Beware Leaked Black Friday ads!
Have you heard? It seems as though stores participating in the Black Friday phenomenon have some serious breaches in their security. In-store deals and flyers are being mysteriously leaked all over the internet.
I Think that the right thing to do, as morally upstanding citizens, would be for all of us to respect their privacy. For decency’s sake do not look at these leaked flyers! Right?
Yeah right.
Lately there’s less and less reason to avert our eyes when something sensational is “leaked” onto the internet. The truly astounding “right-place/right-time-with-my-camera” moments fall so seamlessly alongside contrived viral ad campaigns who knows the difference anymore? More importantly: who cares? Moments caught on tape that would have been truly embarrassing in the past as something have become real career opportunities for celebrities.
Therefore, where does the appeal of the “leaked” flyer lie? Anyone with half a brain knows that these companies want us to see their advertising. Black Friday coupons thrive on that precise principle, they don’t work if you don’t know about them in advance. The only answer is that advertisers have caught on to the readily observable fact of the internet: looking at something forbidden is undeniably appealing. Case in point: Paris Hilton’s meteoric rise to fame.
The internet has made this type of advertising possible because of the consequence free environment it fosters in the online community. The same reason why the internet is such a breeding ground for con-artists, and why you should take precautions with your online shopping.
Looking at a “leaked” flyer is on the tame end of the scale—but it still carries that all-important tinge of exclusivity and wrongness that it makes consumers feel sly, and in-the-loop.
So please, for the love of everything you hold dear, do not look at these earth-shattering Black Friday deals.
