I recently got a sale email from GOG with the following title:

GOG.COM shopping hack

At first I thought maybe my account was hacked, but then I realized it was just a sale.

Anyone else think wording it this way was a poor call?

I agree, in fact, I originally assumed it was a public announcement about the "MASSIVE SECURITY RISK ON GOG" thread, having not yet learned that the blues had responded to said thread.

What kind of boneheaded tech company assumes customers will hear "hack" and think literally anything (least of all "life hack") before... you know... "HACK"??

To play devil's advocate I guess someone ASSUMED others would think it was something similar to a lifehack(tips to make life easier found online). But imo many will likely see the word hack and assume something is up with their accounts.

All in all this isn't something to get too upset over, but I think GOG staffers writing the email/titles should be careful with wording in the future.

(Addition: I just saw we both had a hivemind with the term lifehack)

Now this, this is some high-level stupidity. I would say that it's over 9000. The equivalent might be to advertise for cars and proclaiming that: *Insert brand* Crashes: Prices smashed to pieces!

Somebody should lose their cinnamon bun and coffee privileges for the next couple of weeks.

Or like a hospital advertising by saying they're a SPREADING A PLAGUE on disease.

Somehow I doubt that coffee was what they were drinking.

I just assumed it was a reference to the "life hacks" memes: https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/life-hacks?full=1

I did too a bit, but I also thought mainly they were warning about some actual hack/site bug/etc, and likely others who jump the gun with interpreting things a certain way and less common sense and/or knowledge of lifehacks might also take it the wrong way as well.

No. Not at all. Like ConsulCesar said, it's contemporary use of the word 'hack'. Remember, there was a time, before the computer age, when it just meant to hack away at something physical with a handy tool. Words gain new territory all the time.

It was tacky. Marketing tactics like that are a huge turn off for me. I opened it. I would normally have deleted it. But at the cost of trust. That's not a good trade for a business.

Agreed. Exactly the reason I will avoid youtube videos with clickbait titles.

Good point, but I still think it was a poor choice of words....especially for the more tech illiterate online.

(Also to everyone: Who is downrating a VALID complaint about an email title? Trolls, the threads I made that you would be more likely to dislike and downvote are THAT WAY)