Ahhhh the joys of television. I certainly can’t deny that a lot of my information, news and entertainment is derived from this marvel of the 20th century. While most of the time I can pick and chose what I watch on T.V. and listen to on the radio, its hard to avoid the major downfall of either one. Advertising….
Commercial advertisements and ads in general are really getting to me these days. I think I speak for most of my peers when a lot of the time what I’m seeing has no relevance to my life or how the product or service will effect it. Even just how the product or service is conveyed and advertised in the first place. Some commercials are just bad, I mean, really bad. So bad in fact, I get angry, furious in some cases. Recently I found myself livid and red in the face over one of the most jaw dropping and shameful commercials out there right now…
Has anyone seen the advertisement for the Sunggie? Apparently the time honoured blanket that has served the hu man race so well for thousands of years is no longer sufficient. Now, we are being coerced into purchasing blankets with sleeves? What in God’s name is going on in the world we live in? This abomination costs thrity US dollars; all for a seemingly warm looking piece of fabric with sleeves you can keep your arms in. Praise Jesus, now when I’m knitting afghan blankets or reading my Danielle Steel paperbacks, my arms won’t get cold and they’re free to answer my constantly ringing phone, or to stuff nachos into my face while I watch Bromance on MTV….. This infomercial is priceless. In one scene there appears to be a family at a baseball park watching a tee-ball game and they’re all wearing a Snuggie. They look like Gryffindor House students from the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for Christ’s sake.
Commercial advertisements and ads in general are really getting to me these days. I think I speak for most of my peers when a lot of the time what I’m seeing has no relevance to my life or how the product or service will effect it. Even just how the product or service is conveyed and advertised in the first place. Some commercials are just bad, I mean, really bad. So bad in fact, I get angry, furious in some cases. Recently I found myself livid and red in the face over one of the most jaw dropping and shameful commercials out there right now…
Has anyone seen the advertisement for the Sunggie? Apparently the time honoured blanket that has served the hu man race so well for thousands of years is no longer sufficient. Now, we are being coerced into purchasing blankets with sleeves? What in God’s name is going on in the world we live in? This abomination costs thrity US dollars; all for a seemingly warm looking piece of fabric with sleeves you can keep your arms in. Praise Jesus, now when I’m knitting afghan blankets or reading my Danielle Steel paperbacks, my arms won’t get cold and they’re free to answer my constantly ringing phone, or to stuff nachos into my face while I watch Bromance on MTV….. This infomercial is priceless. In one scene there appears to be a family at a baseball park watching a tee-ball game and they’re all wearing a Snuggie. They look like Gryffindor House students from the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for Christ’s sake.
Clearly the infomercial is stating that having your family look like a coven of Warlocks, or hard core, life members in a Ku Klux Klan Chapter when enjoying each other’s company outside of the house at a sibling’s tee-ball ga me, is cool, and generally accepted in most North American societies. I know I want one!
The thing about these types of advertisements is they’re sheer cunning at getting people to actually pick up the phone, pull out they’re wallet and make the purchase. I just don’t get it. Guys like Billy Mays, who yell at us for a few minutes about the cleaning power of citrus juices and the awesome cleansing force of oxygen are right up there, even the sales pitch for the ShamWow? Hey, you know if the Germans made it, it must be good….right? My God.
I have asked myself hundreds of times, “Who the fuck actually buys this shit?” Pardon my language, but honestly, who really does make that decision. The thought process from being peaceful in body and mind to being completely convinced that cutting through solid iron with this new knife, has to be done now, and with three easy payments of $29.95.
The answer is staggering. I did some research and the numbers are ridiculous. The Snuggie alone has actually sold 4 million units since the product came to market in 2008, and the product has even developed a bizarre cult following. Products like the Magic Bullet? Showtime Rotisserie & BBQ, you know? Set it and forget it? The My Lil Reminder? Or how about the all time worst of the worst, the Tiddy Bear…… Look it Up. Its patent pending, and yes, its real! All of these products are successful and have sold more than 1 million units, at least.
Now, for some reason the above statistics makes me think of the coming apocalypse. Rather than placing our money into something worth while and perhaps better for the whole planet, about 3 to 4 million people decide that the blanket on they’re couch or on they’re bed or in they’re bloody closet, just wasn’t good enough and the Snuggie was a much more viable option…..
There are even generic commercials with no relevance to society at large that use ridiculous scenarios to sell their products. Bounty Paper Towels? When was the last time you used one paper towel section to wipe down and scrub your cast iron frying pan after about six slices of salted pork glory? Buy a cloth towel you can wash and reuse hundreds of times! Does anyone use only 3 sections of toilet paper to wipe down after their mid afternoon bowel regulation? What about the Magic Bullet? I don’t know about you but the last time I used a blender was when I proverbially placed a girls heart in inside and pressed frappe, never! I know I certainly don’t need a motion sensor on my air freshener and no, NO, I do not need to have a small voice recorder in my back pocket so I can remember where my car is parked or whether or not I needed Gouda or Brea from the Metro.
