Some companies create problems and then present their products as solutions. A user asked the forum, “What are the best examples of companies creating a problem just to sell us the solution?” Here are the top responses.
NESTLE
“Nestle gave out free formula to mothers in Africa just long enough for them to stop producing milk, then stopped so they would be forced to buy it as they weren’t producing anymore. They dressed their salespeople as nurses to trick people into trusting them. Nestle is truly evil.”
DOW CHEMICAL
“Clover was once considered part of a healthy lawn and turf grass. The two plants complimented each other in many ways.
Dow Chemical found the recipe for a very effective herbicide that wouldn’t harm grass but kill most undesirable plants that popped up in yards. Unfortunately, it also killed Clover, so an advertisement campaign was launched to change public perception against Clover, and here we are.”
EXPERIAN
“Experian establishing themselves as a credit bureau and selling calculations of your creditworthiness and then having the audacity to sell ‘Experian boost.'”
HORLICKS
“Horlicks solved the problem of overnight starvation that never existed.”
APPLE
“Everything that Apple does. Removing all the ports to sell you every gadget.”
SUPPLEMENT COMPANIES
“Supplement companies attribute all your problems towards vitamin deficiencies.”
BIORÉ BLACKHEAD REMOVAL STRIPS
“Bioré blackhead removal strips. It is a product that shows all the ‘horrible’ stuff it can pull from your skin like a piece of duct tape. Turns out, all that horrible stuff is necessary for the most part to have healthy skin.
According to the web, “When pulling up the pore strips, you can pull up parts of your epidermal layer. This layer is vital to protecting your skin against bacteria and irritations from the outside world and helps prevent water loss from your skin. When you remove this layer, your risk of skin infections, irritations, and dryness can increase.”
YOUTUBE
“Youtube. They add so many advertisements on purpose to sell the advertisement-free version.”
LISTERINE
“Halitosis. Listerine was invented in the 1880s as a surgical antiseptic, foot cleaner, floor scrubber, and gonorrhea treatment.
When they couldn’t find the market they wanted, they convinced everyone that bad breath was a medical condition and coined the term.
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/marketing-campaign-invented-halitosis-180954082/”
RAZORS
“Convince women that leg hair and armpit hair are gross to sell them razors.”
CLEANING PRODUCTS
“Most cleaning products. You need these six products in most houses: 50% Isopropyl alcohol and water for technology, glass and most surfaces, Lysol or bleach for sanitizing surfaces, laundry detergent, stain remover, dish detergent, and dish soap.
You don’t need fabric softener, fabric softener sheets, a different product for floors/wood/counters, etc. The rest is marketing and people with nothing to do, making it seem that maintaining a household is complicated.”
PURDUE PHARMA
“Purdue Pharma now sells Naloxone, which is a medication used to reverse an opioid overdose.”
REFRIGERATOR COMPANIES
“Not a singular specific company, but the earlier refrigerator companies used to give away ice to restaurants to demonstrate how much better drinks could be, then sold them the machine once the demand became big enough. People did not even know they wanted it until they tasted it.”
KELLOGG’S
“Kellogg’s convinced the world that breakfast is the most important meal of the day to sell us cereal. Breakfast is not the most important meal, and cereal is not the best thing to eat either.”
TOBACCO COMPANIES
“Tobacco companies selling nicotine gum and patches to help people ‘quit.'”
FREEMIUM GAMES
“Freemium games. The company creates basic problems (the game) and then sells add-on options to do better versus the problem.”
TURBOTAX/HRBLOCK
“Turbotax/HRBlock. If not for their lobbyists, the government would send 99% of Americans a bill for their taxes you could choose to contest or just pay. It would take less than 5 min to do your taxes.”
KLEENEX TISSUE WITH THE LOTION
“Kleenex Tissues with the lotion in them. The tissue irritates, and the lotion is to soothe the irritation even though it doesn’t do anything.”
BROOM COMPANIES
“Broom companies. Brooms were made to clean floors; instead, they pushed dust and dirt around. So Swiffer was created to pick up dirt instead of pushing it around.”
PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANIES
“Pharmaceutical companies actively advertise supposedly underdiagnosed diseases and promote their medication to both prescribers and consumers.”
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This article was originally published on Mrs. Daaku Studio.