How Marketers Get You. Be Aware.

So Today I want to look at why we spend our money the way we do. It is one thing to say quit buying coffee, pack your lunch, go to the library, buy in bulk etc. But what really motivates us to make those purchases and how can you not be sucked into believing the ads?

Let's start with the newest one I noticed. Pepsi Max. Now let's be clear I love diet Pepsi and diet coke, it is my one big treat everyday. But Pepsi realized that they were missing 50% of the market with diet Pepsi. It is primarily bought by women. So they first started with an ad for Pepsi Max - I believe it was touting max caffeine. that didn't work so they changed their ads to "The first diet drink for Men" - brilliant! Just like Tab was for women in the 70's.

Next Xbox. Why do we wait in lines overnight for the newest technology? To pay the highest prices, and deal with the bugs that they haven't worked out yet? You guessed it - marketing. I want to play, race a giant airplane etc. They appeal to your inner fantasy and they are really funny.

We do this with movies, cars, toys, everything and anything the marketers can make us believe we need to be happier. We go into debt, we neglect saving for retirement, we have homes filled with stuff that we rarely use or have multiple items that are very similar - (xbox, Sony play station, etc). Worst of all - we are not using our own minds to make decisions on what we want to do with our money and time. WAKE UP!!! (hear Pepsi Max voice). I bet you can --- scary isn't it.

So yes, it is important to make all the little changes we all read and talk about but until you really address the marketers - and take control back - you will be lured into the big purchases that really hurt you in the long run!

Stay tuned......