Every morning, I get an email from Groupon announcing its latest deals. Inevitably, I find myself wondering how they select the images that will go along with the offer. Sometimes, it’s clearly an image of the restaurant or business being advertised. Often, though, it’s very obviously a stock photo. It’s those instances that really make me wonder – does Groupon have a photo editor (or several) who select these pictures? Or are companies asked to supply images when they liaise with Groupon? These questions keep me up at night, and one of the reasons they do is that sometimes the pictures are just whack-a-doo.
Like this one, for a $20-for-20-sessions-of-yoga at a place that sounds sort of…well…weird:
Seriously, this picture just kills me. And if it was chosen by the people at the yoga studio, then I’d consider this a warning sign: Don’t go! Why not? Well, first of all, no self-respecting yoga teacher is going to let students get away with form like that. Your shoulders should be back and down, away from your ears; your chest should be radiating forward; you don’t need to be looking up to the point where your neck is wrenched back, like that woman toward the back is doing. Second, since when do people wear socks and shoes in yoga? Since never, that’s when. Third, what’s going on with those mats? Not only are they thicker than any yoga mat (even the thick ones) I’ve ever seen, they’re also super short. Of course, that makes sense, because they’re not yoga mats. Finally, why are these people all made up like they’re going out to dinner after their yoga class? I know some people wear jewelry while they exercise, but wearing a watch and having my hair hanging all over my face while I’m trying to do down dog would drive me insane.
Is it silly of me to analyze a picture like this? Yes. But it’s weird. There must be literally hundreds of stock images of people doing yoga with proper form, with proper equipment; images that would make the service being offered look legitimate, and maybe even enticing. Instead, this just makes me want to laugh. And relax my shoulders, because wow, my neck and shoulders hurt just looking at those women.
34 replies on “WTF Groupon?”
I had to chuckle because I just got a Groupon e-mail with that awkward yoga picture. (It is for a really good deal though – $20 for a 30-class pass!)
That’s a really good deal! Nothing like that has come through for my area.
As an ex-employee for the Dutch branch of Groupon: they have photo editors whom are used when the restaurant/whatever can’t provide the right imagery.
One of my internet friends does a sort of Webcomic called a A Cheaper World, where he gives amusing captions to the day’s serious of Groupon stock photos. I highly recommend it.
The most recent strip:Â http://copperbadge.livejournal.com/3443770.html#cutid1
The archive:Â http://copperbadge.livejournal.com/tag/a%20cheaper%20world
As a fellow nitpicker, I loved this. I do the same with photos of people riding. It’s always “What even with his hands??? I can’t!!” around here.
So sick of the Daily Deal sites. We have one that I swear just runs the ones everyone else does a day later, and at the moment all that seems to be on offer is waxing at one place in the next city over. Sometimes they are brilliant, I discovered my wonderful beauty therapist through them, and my lovely personal trainer that I had down south, but most of the time they are rubbish.
My best friend works for Groupon and while I don’t think she actually picks out the stock photos, I think her job has something to do with the layout of the pages on the site. I’ll have to ask her about the ridiculous photos :P
I’m getting sick of Groupon because I keep getting them for botox and colonics and other annoying diet-y things.
dude, same. i got this thing in my email today about 5 different gyms i could join or some such nonsense. i’m not anti-gym, but i was sorta hoping i’d get info about different deals………….preferably involving food.
Same here! Something about ways to get back on track with your resolutions, one of which was a pair of shorts that generate heat so you lose weight or something ridiculous? Um, no thanks. Not even for 78% off.
There’s no way they’re using their own imagery. Â I live in a serious restaurant town, and I recently received a Groupon advert for one of my favorite places downtown. Â The picture wasn’t the restaurant building, the logo wasn’t even the same (which is a damn shame because the interior is beautiful). Â Sometimes I might see a logo that matches up with the actual place, but for the most part I get adverts like these, that have a total disconnect from the realities of the businesses they’re advertising for. Â Living Social has been a little better, but overall I think the site chooses these photos instead.
As a fellow photographer, I appreciate your disgust.
Woot! My dad is a professional photographer. I attribute my photo snobbery (of which I am very proud) to him :)
They may be running out of stock photos since every other groupon is for yoga. But then, they’re probably running out of salon photos too…
So true. I’m kinda sick of all the yoga groupons. But when they do mix it up, it’s always for something startlingly random, like trampoline dodgeball.
I had one pop up for shooting lessons – like with guns. It was so odd. I almost signed up.
(I had been watching a lot of Bones at the time…)
I’d be tempted, but my father-in-law-to-be is a federal agent who is happy to teach me for freeeeeee.
Please tell me that trampoline dodgeball is actually a thing. That sounds awesome.
It is.
http://www.houseofair.com/
O.M.G.
Right?
San Francisco is fun.
that is awesome – makes me wish i lived nearer, and played dodgeball! Â :)
Well if you’re ever in the neighborhood… :)
I would probably sign up for trampoline dodgeball.
(And end up seriously injured.)
My boyfriend did trampoline dodgeball with his best friend when he (bf) was in San Francisco for draft weekend! He loved it. He said it was mostly 13 year old boys, and that it was oddly satisfying to pummel them in the face with a ball. He’s usually nice, I promise.
Oh, I’ve seen them reuse pictures on different yoga places for my local area. They’re definitely running out of stock photos. It boggles me because so many of these yoga places have great pictures on their websites… why not use those?
That picture is so bizarre! I got an email from Saveology the other day that was for a “Gastric Band Home Hypnosis Weight Loss System.” Apparently it usually costs you $785 to get hypnotized into thinking you’ve had a lap-band surgery performed, but you could get it for $69. WUT.
I can’t even with that.
Ha! I had to seriously laugh out loud about that. Home hypnosis? Has that ever worked? I mean, I tried a lot as a kid and it never went as planned!
How bizarre! That is a very, very specific hypnotizing service.
lol. How high do you have to be to come up with that and then ADVERTISE it?
But who could possibly resist the incredible savings?! Seriously, there are so many things that disturb me about that offer that I don’t know where to start.
Wow, that is the best!
It’s like they played ad-libs with common groupon services:
Half-off cupcake yoga!
Microdermabrasion mini-golf!
It’s a yoga takedown!
But in all seriousness, I’m guessing Groupon selects the image if it’s not one of the actual business.