I normally restrict this blog (still hate that word) to my knitting projects or the really mundane things that constitute my existence. Like, how big a pile of snow got or pictures of my new coffee mug. But it's good to branch out every so often, and so I thought I'd expand upon a pet peeve of mine. Televised commercials. Yes, I know, I am really departing from convention on that one. Who doesn't hate that the ad-makers sacrifice your living-room ambiance in favour of blaring volumes in order to compete for your attention, and ultimately your hard-earned cash? Worse still is the shear inanity of most commercials. Long gone are the halcyon days of the Hamlet commercials or drawn out teaser campaigns. No, bright and loud are what cut it now.
However, those are trite observations at this point. The more recent trend is to be completely inappropriate. Congratulations to both Verizon and Hardee's for their renewal of every negative stereotype of the Italian-American community. You know? The ones who have huge families, constant debt and Mafia ties (I learned everything I know about them from TV). Yet, that's a relative "after picture" of sensitivity training compared to Burger King's Whopper Virgin campaign. "They didn't even quite know how to pick it up." Wow. Way to make your taste test (versus McDonalds) as absolutely, and needlessly, tasteless as possible!
And if you're done figuratively vomiting in your mouth, why not do so literally? Seriously, why on earth did Mountain Dew think for a second that exploding giant bugs would entice us to ingest anything, never mind a product of that colour??
I wish they would pull all these recent offensive ads, and in their place, air footage of the advertising agency pitch meeting where someone suggests these campaigns, and no one in the room points out how atrocious they are. At least, I haven't seen that wretched Vehix woman in a while.
Is There Anybody Out There?
