Don’t Let The Smile Fool You, It’s A Sad Ad

/ Ally Bean

WHO YOU CALLING OLD?

The above advertisement has been following me around the internet like a bored toddler.  It showed up on my email sidebar a few days ago and has stayed with me as I research and read all over the intertubes.

I can’t decide if I’m insulted by the advert’s implication that I’m mature [old?] OR if I’m charmed by its desire to help me look better. Presumably.

Of course if you look closely you’ll notice that there’s no indication of the name of the company that makes this allegedly fabulous lipstick nor where I might buy said lippy.

IT’S A SAD AD IF YOU ASK ME.

But here’s the thing, no one has asked me.  It’s as if no one cares about my need for or opinion about the product featured in this unsolicited advertisement that will not go away.

And no matter how much I keep smiling about this advert, and all the other unsolicited ones that clutter my computer screen, I cannot help but feel irritated by the impudence of these wet-behind-the-ears companies assuming I’d want to buy anything from them because they’ve decided I’m mature.

PIFFLE, I SAY.

photo by Alexas_Fotos via pixabay

138 thoughts on “Don’t Let The Smile Fool You, It’s A Sad Ad”

  1. I’ve just resigned myself to the fact that online ads will follow me on the web. It’s now at the point where I don’t even really notice them anymore.
    One thing I have noticed however is that books never follow me. I’m often looking up books and yet ads for them never show up. Moral of the story for me – the larger the margin, the higher the likelihood it will show up as an ad.

    Liked by 3 people

    • Joanne, that’s a brilliant analysis of these online ads. You’re right about no books ever following, but look at one article about lipstick once… and I have a sad ad. I need to learn to ignore these adverts.

      Liked by 1 person

  2. I guess I”ve got to the point where I’m numb to the number or ads that are shown. I just don’t notice them which isn’t very effective in their advertising campaign. I do find them annoying and tend to not want anything from the ones I do see

    Liked by 1 person

    • teacherturnedmommy, I still notice them and dislike them for cluttering my screen. I think I pay attention to them for the reason you mentioned, I don’t want to accidentally buy something that is being advertised. That’s be just wrong.

      Liked by 1 person

  7. I’m laughing at the oddness of it all Ally, but now I’m totally into thinking up names for lipsticks for the mature woman. Older is Bolder, Age is All the Rage, I’ve Seen It All and I’m Talking About It, Color Me Wise. Seriously you’ve ruined my day – I can tell I’ll get nothing else done. 🙂

    Liked by 4 people

    • Deborah, your names are perfect! I hadn’t thought of the how fun it’d be to make up names for this lipstick that I will not be buying. I like “Age is All the Rage.” I wonder which particular shade it’d be? Red? Mauve? Peach?

      Like

  8. Raise your hands everyone who had trouble finding the right lip colour for your old woman lips?
    What?! No one?!
    I thought so. Just another ad trying to push a non-existent problem on women to create a demand. Don’t they know one of the benefits of getting older is you can see through this crap and call it what it is?

    Liked by 4 people

    • Deb, ain’t it the truth! I agree that this advert’s idea that a mature woman NEEDS a special lipstick is total crap. It’s almost as if the makers of this lippy didn’t actually talk with any women who were mature… however that is defined. 🙄

      Liked by 1 person

  9. I haven’t worn lipstick for aeons, but that ad stalks me, too. Now that I’ve read the names here, I can’t stop chuckling/rolling my eyes. Good Heavens.

    And, yes, please send me ads for things I actually use: yarn, books, good chef’s knives, all-cotton sleepwear and the like.

