Red Pull

October 23, 2012 4:02 PM

Should posts linking to ads say so upfront?

I really liked the video in this post and there's no mystery meat: it says mountain biking, you get mountain biking.

Still, I felt a bit tricked when I realised that this was for Red Bull Rampage. "Ack my eyes!" I thought, "I have given precious eyeball time to this marketing ploy! Somewhere a marketing exec is laughing, laughing!"

Not to say that it's a bad post, but maybe posts which are ads, even indirect ads, should say so from the start? I've got nothing against Red Bull promoting its brand with extreme sports (well maybe a little) and there's enough content here beyond anything Red Bull related, but I'd like to know before clicking about that commercial context.

Please please please: no Bill Hicks

posted by litleozy to Etiquette/Policy at 4:02 PM (61 comments total)

The post is titled "Red Bull 2012".
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 4:09 PM on October 23, 2012 [4 favorites]

LOL.
posted by Mister_A at 4:10 PM on October 23, 2012

EmpressCallipygos: Aye, but if you just click the link and don't see the post title? What then?? (seriously though, seems easy to miss for me, especially from the front page)
posted by litleozy at 4:13 PM on October 23, 2012 [1 favorite]

Half the links on metafilter are selling something. This ship sailed a long time ago.

Red bull doesn't magically make money from you if you look at an ad. Really, if you enjoyed the video and don't buy it, you're basically taking money out of their pockets.
posted by empath at 4:13 PM on October 23, 2012 [3 favorites]

Plus, Red Bull is delicious. You should buy one.
posted by Roger Dodger at 4:16 PM on October 23, 2012 [4 favorites]

Should posts linking to ads say so upfront?

Not according to any moderation policy, no. Our concern is more with sketchy ads-for-ads'-sake stuff or people with a vested interest doing promotional or street team shit, and that we'll crack down on that hard when we see it, but something where it's content someone thinks is neat that happens to bear some sort of corporate sponsorship wrapping is more a judgement call for the poster to make than any bright line issue.

To an extent, the lack of the "Red Bull" brand appearing in print on the front page is sticking it, in whatever vague sense, to that marketing angle.
posted by cortex (staff) at 4:17 PM on October 23, 2012

Empath: Ah, but if I enjoyed the video then I will associate red bull with good things and become a traitor to the revolution, even if I never buy red bull ever. It's all about the supermarket own brands

And totally agreed that everybody is trying to sell you something, but when you're dealing with events, videos and articles which are directly affiliated with a company, I personally wouldn't mind a disclaimer.

On preview: okay, thanks cortex for clearing that up. And I hadn't thought about the lack of branding being a plus, good point
posted by litleozy at 4:20 PM on October 23, 2012

Pepsi Bull!
posted by Rumple at 4:39 PM on October 23, 2012 [1 favorite]

It would actually be pretty genius to rebrand Mountain Dew Code Red as Pepsi Red. Pepsico, get at me - Negativland and I have all kinds of amazing advice for you guys.
posted by mintcake! at 4:42 PM on October 23, 2012

Is today Warn People About Stuff Upfront Day?
posted by Egg Shen at 4:46 PM on October 23, 2012 [1 favorite]

Are people going to freak the fuck out if I post this: "Unlock the 007 in you. You have 70 seconds!"?
posted by andoatnp at 4:50 PM on October 23, 2012 [1 favorite]

Well, so much for my "Look, it's the Iron Man 3 trailer!" post.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 4:51 PM on October 23, 2012 [2 favorites]

Plus, Red Bull is delicious. You should buy one.

Red Bull is people!

needs to be shouted in a Charlton Heston sort of voice
posted by philip-random at 4:54 PM on October 23, 2012 [1 favorite]

Even when the poster doesn't mention it, I guarantee you someone will bring it up in the comments. Actually, pre-emptively mentioning it probably mostly pays off by making it less likely to turn into an "omg its an ad" derail. (For example, in that post you get people mentioning/riffing on the Red Bull angle, but surprisingly little advertising GRAR)

Red bull doesn't magically make money from you if you look at an ad.

Exactly. YouTube magically makes money when you look at the ad :)
posted by wildcrdj at 5:05 PM on October 23, 2012 [2 favorites]

This post gave me wings. AskMe to follow.
posted by arcticseal at 5:07 PM on October 23, 2012 [1 favorite]

I was thrown by the Atari 2600 Pac-Man thread. I suppose marking it as effectively an ad would have saved me 30 seconds checking back over the links for the rom I was half-sure I'd missed. Don't really think there's much that can or should be done about that sort of thing though. Maybe a "FOR SALE" tag or something might have saved me the effort (although I only tend to look at tags after a thread's whetted my appetite for more of same).
posted by comealongpole at 5:12 PM on October 23, 2012

For all the cool shit Red Bull sponsors, I'm surprised they don't get more eyeball action around here. I fucking loathe the drink itself, but I respect the company for putting the dollars they make selling sleazejuice to good use.

