Kethuvim

It means "writings." I write things.

10:02 AM

Mind-control

Posted by Brad Polley |

I've been thinking a lot lately about adverstising. I'm putting together a teaching for my students for the future concerning this topic, so I've been noticing more and more ways that advertisements control us. After a good deal of study and observation, I've come to the conclusion that most advertising boils down to this goal:

To show you a turd and convince you that it's a diamond.

I'll give you an example. There's a sign at the local McDonald's here in my town that is marketing the McRib sandwich. If you've ever seen, or, God forbid, tasted this crap, you know what a culinary abortion it is. So the sign says, "A true Southern taste, Sweet Tea and a McRib." Apparently the south tastes like a mixture of high-fructose corn syrup, pressed horse meat in the shape of ribs, and cheap barbecue sauce. If I was from the South and saw that sign, I would burn the restaurant down and not have any regrets.

Do you see what they're doing? They're marketing an idea. When seeing that sign, you're supposed to have an idea in your mind of sitting on the front porch of your plantation house, watching your slaves pick cotton, while you sip from a tall, cool glass of home-brewed sweet tea, awaiting your barbecue feast. You may think that's far-fetched, but it's exactly what they're trying to accomplish. The hope is that you'll succomb to this idyllic setting and, in turn, spend your hard-earned $5.50 on this garbage.

Marketing a turd, all the while convincing you that it's a diamond.

Here's the problem...it works. How often have you bought something because of the commercial, only to get it home and find out that the "diamond" you bought is really only a giant pile of intestinal love fluff? We've all done it.

I think it's time that we stop succombing to the marketing campaigns. I think it's time that open our eyes and expose this stuff for what it is. We need to stop letting them convince us that we need this crap when we really don't. I declare war on the advertising industry, who will join me?

6 comments:

Chad French said...

I will join the fight against the advertising indurstry just as soon as I finish my McRib sandwich.

Brad Polley said...

...and evacuating your colon of the "diamond."

matt said...

Abounding Grace Church on my way to work has a couple new signs up.

"Does life stink? We have a pew for you."

"A Church alive is worth the drive."

speaking of marketing a turd and convincing people it's a diamond....

seems like if the church is on its "game" then marketing would be pointless. don't you think?

mike-daddy said...

I happen to like the turd, McRib. Lay off.

Brad Polley said...

If you have to announce to people that your church is alive, it's not.

Andrea said...

You need to read Fast Food Nation...it will really tick you off. It will to some extent tell you about how commercials are designed to get kids to nag parents for things they want...and oddly enough how those commercials are placed into the programs aimed at children. Crazy...but true.

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