Random Monday- the advertising edition
Mad Men is one of my favorite shows. Not just for the great writing and fashion (although that doesn’t hurt)but because I like the behind the scenes view of the advertising world. I admire good ads. What I don’t understand is why so many are so very, very bad.
There is a TV commercial for a company called Stamps.com. It allows you to buy US Postage stamps online rather than having to go to the post office. I can see this as a useful service. However their ad drives me insane. They have a person saying: “Is there ANYTHING worse than having to wait in line at the post office for stamps?” Hmmm I don’t know. Cancer? Cancer strikes me as worse. That flesh eating disease- that would be worse. Running over a loved one with a lawn mower. Getting your hand stuck in the garbage disposal. Famine. This is what I have just off the top of my head. If I thought about it for awhile I could really come up with things that would be worse. Say, having zombies suck your brains out of your ears.
I can’t stand the ads where they make common things look REALLY complicated. So awful and complicated that it is a wonder we survive as a human race. They’ll make things like putting Tupperware away seem on par in difficulty with constructing your own thermo-nuclear device. Another example, they’ll show someone cutting a tomato with what appears to be basically a spoon. The tomato explodes in a spray of tomato goo and the actor makes an expression of disgust and frustration. Then they introduce their new swanky tomato slicing device. In my opinion of you can’t cut a veggie without it exploding you shouldn’t be allowed to touch sharp objects.
I also loathe the ads where a woman has to deal with her husband who is clearly severely brain damaged. He’ll make some moronic decision involving laundry or cleaning and the wife will shake her head with a patient “do you see what I have to put up with” smile. If you are married to someone that terminally stupid having “whiter whites” is the least of your problems.
Given what they spend on advertising I’m thinking they could do better. What’s your least fav ad?