    Liked by 1 person

  10. HA! I thought I was the only one who got those flashng ads…
    But really, I’m here to comment on your use of the word ‘Piffle’
    Brings back memories of my Ma (not implying any age similarities at all)
    Piffle says it all
    🙂

    Liked by 1 person

  11. I’ve heard that Alexa tells all (and so do our cellphones) – you must’ve been sharing some extra special thoughts, aka, lip service about something, and she ran with it to tell the advertisers on social media to flood your feeds with lipstick ads!? 😉

    Liked by 1 person

  12. Do you simply think the word “lipstick” and it appeared? I swear these devices can read our minds at this point. So think “million dollars” and see what happens. 🙂

    Liked by 3 people

  13. My one tube of lipstick (a nice nude shade) is 5 years old and still has a lot of stuff. I’ve never been big on lipstick. When I was a kid it made me break out around my lips. As for ads, I agree with all the commenters. Putting gray hair on a 20 year old model does not make them mature. Actually I know lots of old people who aren’t mature in the true sense of the word! 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    • Kate, I’m not much for lipstick either. I couldn’t tell you the last time I bought a tube of it. I like balms, sometimes tinted, sometime not.

      I agree about how ridiculous this woman in the ad looks. She’s not mature as in old, she’s just another deception within this deceptive advert for something I have no intention of buying. 🤨

      Liked by 1 person

  14. Shoot, I kinda miss ads like this since I was introduced to AdBlock a few years ago which makes them all go away on almost every site I visit. I no longer know who people hate or what that one simple trick is that will make my life so much easier. And only thanks to you did I realize they apparently make lipstick specifically for mature lips. I guess even grannies like to look like a cover girl from an 80’s teen magazine every now and then…

    Liked by 1 person

    • evilsquirrel13, what is this AdBlock of which you speak? I think you’ve nailed it with your assessment of the logic that underpins this ad: “I guess even grannies like to look like a cover girl from an 80’s teen magazine every now and then…” 🙄

      Like

      • AdBlock Plus is a browser add-on you can download for free that will change the way you look at the internet…. literally, because it will seem really weird the first few times you look at sites you’d normally see those insipid ads on with nice, clear, clean space instead. I was completely unaware that WordPress inserted ads into blog posts until one of the rare times it deactivated itself. I highly recommend it, at least for Firefox, which is the browser I use.

        Liked by 1 person

        • I’ll look into it. Thanks for the info. I’m not supposed to have any ads on this blog because this is a business level blog. I do see ads on your blog sometimes now that I think about it. Most interesting.

          Like

  16. Ageism, pure and simple, and if those are the only color choices I say even worse. Where is the bright red that a mature woman can and should wear? Not these awful pinky-mauve hues.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Deb, you’re right about that. It is ageism as a marketing ploy. Because now that they’ve told me I’m old, I must buy their lipsticks? Because the colors are the best? Me thinks not.

      Liked by 1 person

  17. If you ever click on a cosmetics ad on Facebook, you’re done, Ally.

    I clicked on a Cindy Joseph’s BOOM! ad once and received enough followups to make me gag even though she courted me with her pro-age byline.

    On second thought . . . !

    Liked by 1 person

    • marian, I didn’t click on this ad for the very reason you mention. I wonder who it is that convinces these companies to bombard a potential customer with unwanted ads? If anything, the more I see an ad, the less likely I’ll ever buy anything from them. Just saying.

      Liked by 1 person

  18. That is odd that there is no information there like a company name or where to get the product. Seems like a waste of their time and effort. I ignore most of the ads I see, although it IS creepy how they track what we look at, then provide matching advertising.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Margaret, I thought it was *very* odd that an advert didn’t have any company name or store name associated with it. I didn’t click on the advertisement because I didn’t want to know who was behind it. However, if you’re going to have an advertisement for your product then it’d be a good idea to tell your potential customer who you are. Advertising 101. 🤨

      Liked by 1 person

  19. I Googled it and it’s very PC, vegan, cruelty-free, blah blah, and has the PC price tag to boot! I do agree it’s odd that they don’t Brand Themselves online. Isn’t Branding everything these days?!
    *applies lip balm*

    Liked by 1 person

    • joey, well, you know, back in the dark ages when I took college classes on marketing and advertising, BRANDING was THE WORD. But obviously this new lippy company has a different marketing approach as they try to sell me on something I don’t want. So pointless, so stupid.

