Ryan Rants on Improper Credit Card Use in TV Commercials

Last time I checked, there's only one way to swipe a credit or debit card, and this is not it.

The whole idea of a commercial is to try and plant the idea of a product in the viewer's head with the hope that next time they need that particular product, they'll get your version of it.

Commercials about credit cards are nothing new, with one offering zero percent this, the other offering cash back that, or whatever. Honestly in this world of the I-want-that-and-I-want-it-now-whether-I-can-afford-it-or-not consumer mentality, credit card commercials could be as simple as, "Hey, want this fancy TV you can't afford? Use our credit card to buy it!" I promise new member sign ups would soar through the roof.

Here's what bugs me. Look at the back of any credit or debit card, and where is the magnetic strip that holds all your info? The top, right? Meaning when you swipe it, you turn it upside-down. But not according to the companies themselves. Nope, in order to use their cards, you swipe them so their logo and name are right side up.

Bank of America isn't the only one guilty, Chase Freedom does it too.

They all do it. And I know they do it on purpose because they want to bombard you with their name and logo so you remember it. I get it. But you mean to tell me you the fact the voice over person saying it, or the fact your logo is the last thing we see before the commercial is over isn't enough? When I see a commercial for a hammer, they don't show them beating a nail into wood with the claw end.

Chalk it up to a possible mild case of OCD, or simply a pet peeve, but if they want us to use they're product, don't you think they'd want to show us the actual way to use it? Or maybe they do it on purpose, knowing that people like me will notice it, and therefore remember their product. If that's the case, then touché credit card companies, touché. It looks like everything is going according to your plan.