"Ack my eyes!" I thought, "I have given precious eyeball time to this marketing ploy! Somewhere a marketing exec is laughing, laughing!"

Anyway this reaction is much likelier to give an ad exec a boner than simply watching the video without a second thought. The goal is to affect you. If you're eyes are burning, you're affected.
posted by carsonb at 5:17 PM on October 23, 2012 [3 favorites]

Posts that are ads should be banned, period.

Even if "some ads have some neat content", it has been said many times that MeFi is not for everything. Marketing departments have no difficulty "getting the message out" and there's no reason they need assistance from humans.
posted by DU at 5:25 PM on October 23, 2012 [2 favorites]

Posts that are ads should be banned, period.

As we've said, they won't be. Do what you want to with that information.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 5:34 PM on October 23, 2012 [5 favorites]

I think if people want to avoid looking at advertising so badly, they should probably turn off the internet and read a book.

They may want to quickly turn past the 'other books by this author' page, though.

Just in case.
posted by jacquilynne at 5:37 PM on October 23, 2012 [8 favorites]

also, some authors are paid to advertise in their books. better hope no one needs a coke or a honey bun or to climb into their kia.
posted by nadawi at 5:44 PM on October 23, 2012

This post is the perfect place to announce that Jeff Goldblum is doing Paypal ads now, which means that Drunk Jeff Goldblum is back!
posted by yellowbinder at 6:10 PM on October 23, 2012 [1 favorite]

litleozy: "Should posts linking to ads say so upfront?"

Yes, please.
posted by dunkadunc at 6:21 PM on October 23, 2012

As we've said, they won't be. Do what you want to with that information.

*vacuums living room*
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 6:24 PM on October 23, 2012

Stopping links to ads would result in MetaFilter users not being alerted to videos such as this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this or this. To quote but a few of hundreds, thousands of examples.

And if we can't see things like this then, well, what is the point of MetaFilter? Or the Internet? Or life, or even existence itself?

Note: Everyone needs a cat video. Perhaps except dunkadunc.
posted by Wordshore at 6:31 PM on October 23, 2012

Both the world and Metafilter would be much better places if we could collectively move on from cat videos and funny advertisements and talk about something real for a change.
posted by dunkadunc at 6:34 PM on October 23, 2012

There's a whole lot of posts on Metafilter every day and the overwhelming majority of them are of neither cat videos nor funny ads. If you are having trouble locating non-cat, non-funny-ad content you have probably got a pretty weirdly niche Greasemonkey script installed.
posted by cortex (staff) at 6:47 PM on October 23, 2012 [10 favorites]

Is it real, son? Is it really real, son?
posted by box at 6:52 PM on October 23, 2012

You come in here drinking your Red Bullshit, you stink like booze, you're out all night partying...
posted by porn in the woods at 6:54 PM on October 23, 2012

I watched that clip with my son. We enjoyed it and have no plans to buy Red Bull. Any sporting event has advertising either surrounding the play, or on the clothing, or the equipment. Metafilter likes sports clips, and so I. I just ignore the ads.
posted by ThatCanadianGirl at 7:00 PM on October 23, 2012

So much Grarr! and not one mention of Felix Baumgartner?
posted by Kid Charlemagne at 7:05 PM on October 23, 2012

Yeah, Felix Baumgartner! Now that was an expensive commercial.
posted by ThatCanadianGirl at 7:17 PM on October 23, 2012

Yeah, Felix Baumgartner! Now that was an expensive commercial.

Not to mention Red Bull Formula 1.

The Austrian energy-drinks company Red Bull has spent a total of £422.4m on Formula One (F1) since buying its team from Ford at the end of 2004, according to new research.

And that's not counting the past year and a half.
posted by philip-random at 7:28 PM on October 23, 2012

Red Bull causes intra-abdominal fat.
posted by Burhanistan at 7:37 PM on October 23, 2012

cortex: "There's a whole lot of posts on Metafilter every day and the overwhelming majority of them are of neither cat videos nor funny ads. If you are having trouble locating non-cat, non-funny-ad content you have probably got a pretty weirdly niche Greasemonkey script installed."

Ironically, when I clicked that to add it as a favorite it told me I needed to have Javascript enabled.

Re: ads: I appreciate being able to click a link knowing in advance that it isn't an ad for something, just like I appreciate being able to open a book or listen to a song knowing that it isn't going to be a stealth Christian tract.
posted by dunkadunc at 7:46 PM on October 23, 2012 [1 favorite]

Fun fact - every song on Pinkerton was commissioned by Monsanto.
posted by mintcake! at 8:23 PM on October 23, 2012 [1 favorite]

Plus, Red Bull is delicious. You should buy one.
posted by Potomac Avenue at 8:54 PM on October 23, 2012

You are an ad.
posted by michaelh at 9:21 PM on October 23, 2012

I enjoy the occasional Red Bull but too much will make your intestines go into overdrive. I want some pep, not prepare for a colonoscopy.
posted by Burhanistan at 9:23 PM on October 23, 2012

What I'm saying is that it makes you shit like a duck.
posted by Burhanistan at 9:38 PM on October 23, 2012

I don't drink Red Bull, though every teen I know does, and that explains a lot. I'm just not in their demographic. I don't feel threatened or pressured by their ads or anything; I feel like I'm perfectly capable of ignoring a sales pitch for something I don't even like, and if I do like it I don't care because they are already getting my money. In fact, I appreciate it when these ad campaigns get creative, because when a circumstance comes up that I do have to sit through a commercial, I might as well enjoy it.

