Scandal!

Taobao has instituted a site-wide ban on products that are sold on TV(中文). This comes after the expose TV program ‘315 night show’ revealed that the Study Pillow - the pillow that makes you smart – might not actually work as described in their TV commercial. 

After close consideration, I think that this product probably/definately does work. Just check out all this science:

That’s science! I recognize science when I see it. And that is definitely science. Do you want further proof that this is completely real science? Check this out:

That’s right. It’s a foreign expert. China recently banned the use of fake experts in TV ads, but that ban doesn’t seem to have stuck too well. And who can blame the advertisers? Who is going to buy any product without a foreign expert behind it?

This weekend I saw one for a product that helps people stop smoking. It was a mouth spray that made cigarettes taste bad. If it managed to make Chinese cigarettes taste worse than they already are, it really is a miracle product.

To prove that smoking really is bad for you, they put two mice in a box filled with concentrated smoke from 60 cigarettes. Surprise! The mice died. The in-studio audience was shocked at this development and gave an audible gasp.

Animal lovers in the US would probably get pretty pissed if they saw that happen. But if it convinces someone to stop smoking, then those mice are going to mousey heaven. Like little rodent versions of Yul Brenner giving a stop-smoking message from beyond the grave. 

You can still find them on Taobao, for a limited time. The Study Pillow - 235rmb.  Update: its been taken down. And if you try to search for 学习枕 you will be redirected to the general shopping portal. 

If you want to see a wacky Chinese TV ad in motion, check out this recent post on Mark’s China Blog.

Chinese hackers threatening US interests!

I’ve been seeing a lot of chatter on Twitter about iTunes gift cards on Taobao. Apparently some Chinese hackers cracked the iTunes gift-card algorithm, and were able to generate codes themselves. These sold and now continue to sell for pennies on the dollar – $200 worth of iTunes credit is available for less than $3.

There was similar Twitter chatter about a month ago, when these cheap cards first surfaced. But that chatter abruptly ended when people discovered that their cards did not work. We’re not sure what the current status is – if they do or don’t work.

Apple is likely hot on the case looking to close this loophole, if it is not already closed. One commenter speculated that they would invalidate ALL their gift cards, asking those who purchased real ones to trade them in, offering slightly more money for the trouble.

If you want to pull some Apple-related mischief, we encourage you instead to create your own DIY MacBook for Less than 3000rmb. Now that’s a steal! More good info on the iTunes gift card hoodwinkery at AppleInsider.