The thing about these types of advertisements is they’re sheer cunning at getting people to actually pick up the phone, pull out they’re wallet and make the purchase. I just don’t get it. Guys like Billy Mays, who yell at us for a few minutes about the cleaning power of citrus juices and the awesome cleansing force of oxygen are right up there, even the sales pitch for the ShamWow? Hey, you know if the Germans made it, it must be good….right? My God.
I have asked myself hundreds of times, “Who the fuck actually buys this shit?” Pardon my language, but honestly, who really does make that decision. The thought process from being peaceful in body and mind to being completely convinced that cutting through solid iron with this new knife, has to be done now, and with three easy payments of $29.95.
The answer is staggering. I did some research and the numbers are ridiculous. The Snuggie alone has actually sold 4 million units since the product came to market in 2008, and the product has even developed a bizarre cult following. Products like the Magic Bullet? Showtime Rotisserie & BBQ, you know? Set it and forget it? The My Lil Reminder? Or how about the all time worst of the worst, the Tiddy Bear…… Look it Up. Its patent pending, and yes, its real! All of these products are successful and have sold more than 1 million units, at least.
Now, for some reason the above statistics makes me think of the coming apocalypse. Rather than placing our money into something worth while and perhaps better for the whole planet, about 3 to 4 million people decide that the blanket on they’re couch or on they’re bed or in they’re bloody closet, just wasn’t good enough and the Snuggie was a much more viable option…..
There are even generic commercials with no relevance to society at large that use ridiculous scenarios to sell their products. Bounty Paper Towels? When was the last time you used one paper towel section to wipe down and scrub your cast iron frying pan after about six slices of salted pork glory? Buy a cloth towel you can wash and reuse hundreds of times! Does anyone use only 3 sections of toilet paper to wipe down after their mid afternoon bowel regulation? What about the Magic Bullet? I don’t know about you but the last time I used a blender was when I proverbially placed a girls heart in inside and pressed frappe, never! I know I certainly don’t need a motion sensor on my air freshener and no, NO, I do not need to have a small voice recorder in my back pocket so I can remember where my car is parked or whether or not I needed Gouda or Brea from the Metro. A typical viewer like you and I, has seen enough advertisements to anticipate that most will be bothersome, annoying and useless, prompting the viewer, like myself, to be mercilessly selective in their viewing. Conversely, if an advertisement strikes a chord with the viewer (such as an ad for debt relief shown to a viewer who has received a late notice in the mail), or has entertainment value beyond the basic message (such as a Ram hitting a man square in the junk for Stride gum, or genuinely funny and effective humorous campaign spots), then viewers tend to stay with the advertisement, perhaps even looking forward to viewing it again. So, not all commercials are bad, and of course they’re not. Awareness for breast cancer, stop smoking commercials, public services and commercials that make us laugh or discover new music and ideas are all great.
Many television advertisements feature catchy jingles or catch phrases that generate sustained appeal, which may remain in your mind long after the span of the advertising campaign. Does anyone remember the popular catch phrase “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up!”? The use of popular music came about in the 80’s and is a strong point in most commercial campaigns today. Like being parodied on SNL for a celebrity, having your song or part of your LP in a commercial or popular news ad can mean a new level of success and generally if the song is well known, the commercial will be that much more effective.
In the United States alone, the T.V. advertisement is generally considered the most effective mass-market advertising format, and this is reflected by the high prices T.V. networks charge for commercial airtime during popular T.V. events. The annual Super Bowl is known as much for its commercial advertisements as for the game itself, and the average cost of a single 30-second T.V. spot during this game (seen by 90 million viewers) has reached US$ 2.9 million (as of February 2009). My my, that’s quite a figure. This brings me to a question. Do advertisements actively affect your choice in buying a product? I mean, really think about that for a second.
The Terry Tate: Office Linebacker commercials, where a freakishly huge Center Linebacker keeps office employees in line and up to date on proper office etiquette, extremely funny. I like the simplistic natur
e of the Stride gum campaign that hired a YouTube celebrity who goes around to every country, picks its main landmark and dances a jig.
The commercial is so short but so effective that I do find myself with a pack of Stride in my pocket right now. These commercials I like, the funny, short and memorable ones, commercials that don’t seem fake or commercials that don't end up over doing the whole product gimmick and sales pitch. I guess keeping it simple works for me.
I think the message I am trying to convey in this article is that marketing campaigns for private business, large corporations, product lines and services are not going to go away and for the most part are just awful and in my opinion ruin the task they are trying to accomplish. Breaking down commercials and advertising on television gave me the creeps; way too much money is spent in the showing off and buying of products that don’t necessarily have any bearing on the lives of everyday North Americans.
In retrospect to all of this ranting and raving, there is a lot more to life than a spotless kitchen, a weed free lawn, and teeth whitening strips or the ability to cook an 8-pound leg of lamb in 18 minutes. I wish it wasn’t so, but it is a fact that advertising will only get stronger and much more wily in the coming years, just make sure you don’t get sucked in somehow, and if you find yourself working in the industry, MAKE IT BETTER!
Mr. Leash
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