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June
2000
The Road Less Traveled
Anyone who is a regular reader of Anabolic Extreme knows the disdain I have towards the marketing tactics seen in the majority of bodybuilding publications. Specifically, I'm referring to those tactics geared at selling supplements heavily vested or owned by the magazines themselves. Examples of this would include Pump/SoCal, MuscleMag/MuscleTech, and Testosterone.net/Biotest. We've poked fun at some of these companies in the past, but this is a serious issue, affecting all of us involved in bodybuilding. What's
the Big Deal? Wait a minute. What if you don't know any better? What if you're a 16 year-old kid, picking up his first bodybuilding magazine and you're buying into these marketing tactics. Wow. I can add 12 lbs of muscle with this product, it says so right here. This creatine is 600% more effective than any other creatine on the market, I've got to buy that. These HMB pills feel like deca? I'd better stock up on those too. So what you're saying. This kid will spend a couple hundred bucks on these products and learn his lesson. Caveat emptor. Buyer beware. Is that fair? Is that ethical business practice? Let's look at the situation in another light. What if every product, not just some nutritional supplements, what if every product in America were marketed this way? Imagine this scenario. You're watching TV and a commercial comes on, depicting a Yugo and Corvette side-by-side on a racetrack. The flag drops and they're off! Holy shit, look at that Yugo go! It's smoking the Corvette, literally toying with the larger Chevy as they race down the track. Now the voiceover, "The new Yugo 325I incorporates the very latest advances in Yugoslavian technology, creating a perfect blend of performance and economy. Get yours today!" The Yugo streaks across the finish line, literally a blur of metal and smoke. Beating the slower Corvette by a hefty margin. The driver of the Corvette gets out, looks at the Yugo, looks at his car, and says, "Hey buddy, think they'll take this in as a trade?" Cut people, that's a wrap. Ok, so you're watching this commercial, and you've just choked up that protein shake you were drinking. There is no fucking way that Yugoslavian shit-box is going to dust a Corvette like that. Wait, it gets better. Car and Driver magazine, a respected voice on the automotive industry, just decided to invest heavily in Yugos. In fact, they liked them so much; they're buying the whole damn company. A month later, the lead story in Car and Driver is on the Yugo, and what an amazing vehicle it is. How it's half-mile time is faster than that of a Lamborghini. How it corners better than a Lotus Esprit. How it off-roads better than a Humvee. So now you're reading this, in Car and Driver magazine no less, and you're thinking to yourself, hot damn, this must be true! I got to run out and get me one of those Yugos today! 3 months later, you and everyone else in America has a broken down shit-box in your driveway and you're trying to figure out what to do with the damn thing. If you were now that proud owner of a 1200 lb paperweight, would you feel cheated? What if, after you unloaded 5 grand on this Yugoslavian wonder, I tried to sum up your predicament with caveat emptor? Better luck next time buddy, you should have read what they were saying in Popular Mechanics. You'd rip my still beating heart of my chest and hold it up for me to see as I sank slowly to the floor. Can you see the parallels here? Do I need to draw you guys a flow-chart? Hey sure, both and Corvette and a Yugo will get you around town, at least for 3 months in the case of the Yugo. But there is a massive gap in performance, comfort, luxury, and quality. Comparing the two of them would be like, oh I don't know, comparing a spray-on topical prohormone to steroids. My
Goodness, Whatever Do You Mean? Tim Patterson: Tim Patterson
on Bill Robert's experience with Androsol: Wow! Androsol is more effective than 50 mg of methandrostenelone per day. That's absolutely amazing. I wonder if it will outperform a Corvette? Tim Patterson: Wow again! Bruce Kneller
writing as Brock Strasser: And finally,
my favorite, Bill Roberts defending the statements made about Androsol: So if you've got your panties in a twist with the idea that, 'T-mag lied, saying Androsol is like a gram if Sustanon per week,' get over it! It's a legal way to get results that are similar to a mild cycle. A gram per week of test, however, will blow Androsol away. Let there be no mistake, I never said differently." Well let me be the first to apologize Mr. Roberts, I was completely out of line. How dare I get upset at you guys, I mean you're not saying the stuff is like 4 Sustanon per week, only two. I am truly an asshole. Let's take a look at some of the claims in ads for other magazine-owned supplement lines. MuscleMag International: Let's see. Most people add anywhere between 5-10 lbs of lean bodyweight from normal creatine use. That would mean that if I use CELL-Tech, I'm looking at a 40-80 lb muscle gain. WHERE DO I SIGN UP? "And last but not least, who could forget the famous, "Feels like deca" quote from Bill Phillips referring to HMB?" This