      Liked by 1 person

  21. I haven’t worn lipstick in forever so they wouldn’t get much from me. I do get the bra ads. The ones I see that gross me out are the ads about stomach issues where it looks like there’s an alien worm wriggling around. I was a victim of the cellphone tapping scenario when I was talking to my husband about our loose shower head and instantly I got an Amazon email about shower head replacements. I had not looked into any such thing because I knew all that needed to be done was to tighten ours. That was kinda creepy to me too.

    Liked by 1 person

  22. Well, count me as relieved that “they” have finally introduced a lipstick I can wear! I’ve tried Revlon, Loreal, and MAC, but it keeps slipping off my dried, thinned, wrinkled lips. Actually, maybe a lipstick ad isn’t so bad… I had a toilet follow me for months after I did some research when we needed a new one.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Janis, isn’t this lipstick ad something? I can’t tell you why it appeared but the lack of company name on it makes me suspicious of it before we even talk about the copy on it. It’s kind of funny that a toilet ad followed you. I don’t think of things like that needing to be advertised extensively.

      Liked by 1 person

        • I hear you. It seems to me that trendy colors of lipstick might appeal to mostly younger women, but as for the way in which a lippy is formulated… I don’t know how one could be for mature lips only. It’s marketing nonsense I suspect, but then I’m more of a tinted lip balm girl so what do I know about lipsticks? 🤷‍♀️

          Like

  23. Online ads are soooooo annoying and intrusive. I’m sure I’ll be seeing those “mature” lipstick ads.

    Wanna hear something weird? I was out with friends awhile ago. One said she thought her phone was listening in on conversations. Sure enough just as she was about to search for a cupcake place on her phone, before she could type anything, Google suggested Smallcakes–a cupcake place I’d just mentioned in our conversation.

    Liked by 1 person

  24. I find that annoying too. I don’t mind it when Amazon recommends things to me based on my previous purchases, but I hate it when they show up while I’m reading the online Washington Post (which Jeff Bezos owns), or any of the other web sites I might surf into. Yes, I really need to see more Magnesium supplement ads as I read about North Korea. – Marty

    Liked by 2 people

    • Marty, I agree with you. If I buy something from LL Bean then later in the week an ad shows up, I’m ok with it. But this was a random oddly-worded advert for something I don’t want or shop for or care about. So you get ads about Magnesium? That’s rather obscure and niche-y. Lucky you.

      Like

  26. I have been rather unfortunately mature since about age 12 – and only wore lipstick a short period in my late 20s. Now about these creepy ads…

    It bothers me that if my husband shops for something one one of his devices, ads for it start showing up on MY devices. As if I didn’t have enough unwanted ads already!

    Like

  27. Hi, Ally – I wish that I could be more like so many of your commenters and simply be immune to these pesky ads. Sadly, I cannot….and they drive me crazy! I greatly appreciate blogs like yours that are ad-free. Thanks so much for this — its a little piece of Heaven!

    Liked by 1 person

  29. That’s really strange. How can they get you to buy it if you don’t know what it is? Maybe they’re waiting for you to become super curious and then they’ll disclose the name.

    I think I have an ad blocker. Some magazines won’t let me read their articles unless I turn off my ad blocker. I’ve never looked into how to do it, so I just look for another article.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Nicole, I think this is a strange advert, too. You know there’s this concept called branding wherein a company makes certain a customer knows what company it is and never forgets what company it is. This group? They don’t even want me to know who they are.

