- 5macs
- Member
- Registered: 2009-07-07
- Posts: 2
Is this a "bait & switch" or an editorial "oops"?
I received a Mac|Life newsletter dated June 6, 2009, issue 60, titled "Macs OS X Speed and Freeing Your iPhone 2G"
At the bottom on the right hand side is an advertisement for MacMall, saying "Daily iPod touch (2nd gen) Giveaway. Enter Now!", with a picture of an iPod Touch. I clicked the link and was sent to the MacMall website, displaying the headline "Daily shuffle 4GB Silver Giveaway", with a picture of a Shuffle. I would like an iPod touch but have no use for an iPod Shuffle. What gives?
This is the newsletter:
http://view.exacttarget.com/?j=fe931d74 … 6187445606
And this is the MacMall giveaway page:
https://www.macmall.com/ttsvr/o/Email-A … -macmsc.87
And also, signing up it asks for First Name, Last Name, Email, ZIP code (all that's fine) then "State/Province" with a drop-down list. The list contained States only, no Provinces (I'm from Canada). Now unless I missed the announcement that the District of Columbia is now a Province, the U.S. has no provinces! If MacMall wants to limit their giveaways to U.S. citizens only, fine. But don't ask for Provinces if they won't even list them.
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#2 2009-07-07 12:53 pm
- dv
- Negusa Negest
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- From: Minneapolis, MN
- Registered: 1999-08-30
- Posts: 18092
Re: Is this a "bait & switch" or an editorial "oops"?
Ad space is sold by the parent company, not the magazine, so it's not an editorial oops. However, MacMall supplies their own ad copy and artwork.
As far as restrictions:
Sweepstakes open only to residents of U.S, 21 years of age or older as of 7/31/2009
So apparently if you don't know what a province is, you might not know what a iPod Touch is either.
"Now commences the process of cutting off the head, which generally takes from an hour to an hour and a half by an expert workman with a sharp blade." -Reuben Delano, Wanderings and Adventures
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#3 2009-07-07 1:24 pm
- 5macs
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- Registered: 2009-07-07
- Posts: 2
Re: Is this a "bait & switch" or an editorial "oops"?
Somebody should have a word with MacMal....
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#4 2009-07-13 5:23 pm
- ctopher
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- Registered: 2009-07-13
- Posts: 1
Re: Is this a "bait & switch" or an editorial "oops"?
I received Mac Life newsletter 61 (email subject "Busting Myths Mac Style and Awesome Plug-ins") and it had the same ad. It got me to click and I see they're giving away a shuffle instead.
I registered here just to let someone at Mac Life know. I realize that ad placement is an arcane bit of business that is most often farmed out to third parties who are set up to do it well, but it does reflect poorly on both MacMall and Mac Life.
What's wrong with giving away a shuffle every day? Nothing, except if you get me to click by promising a Touch and then tell me it's a Shuffle, I'm thinking you're not giving ANYTHING away ("Winners" button notwithstanding)
@5Macs, I think I'll send that e-mail to Mac Mall.
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