So I guess I don't really get this attitude:

DU: "Marketing departments have no difficulty "getting the message out" and there's no reason they need assistance from humans."

Marketing people have mortgages to pay and families to feed too, you know.
posted by misha at 9:54 PM on October 23, 2012

I wait 8 years for my first meta-call out, and now it's all played out while I was asleep.
posted by roofus at 1:36 AM on October 24, 2012

Posts that are ads should be banned, period.

I dunno. I also dunno that this really was an ad, either - is the NASCAR Corona Series an ad? Is the Heineken Cup an ad? Is showing highlights from them, or any other sponsor-named sport or competition an advert? The BBC thinks not, for example, even paying for the privilege of showing the 2012 Formula 1 Santander Grand Prix! So why is it any different if it's Red Bull sponsoring?
posted by Dysk at 3:56 AM on October 24, 2012

(For the record: Red Bull is disgusting, I find their 'brand' distasteful, and I don't like the increase in commercial interests in sport, but I just really don't think it's meaningful to call that video an ad.)
posted by Dysk at 3:58 AM on October 24, 2012

...but it gives you wings...
they say
posted by Namlit at 5:11 AM on October 24, 2012

Thank you for mentioning Red Bull. Five (5) Bull Bucks have been added to your account.
posted by Room 641-A at 6:06 AM on October 24, 2012

If it gives you wings like a duck, and makes you shit like a duck...
posted by SpiffyRob at 6:31 AM on October 24, 2012

I can't really hear the "gives you wings" thing without thinking of panty liners so I guess advertising works in mysterious ways.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 7:24 AM on October 24, 2012 [5 favorites]

It would actually be pretty genius to rebrand Mountain Dew Code Red as Pepsi Red.

Do they ever have that in restaurants?

Waiter: Did you order the Code Red?
Patron: You're goddamn right I did!

posted by Jahaza at 7:30 AM on October 24, 2012 [3 favorites]

Posts that are ads should be banned, period.

Movie trailers are ads.
posted by nathancaswell at 8:20 AM on October 24, 2012

Posts that are ads should be banned, period.

Looking quickly around the MetaFilter of late, the most obvious FPP that is an ad is this one. Should this be banned and the OP have his account suspended/deleted?

And perhaps go the full persecution distance and cast him out asunder from the Garden of MetaFilter, to wander the barren lands of Reddit for all eternity?
posted by Wordshore at 8:32 AM on October 24, 2012

Or MetaTalk post, not FPP. Whatever. Am going colour-blind. Drinking too much Red Bull, probably.
posted by Wordshore at 8:39 AM on October 24, 2012

If it gives you wings like a duck, and makes you shit like a duck...

...it's a DNA-resequencing process that horrifically morphs you into a duck? Not sure where you're going with this.
posted by EndsOfInvention at 9:00 AM on October 24, 2012

I can't really hear the "gives you wings" thing without thinking of panty liners so I guess advertising works in mysterious ways. posted by jessamyn

Now this is a definite downside, a danger, of advertising. When, as a middle age man, you find yourself absent-mindedly, quietly but audibly singing the theme to an advert to yourself. In a bar. Full of slightly drunk, testosterone-pumped other men :-(
posted by Wordshore at 9:09 AM on October 24, 2012 [1 favorite]

just like I appreciate being able to open a book or listen to a song knowing that it isn't going to be a stealth Christian tract.

Don't read the Chronicles of Narnia!
posted by asterix at 10:22 AM on October 24, 2012

Wordshore, I would like to buy you a beer.
posted by nebulawindphone at 10:24 AM on October 24, 2012

Discussion and links to more cat videos in this FPP and associated comments.
posted by Wordshore at 12:10 PM on October 24, 2012

It's all about the supermarket own brands

3-liter jug of "Crimson Bullock"
posted by Greg Nog at 1:45 PM on October 24, 2012 [1 favorite]

MetaFilter: it makes you shit like a duck.

[Warning: that may be construed as an advertising slogan for MetaFilter]
posted by chavenet at 3:47 PM on October 24, 2012

One more time people: MeFi is paid for with ads. You may not see them, but they exist. If you dislike ads, you're in the wrong place.
posted by GuyZero at 7:03 PM on October 24, 2012

Posts that are ads should be banned, period.

I was feeling sympathetic to that point of view but then I realized if it were policy, I'd have missed seeing Leslie Gore's video.
posted by Obscure Reference at 6:10 AM on October 25, 2012