      Another commenter mentioned ad blocker. I don’t have that, but maybe I should. Of course with it I’d never know about the wacko-ness of ads these days. 🙄

      Liked by 1 person

  32. I remember being freaked out when ads for neurosurgery appeared in my side-bar. After a bit of thought, I realised I’d been in email conversation with a friend about a mutual friend’s brain tumour. Yup, good old gmail was a-spying on me. I’ve learned to expect it now. I don’t much like the age-related stuff, but you wait till the ads are all about funeral plans. Just sayin’ …

    Oh & as always, loving the *piffle* 😀

    Liked by 1 person

    • Deb, oh that’s just awful. On so many levels it is just wrong. I have yet to have medical adverts follow me around, so I guess that’s something to be thankful for. But I still say *piffle* to it all.

      Liked by 1 person

  34. Oh ya – I got that ad too Ally. I AM mature, and I was still annoyed at the insinuation that I was mature. A few years ago, the local paper’s cub reporter wrote a story about an elderly woman being involved in a traffic accident. The article had just been posted online where I follow the newspaper tidbits on Facebook. So,”elderly” was 55 in this instance and I reacted with a harumph, but didn’t comment below that online story. I looked who wrote the story as they have had the same stable of reporters for years. I didn’t recognize him. Before I finished reading the article, the comments started pouring in, all pertaining to the “elderly” age reference. I went back later to see if the reporter apologized – nope. No apologies by the reporter in the comments section, but I noticed the story was amended shortly thereafter to eliminate the “elderly” reference. (The nerve! as my mother would say.)

    Liked by 1 person

    • linda, that’s a hilarious story. The reporter may not have had the grace to apologize but the readers made it clear that he was wrong. I won’t mind the term “elderly” being applied to me when I hit 90, but anyone at 55– I don’t think so.

      Liked by 1 person

      • It seems I always have a story – I was making some progress in Reader when I heard chirping. This is a blogworthy tale … it was not the smoke alarm in the cellarway, but the C02 alarm downstairs – it is not unexpected as it was installed same time as the furnace in 2012. I had the HVAC guy bring it – they had a sale on them. So I went downstairs to quiet the beast and pulled it out of the wall outlet … it kepts chirping. I turned it over – I see no battery case. Usually it says “put battery here” as if you could not figure that out. So I find this white plastic square and guessing it is the battery and I’m not worried as the chirps are 30 seconds apart meaning low battery. I pulled out the white case and inside it says “the battery has now been removed” … great, that’s a start, but it’s attached with the umbilical-type cord to the alarm. It is a lithium battery … I should cut it out but it is lithium which I would rather not trifle with.
        I am now going to search the directions online since they left me no directions and hopefully figure it out, otherwise is going to spend the night outside chirping to the crickets. I’m telling at least one person in case I don’t return. 🙂

        Liked by 2 people

  35. Well, I’m hoping you made it through the night with your chirpy little gadget. I’ve had good luck finding directions online for small gadgets like yours, thus I have high hopes for you. And if didn’t find what you needed, I image the crickets outside had a fascinating night with their new electronic friend, CO2.

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  36. Omg – laughing (and hubs too- cod I read it to him) your comment about the bored toddler
    Whew
    And you can tell I am getting caught up on some posts here – so hope you don’t mind a little more of moi today.
    So is the ad limited in info just to get you to click so they can leave you a “drive by cookie”
    And infect your mature woman blogging?

    —

    Liked by 1 person

    • Yvette, I like your “drive by cookie” explanation of this advert. I imagine you’re right in that the info is limited for exactly the reason you mention. BUT it won’t work with me. No way am I going to click on this stupid ad. I don’t need their lipstick and I don’t like their marketing approach. So there.

      Liked by 1 person

      • same here – no way am I clicking – and recently I tried to reply on a blog – just hit reply – at Patti’s blog and twice it gave me a fake link to “update flash player” – and that seems Phishy big time
        —
        I also hate that marketing approach and I get some too –

        Liked by 1 person

          • I think it is more of the “drive by cookie” crap – and if folks click anything it can deliver code to their computer —
            – or it is really going to take us to the mature lipstick page – like they really want some of ladies to check out that unknown brand of lipstick – ha

            Like

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