15 Things That Really Bug Me
September 25th, 2009 by Bob Bly
1?People who wear cowboy hats but are not cowboys.
2?Ad agency executives who brag that their marketing is creative ? as if being clever and creative is the objective.
3?Men who smoke a pipe in public and are under 60.
4?Drivers who play rap or hip-hop on their car sound system at maximum volume with the windows down.
5?Consultants who defend promotions that do not generate sales by reminding us that ?it?s a branding ad.?
6?Strangers who feel compelled to point out typos on my web sites and then suggest I hire them as a proofreader.
7?Teenagers who ride bicycles without holding on to the handlebars and let their arms hang down by their sides as they pedal.
8?People who e-mail me a link to their web site asking me for my opinion of it ? without offering to pay me.
9?The ultra-hype school of copywriting — especially when used to promote ?make money on the Internet? offers.
10?People who believe the Law of Attraction alone will get them what they want — without having to work for it or take any action in pursuit of its acquisition.
11?Kids who wear baggy pants so low below the waistline that their underwear shows.
12?Reality television — with the exception of Gordon Ramsey?s Kitchen Nightmares, which teaches interesting principles of restaurant success — many of which apply to other businesses.
13?Marketing consultants, speakers, writers, and gurus who proclaim they know what really works in marketing today — but have never beaten my copy or anyone else?s in an A/B split test.
14?Internet marketers whose sole mission in life seems to be to tell you how smart, rich, and successful they are, how wonderful their lives are, and the latest material possessions they have purchased.
15?Entertainers who use profanity gratuitously and could be just as funny without it. (Chris Rock comes immediately to mind.)
This entry was posted on Friday, September 25th, 2009 at 9:43 pm and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
September 25th, 2009 at 10:13 pm
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September 25th, 2009 at 10:13 pm
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September 25th, 2009 at 11:36 pm
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September 26th, 2009 at 1:20 am
Bob, you are a bastion of solid advice… but this comes off as a hilarious “old man shaking his fist at the world” list (not that you’re old)
I was waiting for #16 “Kids walking on my lawn… or looking like they might.”
September 26th, 2009 at 4:18 am
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September 26th, 2009 at 5:03 am
Love your take on life… are you on twitter or do you think that’s a step to far (-:
September 26th, 2009 at 5:14 am
Bill: I am on twitter. See my twitter link at the bottom of my home page at: http://www.bly.com.
September 26th, 2009 at 5:35 am
Love it, Bob.
Let me share two of my personal list (that I still need to write down – or probably not.)
7. People who light their cigarette first thing after they either get in the car or out of it.
Cheers.
September 26th, 2009 at 5:37 am
You tell ‘em, Bob!
I think you should add ‘comment/backlink’ spam – wow it’s really getting bad now, isn’t it?
September 26th, 2009 at 6:26 am
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September 26th, 2009 at 9:01 am
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September 26th, 2009 at 12:17 pm
Bob,
Always love your lists. Truth and humor at the same time. You’re a sarcastic man when you want to be. Kudos. Opinions are very helpful in understanding someone’s true make up. And I can see you are a man of principle.
ken
September 26th, 2009 at 1:04 pm
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September 26th, 2009 at 5:32 pm
Hi Bob,
Thanks for the laugh! I agree with #4. Can’t stand that. As for #1 – I live in Calgary the home of the largest rodeo in the world, the Calgary Stampede. We have a lot of urban cowboys for 10 days every year…can’t fault them for that!
Cheers,
Joan Miller
September 26th, 2009 at 9:44 pm
This was a good read. I especially agree with #4 and #11. Cowboy hats don’t bother me; they seem to be good hats for keeping the sun off of your face and neck. Do you mind baseball caps worn by those who aren’t baseball players?
September 27th, 2009 at 11:03 am
As far as the kids wearing their pants all the way down, I just scare alot of them by telling them what it means in prison. Plus, women who know what it means, don’t look at them in a great light.
I’ve noticed there are ad agencies that use being clever and creative as an objective. That’s the number one thing I do see with their brochures and websites.
And I do not like that many people use copywriting as a “make money” tactic. I guess because I’ve been busting my butt to learn the craft over the years, it’s aggravating to see someone try to use some of the basic tips as a “make money” gimmick.
I also never understood the “lemme show you what I get with my money” tactic either. It’s always in a pitch for people to buy products. WHY? And what’s the number one thing they say or write after showing what they got?
“Now I’m not saying/showing this to brag, but …”
Cool Post.
September 27th, 2009 at 4:06 pm
Shanika: sometimes when selling business opportunities, you have to convince the prospect that you know what you are talking about, and that can include showing your own results. But it should only be done to prove your claim. To go on and on about it like so many do IS bragging and obnoxious. They ARE doing it to brag and feed their own ego.
September 27th, 2009 at 10:03 pm
Quick comment on No. 10: “People who believe the Law of Attraction alone will get them what they want — without having to work for it or take any action in pursuit of its acquisition.
If someone truly believed in the Law of Attraction, wouldn’t NOT taking action be a form of disbelief in it? That is, if you truly believed you were attracting something, wouldn’t that “certainty” be more likely to make you perservere and take faster action? Something to consider.
Great list, by the way.
September 28th, 2009 at 8:40 am
Guilty on #7, but I’m NOT a teenager (does it still count?). I like riding my bike no-handed, but never near traffic.
Enjoyed the post!
September 28th, 2009 at 9:30 pm
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September 28th, 2009 at 10:02 pm
Bob, I love ‘em — especially the last five. I think we’re about the same age, from what I’ve gathered from your writing. And I think we were probably raised the same way, as well. Nice to see some common sense on the Internet.
Joe
September 29th, 2009 at 10:53 pm
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October 10th, 2009 at 3:33 am
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October 16th, 2009 at 5:05 pm
Number three made me laugh out loud!
Why is that?
Because my husband just switched to smoking a pipe as opposed to cigarettes about two weeks ago…He’s 31!!
But he’s not trying to look cool or more… whatever smoking a pipe would make you. It was actually a financial decision, which also has had the added effect of slight health benefits- although not as much as if he could just quit outright.
Switching to the pipe has caused him to smoke less often and saved us roughly $84 in the last two weeks!
February 14th, 2010 at 9:31 pm
Like you, I also hate those drivers who have these big amplifiers that are so loud.
Also the law of attraction, that’s the most stupid attitude that a person possess. If you really want something, you need to work for it.
February 26th, 2010 at 12:09 am
They are telling everybody how great they are, but they don’t want to share their techniques to other people. Unless they just want to let the whole world know that they are somebody now. While others are making nothing.
June 13th, 2010 at 12:24 am
I agree with Andrew. I hate those people who keep on sharing their success in life with expensive houses and cars they acquired through their hardwork. But, they don’t really give the process how they achieved that success.
July 1st, 2010 at 3:25 am
“14—Internet marketers whose sole mission in life seems to be to tell you how smart, rich, and successful they are, how wonderful their lives are, and the latest material possessions they have purchased.”
I vote for this example! They are bragging their success story over the internet, but they don’t share to people how they reached success.
April 9th, 2012 at 11:24 am
Baseball Gear…
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