Isn't Acceptable These sleazy tactics, this "con-artistry", has gone on for so long that it's become accepted. Why? What is it that we as bodybuilders expect from the publications that cover the sport we love? I for one think they should be entertaining, informative, educational, and most of all, unbiased. I'd like to see a bodybuilding magazine that any athlete, regardless of age or physique, can look to on a regular basis and come away with a greater knowledge of the sport. It's a sad state of affairs when those of us "in the know" will disregard half the content of any given bodybuilding magazine because we know it's geared at selling supplements to those less informed. More than anyone else, I understand that bodybuilding magazines and supplement companies are reliant on one another for their mutual existence and financial success. However, advertising dollars should not dictate copy. There are many that say it's not possible to produce an unbiased and accurate bodybuilding publication that can survive financially. I disagree. I think the world of bodybuilding is crying out for such a publication. Simply because every other bodybuilding magazine has chosen to take a proven path, that set forth by Bill Phillips, doesn't mean that a new approach won't work. It simply means that you need someone with enough drive, determination, and intelligence to build a new model for people to follow. I'm certainly not against supplements or the supplement industry. In fact, it's my belief that many of these companies are doing themselves a great disservice because their products are extremely effective and would sell very well without the lies and deceptive marketing. So
What Can Be Done? The very first thing you can do is exercise your freedom as a consumer. Do not buy products from companies that sell nutritional supplements that don't work or are marketed in a clearly deceptive fashion. It always amazes me when I hear someone complain about the marketing tactics used by MuscleTech, then go out and buy a bottle of Hydroxycut. If you went to an electronics store to buy a TV and the salesman was telling you blatant lies in order to make a sale, would you go back to that store to buy a stereo? What if you went to that same store and they sold you a widget, claiming that it would improve your TV's reception, and you later realized the widget was absolutely worthless. Going back there any time soon? There are so many reputable companies manufacturing sports nutritional supplements these days that there really isn't any reason why you should be buying supplements from a company that doesn't respect their customers. That's really what it comes down to, many of these companies do not respect you, the consumer. If you feel like you've been duped, take action! Let your friends know not to buy a certain product or from a given manufacturer. Write the manufacturer of the product and let them know why you weren't happy with their product. And most importantly, if you feel like you've really been ripped off, contact the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The following paragraph is part of the FTC's mission statement, pulled directly off their website at www.ftc.gov. " The Federal Trade Commission enforces a variety of federal antitrust and consumer protection laws. The Commission seeks to ensure that the nation's markets function competitively, and are vigorous, efficient, and free of undue restrictions. The Commission also works to enhance the smooth operation of the marketplace by eliminating acts or practices that are unfair or deceptive. In general, the Commission's efforts are directed toward stopping actions that threaten consumers' opportunities to exercise informed choice." Eliminating acts that are unfair or deceptive. Hmmm. I could keep these guys busy for a year. A single complaint from a consumer is not going to prompt an investigation by the FTC. However, a few hundred complaints probably will. Take action; do not sit idle if you feel you've been ripped off! The FTC website even has an online complaint form that takes about 2 minutes to fill out. Trust me, no company wants the FTC breathing down their neck and will quickly change their tactics when faced with an investigation. I can't argue that Bill Phillips isn't a marketing genius. I can't argue that his business model doesn't work. In fact, if we break down his plan into a few simple steps, it seems ridiculously easy. Step 1: Have a magazine that claims to be hardcore and covers some of the more controversial aspects of the sport. This will engender the trust of a very large segment of the bodybuilding community. Step 2: Claim to have insider knowledge of a fantastic new bodybuilding supplement that's being researched. Cover this miracle supplement thoroughly over the period of several months. Hype it up with pseudo-science and drug-like claims. Step 3: Announce that you've managed to get your hands on this supplement and will be releasing it for sale in the very near future. By now, you've got scores of bodybuilders chomping at the bit, dying to buy this new supplement they've been reading about for months. Hey, if this sounds really familiar, it's because that's because it's SOP marketing for almost every magazine owned supplement company. Sure, this model works. However, simply because this model works doesn't mean that you can't be successful by following a different path. I can guarantee you, the moment someone is more successful with a different model, and every magazine out there will switch gears and drop their current strategy. I got into this business to make money. I also got into this business to educate and help people. So far, I've done a lot of the latter and a little of the former. That's ok. I can't imagine a better life than making a living off of bodybuilding, and in order to accomplish that, I'm willing to eek by for a while. Believe it or not, helping people achieve their goals really makes me feel good. I know, I know, I'm a sap. I guess that makes Grendel, Sanjac, and new writer Dave Barr saps as well. There will come a day when we'll all sit back and remember the good old days when AE was just a simple little webzine. I can tell you this; we'll reach our destination by following the road less traveled. And when we get there, we'll have established a new business model for others to follow. Honesty and ethics in bodybuilding? In time my friends, in time. Meuller out! Copyright 2000 Jason Meuller and Anabolic Extreme. This material may not be copied, reproduced, or transmitted without the express written permission of the copyright owners. |
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