An Open Letter to Brinks Home Security

Really? The one I've seen shows the male going to investigate a noise downstairs, and upon seeing a burglar break through the front door goes scurrying back into the bedroom and slams the door. Most men I know would launch an immediate full-on frontal attack, and the burglar would either leave, or there would be one hell of a fight. So I guess Binky doesn't think much of us either. js

he was running in there to get the shotgun, but they cut the part just before he blew away the purp and the cop by accident.

I like the ADT commercials that make it look like the house is protected by a force field.

Brinks commercials are so heavily exaggerated. They have to lie in order to stay in business. Isn't that the American corporate motto?

Lie, lie, lie, if you get sued, deny, deny, deny!

Jim Rojas

Crash Gord> he was running in there to get the shotgun, but they cut the part just

I'm not even going to touch your gender specific comments regarding these types of ads. I will point out however that this kind of advertising using fear to sell security services is the lowest form of advertising we have in our industry. I doubt that any legitimate security professionals would ever resort to this kind of "lowbrow" approach to selling their services. However, from ADT or Brinks, or any of the other mass marketers looking only at your long term contract, it just seems to be a matter of course.

No matter how well crafted these types of ads are, this kind of approach should warn any thinking consumer away from companies that stoop this low.....

your ads feature a single or married white female who is at home alone, with her husband, or with her children. All of the sudden, panic strikes! A burglar smashes the window, and the woman screams in terror!

at all), aren't distressed, and sometimes, these male victims just aren't shown at all. What message does this convey? To me, it says that women are afraid of burglars and SHOULD CONTINUE TO BE AFRAID because it will financially benefit Brinks when women are kept in perpetual fear. To me, it says that Brinks believes that women are the only ones who are victimized by violence, and that men are either above it, or they are completely capable of single-handedly defending themselves and their families. Lastly, Brinks is perpetuating the myth that women need male protection, and that "getting a man" (boyfriend, husband, and then Brinks) is the only way women can stay safe! Isn't this a bit of a sexist double standard that Brinks is capitalizing on?

victimized, hurt, and murdered MOST OFTEN by their live-in husbands and boyfriends. They are also hurt often on dates with men they already know. Being hurt, victimized, and murdered by A STRANGER actually happens much less often that these acquaintance/husband/boyfriend attacks happen. Why doesn't Brinks show this reality in their commercials? Because it wouldn't financially benefit the "home security system" industry!

victimhood/male protection" because Brinks won't profit if they say the truth, which would be something like this: "You are a female. You have a husband, a live-in boyfriend, or you date men who you sometimes invite into your home. You might as well not even bother getting a home security system since you are sleeping with the most risky person every night." Nobody would sign up for their service, I guess, if they said it that way.

and misleading. I'm sick of these ads!

Dear Tom: Don't ever change. Love, Jack

No shit? I thought it was the Cubans. :)

They got to get more creative and inlusive with their commercials like............ A Hasidic Jew with pantyhose over his head busting into a yarmulke shop owned by a Vietnamese single mother.

You've obviously not seen the local advertisements around here

Yea I guess it is pretty low to depict a break-in to sell burglar alarms, jeez Robert your hatred for the big guys knows no bounds

No Mark, my "hatred" is directed only towards companies of ANY size that deceive the consumer; that lie to sell their services; that distort the truth in advertising; that use high pressure sales people (most of whom don't know their ass from a hole in the ground), all for that almighty buck !! I don't hate big companies per se; I use one of the bigger ones here in Canada for my monitoring AND billing services, and although they too do some pretty stupid things at times too (that's just the nature of bureaucracy), they are NOT dishonest, nor do they deceive their customers with high priced, deceptive ads.

It's just that the ADT's and the Brinks of the world do !! (and other smaller ones too for all I know....). And yeah, you're right, it IS "pretty low".....

I think Brinks should give away a free .45 with every new system.

Good idea... "Mack the Knife" on one side and "Gimme Gimme" on the other. :-)

I had a prospective customer who got a bid from Brinks & ADT after I bid him...he called me yesterday to ask me if I knew that with Brinks he wouldn't own the equipment ever (like it was something I wouldn't know) ... I had to laugh.

Then he asked me if it were true that with a Brinks panel if a burglar broke in and the alarm actually went off that if the burg pushed the Fire Panic button that it disarmed the system....OYE...I told him Brinks was pretty bad but the couldn't be THAT bad.

He ain't going with Brinks btw.

The .45 is FREE, but you have to pay 49.95 per month to rent the cartridges, and you never own the gun. If you move into a house that already has a gun, you can't use it because it only shoots Brinks .45 ammo. They own the gun but they won't come get it...and if you try to unload the secret ammo they sue you for tampering with their proprietary ammo that they didn't develop in the first place.

Hahahah! Priceless.

Sshhh...That's a Brink's trade secret.

Jim Rojas

That sounds about right.

Jim Rojas

Crash Gord> The .45 is FREE, but you have to pay 49.95 per month to rent the cartridges,