The Points Guy: We never accept free flights [merged TPG discussions]
Feb 1, 2018, 7:02 pm
#888
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: New England
Programs: American Gold, Marriott Gold, Hilton Silver
Posts: 5,640
Not to mention that the Venture card's "miles" are a lie, and TPG unscrupulously does not disclose the fact that these "miles" do not equal any sort of airline miles, and are actually points where each one is worth less than an airline mile.
But hey, he'll shill anything that will pay him. I'm sure if someone paid him enough to promote snake oil, his readers will eat it up. I am seeing an ever so slight increase of his readers calling him out on his garbage and clickbait though, so I guess they're not all brain-less.
But hey, he'll shill anything that will pay him. I'm sure if someone paid him enough to promote snake oil, his readers will eat it up. I am seeing an ever so slight increase of his readers calling him out on his garbage and clickbait though, so I guess they're not all brain-less.
Last edited by diburning; Feb 1, 2018 at 7:08 pm
Feb 1, 2018, 7:22 pm
#889
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Washington, DC
Programs: DL PM; IHG PlatAmb; Hilton Dia; Marriott Plat; Hyatt Discoverist
Posts: 7,320
Not to mention that the Venture card's "miles" are a lie, and TPG unscrupulously does not disclose the fact that these "miles" do not equal any sort of airline miles, and are actually points where each one is worth less than an airline mile.
But hey, he'll shill anything that will pay him. I'm sure if someone paid him enough to promote snake oil, his readers will eat it up. I am seeing an ever so slight increase of his readers calling him out on his garbage and clickbait though, so I guess they're not all brain-less.
But hey, he'll shill anything that will pay him. I'm sure if someone paid him enough to promote snake oil, his readers will eat it up. I am seeing an ever so slight increase of his readers calling him out on his garbage and clickbait though, so I guess they're not all brain-less.
Feb 2, 2018, 1:19 am
#890
Moderator: Lufthansa Miles & More, India based airlines, India, External Miles & Points Resources
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: MUC
Programs: LH SEN
Posts: 48,161
But hey, he'll shill anything that will pay him. I'm sure if someone paid him enough to promote snake oil, his readers will eat it up. I am seeing an ever so slight increase of his readers calling him out on his garbage and clickbait though, so I guess they're not all brain-less.
Consumers also usually don't care that much (other examples: Häagen-Dazs is owned by General Mills, Ben & Jerry's by Unilever) as long as the product meets their requirements.... welcome to industrial marketing 101.
Feb 2, 2018, 8:01 pm
#893
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: New England
Programs: American Gold, Marriott Gold, Hilton Silver
Posts: 5,640
Well, all of us (and probably his readers) forget that this is not Brian talking but Bankrate paying people to write 'articles' under the TPG brand. Just like Mr Gerber and the baby that once posed for the brand image have nothing to do with what Nestlé puts inside the glass jar. Consumers also usually don't care that much (other examples: Häagen-Dazs is owned by General Mills, Ben & Jerry's by Unilever) as long as the product meets their requirements.... welcome to industrial marketing 101.
Consumers also usually don't care that much (other examples: Häagen-Dazs is owned by General Mills, Ben & Jerry's by Unilever) as long as the product meets their requirements.... welcome to industrial marketing 101.Surprisingly, Frugal Travel Guy, another major site (also owned by FT's owner, IB) that writes "articles" was actually honest about how the "miles" work on that card.
I don't have a problem with TPG trying to sell something. I am slightly irritated by the dishonesty and how they try to pass whatever they're selling as travel advice.
Also, their "Reader Mistake Stories" are an indicator of their intended audience...
Last edited by diburning; Feb 2, 2018 at 8:07 pm
Feb 3, 2018, 1:31 am
#895
Moderator: Lufthansa Miles & More, India based airlines, India, External Miles & Points Resources
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: MUC
Programs: LH SEN
Posts: 48,161
I seriously doubt TPG and MMS still write their credit card shill posts themselves. It's template jobs posted by a writer in their name.
Feb 3, 2018, 1:33 pm
#896
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: Ann Arbor, Michigan
Programs: Airline Free Agent, Fairmont Lifetime Platinum, Hyatt Globalist, Hilton Honors Diamond
Posts: 3,041
Feb 3, 2018, 3:52 pm
#897
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: New England
Programs: American Gold, Marriott Gold, Hilton Silver
Posts: 5,640
Feb 4, 2018, 12:05 pm
#898
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2013
Programs: DL PM, MR Titanium/LTP, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 10,130
Unless Bankrate is misrepresenting the author of the shill "article," this one was written by Mr TPG himself.
I'm in marketing and have written my fair share of blogs / articles / etc., that are not under my name...and it's not like celebrities write the commercials when they appear on TV ads...
Feb 4, 2018, 12:11 pm
#899
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Washington, DC
Programs: DL PM; IHG PlatAmb; Hilton Dia; Marriott Plat; Hyatt Discoverist
Posts: 7,320
Just because you're in marketing and may have gotten away with writing an ad and getting away with it appearing as an article doesn't make it right (or legal, for that matter).
Feb 5, 2018, 5:52 pm
#900
Moderator, Amtrak & Spirit Airlines
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: EWR :rolleyes:
Programs: AC 50K, AS MVP, AA Plat Pro, DL Plat, UA Silver, IHG Spire, Marriott Titanium, Hertz PC
Posts: 9,616
I realize that I am going to come off as sounding way to invested, but did anyone see that they monetized the ThePointsPups Instagram over the weekend?
Pushing some kind of Dog Friendly Cafe in NYC.
I thought it was pretty impressive clearly they are leaving no revenue stream untapped.
Pushing some kind of Dog Friendly Cafe in NYC.
I thought it was pretty impressive clearly they are leaving no revenue stream untapped.