Target Demographic

I thought I would continue with the idea of clearing the baffles and jot down a few thoughts that have been tripping through my mind lately. Specifically I would like to discuss some thoughts on the subject of advertising. As we all know, advertising is everywhere. It pervades our society, our airwaves and our landscape. It is the way numerous companies and industries make their bread and butter. Without it, wouldn't television pretty much collapse upon itself? But the intensity of the beast is immense. There is no way to escape it. It is labeled on our phones, contained within the programs we watch, on the clothing we wear, on the buses we ride and laced throughout almost every page of internet we read. It is on this page too. It almost seems that nothing can be done anymore without some sort of product tie-in or co-branding. And while it would seem I am leading toward a point saying we should fight the beast, I actually am not.

Like I said earlier, it does make many industries go around. It can bring knowledge of services and products we never knew existed and some that could change the course of our lives, even if in just a small way. For the small business entrepreneurs, it is vital to their survival, helping carve that tiny toehold they have in their market into a firm foothold. And in some of the best examples, ads can be funnier, more creative and entertaining than the programs they support. How many people watch the Super Bowl just for the ads? I know quite a few people myself. So what has brought me here today? The stupidity of advertising, and the point the companies making these ads seem to be missing. The point of advertising, as I have come to understand, is to get your name out to consumers, show them why they should use your product, and convince them you are the best and that the best option for their needs is what you can offer them. It seems simple enough. Then why are the following missing the target?

First off, let me start with a few radio ads I have heard lately. One was a commercial for depression, a serious affliction that severe enough, can lead to physical problems, mental breakdowns and even suicide. There is nothing humorous about it, especially since most of us have found ourselves in depressions of various depths in our lives. The commercial started in a hypothetical, speaking to the audience describing a day that may sound familiar to them. One line of dialogue that stuck with me, and I paraphrase, was you wake to the same day, everyday. I found the description quite startling. I began to think perhaps it may be a public service announcement, urging people with feelings of despair and hopelessness to seek therapy, to help them through their dark times. And then the other shoe fell, and a "doctor" came on and began to give his pitch for some depression drug. That is where I went crazy. This is such a terrible message being sent. Are you depressed? Well, take some drugs then! I know that there are many forms of depression, and some of them are chemically based and can be treated with medication. But to give the message that popping pills will make you feel better is not what should be put out there. I find it highly irresponsible. Just giving people drugs for depression is only treating the symptoms, not the cause. And that they never even once mentioned the idea of coupling the drugs with therapy just makes it so much worse. It just seems as though they only are interested in selling a product, not helping cure a debilitating condition.

I have the same issue with the ad campaign for drug and alcohol addiction featuring Chris Farley. These addictions are also nothing to make fun of and are very serious issues. And his death, like others with the same demons that he had, is very tragic. But once again, they are just pushing another drug, and this time to drug addicts! And while I will concede that addiction is a very physical thing, which I know from my own struggles to kick cigarettes, a larger part of it is psychological. And much like the depression ad, they completely ignore this vital part of addiction. I do not want to trivialize these addictions and afflictions, they are serious and anyone with them should seek help, but I find the idea of addressing only half of the issue in order to push a product not only irresponsible and tasteless, but dangerous and reckless.

One other radio ad that bugs me is for Lennox Financial. One of the many ads I hear from time to time for home refinancing and mortgage services. The president of the company personally does the ads, speaking to the audience and pointing out what he can do for them and their home financial needs. This is nothing new; many companies will have their leaders personally promote their services and products. However, in the ads he makes the claim that using his company's services is "The biggest no brainer in the history of mankind." Now, many companies make outrageous claims, and most just roll by ignored. But this? Come on; am I really to believe that getting some sort of loan from this joker is the biggest no brainer in the history of mankind? Bigger than the no brainer that we must strive for world peace? Bigger than the no brainer that the Earth revolves around the sun? Bigger than the no brainer which is that taunting a bear can get you killed? Please. To add to this, his pronunciation is horrid. He has what sounds like a slight New York accent, which makes it sound as though I am looking to get a loan from some street hustler. Not a stereotype, just the impression the ad gives, so stay with me. On top of that, some words he over pronunciates and others he mangles, with mankind coming out like mankin and being coming out sounding like bein. These may seem like trivial items, but if you are not smart enough to recognize that you do not have proper diction and forgo hiring a trained actor or actress to star in your ads, then you are not smart enough to handle my money.

As for television, I have two that really get my goat. The first one is for Earthlink. The basis of the commercial is to show a cross section of employees of Earthlink, who speak of how great the company is, everything they can do for you and how much they enjoy working for this company. It seems innocuous enough, except for one line. Near the end of the commercial, one employee says, "And if you call Earthlink customer support, I promise to treat your problems as if they are my problems." I'd like to know who approved this, because the point they seem to be missing is, if I am a customer, and I call customer support, my problems ARE your problems! That is why I am paying you, to provide service and correct issues if the service is down!

But the ultimate is the current ad campaign by Cingular. You know them; half of the commercial is in silence, partially to show the annoyance of having your call dropped. They all feature a person talking to the camera about some pseudo-important thing they were trying to communicate to another party, when suddenly their connection drops. And they have had it with unreliable service, so they switch to Cingular, taking the advice of the leading independent research company who proved that Cingular has the fewest dropped calls. First, who is this leading independent research organization? What exactly do they research? How do we know this company knows anything about telecommunications? What are their credentials as a research firm? And exactly who hired them? Most likely Cingular, so automatically the results should be suspect. And on top of that, why are they never named? Any company, especially those at the top of their field, loves good publicity. Why would they turn down an opportunity as golden as to be featured in a national ad campaign being touted for the work they did? It smells slightly funny to me. Second, if you ask me, it seems as though all the "people" in the commercial have emotional stability issues. As they discuss their issues with dropped calls and miscommunication, they become irrationally angry. In one ad, the person featured is a chef whose issue was he lost connection while trying to order pork. As he tells his story, spiking in anger throughout, he is shown holding a kitchen knife, adding to the ad an air of danger. As though he could snap at any moment and go on a rampage. If they can get that angry about dropping a call, what are they like at home? How do they treat people in interpersonal relationships? They all seem way too quick to anger and on the verge of a nervous breakdown, all due to losing a call or two. The ads all come across as if to say, Hi, we are Cingular, the network for emotionally unstable, angry and potentially homicidal people! I hope I am not the only one who sees the absurdity in these ads.