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Something Stinks – Episode 11: StoreMagic.ai Says AI Can Pick the Winners So You Don’t Have To
Sometimes an advertisement waits a few seconds before giving us a reason to start asking questions. This one managed it on the opening screen. The Facebook video served by Store Magic: AI Store Builder opened with the words “Unethical But Legal ways to start dropshipping — part 43.” Underneath the video, the advertisement promised a…
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Something’s Squirrelly – Episode 03: When a Free Roku + Fire TV Design Isn’t a Free Channel
There are certain advertisements specifically engineered to make a small-business owner stop scrolling. The one that crossed our desk from TVAppBuilder certainly qualifies. In enormous yellow letters it promises “GET YOUR FREE ROKU + FIRE TV APP CHANNEL DESIGN.” Underneath that comes “$0 DESIGN FEE” and an invitation to “CLAIM YOUR FREE DESIGN.” The Facebook…
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What the Hell, Valhalla Computers???
If you have been following Valhalla Computers lately, you may have noticed that things have gotten a little strange around here. There are skunks investigating suspicious claims, a squirrel poking around in contracts and pricing structures that do not quite add up, and now a badger carrying a shovel because apparently normal research was no…
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Something Stinks — Episode 06: The Shopify Shortcut Machine
“Free Store in 30 Minutes?” The Store Is the Easy Part Spend enough time scrolling through Facebook and eventually the algorithm seems to decide that what every aspiring entrepreneur really needs is a Shopify store. Not customers. Not a product strategy. Not a shipping plan, advertising budget, recognizable brand, return policy, customer-service system or any…
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Something Stinks — Episode 04: “$99 Cremation?” What Are You Actually Paying For?
There are certain advertisements that catch your attention because they sound almost too simple. This one caught ours immediately. “Cremation from $13.99 a month or $99.” That is an incredibly powerful message for someone worried about leaving funeral expenses behind for their family. Nobody wants their children or spouse scrambling to find thousands of dollars…
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Something Stinks — Episode 03: “FREE Phone, FREE Plan, FREE Everything?” Who’s Actually Paying for It?
There is probably no word in advertising more powerful than FREE. Free phone. Free case. Free charger. Free shipping. Free monthly service. Stack the word enough times into one Facebook ad and it becomes difficult not to stop scrolling, especially when the advertisement is being shown to people who may already be struggling financially. That…
