We are not only into the dog-days of summer but also the dog-days of television advertising. While it is hot and steamy outside, inside - on the tiny screen - it is as cold as ice. Boring, unimaginative, insulting - in some cases, and moronic in others.
I do not watch a lot of television. What I do watch is limited mostly to an hour of network morning news and some favorite cable shows at night on either the USA or TNT networks. Local television advertising, where I am at geographically at the moment, is focused on recall elections and smearing the opposing candidate. This smearing is not just one-sided but is coming from both political points of view. I'd like to think this could be a short-term "thing" but then I look at my calendar and note that the next presidential election is in 2012 and I realize that political ads are here to stay for the foreseeable future.
Another ad that just needs to disappear, in my humble opinion, is the ad for a giant, box-type store that begins with bouncing balls and continues on with children pulling beach toy after beach toy off the shelves. At first, the music was catchy. I was familiar with the tune but had to look it up to find the title and artist: "Pictures of Matchstick Men" (1967) by the British pop group, Status Quo. However, the ad has saturated the airwaves so effectively that I am tired, beyond belief, of hearing about "looking into your eyes and seeing a funny shade of yellow". I suppose that, in the advertising world, the commercial has been an incredible commercial (pun intended) success. I can sing the jingle and I can remember the product (or store, in this case) that the jingle is associated with. Bingo for the ad execs. Loss for the viewers.
Finally, if all of the pharmaceutical ads were removed from the airwaves, there would be little left except cute puppies, windshield repair, Farmers Insurance - dum-de-dum-dum-dum, weight-loss programs, and wrinkle-reducers. In the not-too-distant future we'll see recurring ads featuring buffoons, baboons, gorillas, donkeys, and elephants - all going ape for our vote. I can hardly wait.
Ancora imparo
