Ad Nauseum
So I'm rereading The Space Merchants by Frederik Pohl and C.M. Kornblunth. Every time I read the book it strikes me how the world seems to be running head long into becoming the satirized future envisioned in this novel.
First there are the radio ads I've been listening too. Businesses with the big bucks often skip this medium as it isn't nearly as pervasive and effective as television or print advertising. Even people who are barely getting by usually have a color television to numb the hours between work and sleep. It may not be the 51 inch monstrosity of their dreams. They may not have the hundreds of digital quality channels that the middle class can not live with out, but they get Fox, NBC, CBS and ABC at the very least and when Coke, Pepsi, Miller and Budweiser spend their advertising dollars these are the places they are going to. So radio becomes the affordable advertising stream of local small businesses and of the type of clients the television stations wouldn't even dream of touching.
Take the interest only loans. Locally there is a commercial for a business that offers interest only loans that purportedly make life easier by reducing the amount of your monthly payments. Never mind that by paying only the interest on a loan one never earns any equity in their home or business. The commercial starts out with one guy describing the plan then calling on some "expert" to say "That's right Jim" you can use all that money you save by paying only the interest on your loan and make even more money!
Then there is the "debt into wealth plan." Worried that with all your outstanding credit you can't take part in being fleeced by these people. No Need! You can use your existing lines of credit (debt) to become wealthy (very wealth). I'm not making this stuff up. There are people out there who want to sell you their debt into wealth programs and the way I see it with the new bankruptcy laws once you completely screw up your finances using one of these plans you will be stuck paying off an enormous albatross of a debt for the rest of your live long days.
On the television front I was somewhat surprised to see that we got through Lent and Easter with only a minimal amount of cheese. I didn't see one Cadbury bunny commercial. The most important holiday of the Christian calendar must not raise many hairs on the advertising chest. They have full blitz campaigns going Halloween through Valentines day. Sometimes you just have to sit back and let a religious holiday be a religious holiday.
Not that there was any lack of advertising. It seemed to me that what we had was a season full of television self promotions. Coming in six weeks, just after the end of this popular show. All new shows for the next three weeks. This movie comes out three months from now. Be ready. I guess the advertisers have figured out that if they put the name of their show or movie in our head enough times before the event occurs we will have no choice but to watch their product.
I can't take another "blind justice" commercial the music alone makes me want to scream. I couldn't avoid knowing the Chris Rock hosted the Oscars. Now its "Sahara" coming some time soon to every single theater you could care to mention. The critics were calling "The Office" the funniest thing ever months before it premiered. (It's terrible. It is over the top bad in the same way Will Ferrel is. Make the loud over acting stop and write me some intelligent comedy).
I think with my pop up blocker safely in place I'm going to lock myself in my room and experience the world only through the internet. Still there will be adverting, but a minimal amount.
More Laters
First there are the radio ads I've been listening too. Businesses with the big bucks often skip this medium as it isn't nearly as pervasive and effective as television or print advertising. Even people who are barely getting by usually have a color television to numb the hours between work and sleep. It may not be the 51 inch monstrosity of their dreams. They may not have the hundreds of digital quality channels that the middle class can not live with out, but they get Fox, NBC, CBS and ABC at the very least and when Coke, Pepsi, Miller and Budweiser spend their advertising dollars these are the places they are going to. So radio becomes the affordable advertising stream of local small businesses and of the type of clients the television stations wouldn't even dream of touching.
Take the interest only loans. Locally there is a commercial for a business that offers interest only loans that purportedly make life easier by reducing the amount of your monthly payments. Never mind that by paying only the interest on a loan one never earns any equity in their home or business. The commercial starts out with one guy describing the plan then calling on some "expert" to say "That's right Jim" you can use all that money you save by paying only the interest on your loan and make even more money!
Then there is the "debt into wealth plan." Worried that with all your outstanding credit you can't take part in being fleeced by these people. No Need! You can use your existing lines of credit (debt) to become wealthy (very wealth). I'm not making this stuff up. There are people out there who want to sell you their debt into wealth programs and the way I see it with the new bankruptcy laws once you completely screw up your finances using one of these plans you will be stuck paying off an enormous albatross of a debt for the rest of your live long days.
On the television front I was somewhat surprised to see that we got through Lent and Easter with only a minimal amount of cheese. I didn't see one Cadbury bunny commercial. The most important holiday of the Christian calendar must not raise many hairs on the advertising chest. They have full blitz campaigns going Halloween through Valentines day. Sometimes you just have to sit back and let a religious holiday be a religious holiday.
Not that there was any lack of advertising. It seemed to me that what we had was a season full of television self promotions. Coming in six weeks, just after the end of this popular show. All new shows for the next three weeks. This movie comes out three months from now. Be ready. I guess the advertisers have figured out that if they put the name of their show or movie in our head enough times before the event occurs we will have no choice but to watch their product.
I can't take another "blind justice" commercial the music alone makes me want to scream. I couldn't avoid knowing the Chris Rock hosted the Oscars. Now its "Sahara" coming some time soon to every single theater you could care to mention. The critics were calling "The Office" the funniest thing ever months before it premiered. (It's terrible. It is over the top bad in the same way Will Ferrel is. Make the loud over acting stop and write me some intelligent comedy).
I think with my pop up blocker safely in place I'm going to lock myself in my room and experience the world only through the internet. Still there will be adverting, but a minimal amount.
More Laters
posted by Rich Rosenthal II at 4:50 AM
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