As Seinfeld might say, "Hey, what's up with this advertising thing, huh!". Basically, it is trying to convince someone to part with their money, in a span of a few seconds, or words or images - pretty ambitious, huh! I have always been fascinated with advertisements. As a kid, I used to remember the ad jingles on radio, or tag lines from the magazine pages. Mind you, I am not terribly concerned with the efficacy of these ads; i. e. if they actually make people rush to buy their product or not. Mine is purely artistic interest in the craft! So for example, I don't know how many additional pounds of cheese or butter Amul was able to sell with their street side huge billboards, featuring chubby girls in pigtails. But, their witty and very timely comments themselves became the center of attraction. After any major news, it became a nice guessing game to anticipate the Amul billboard's take on it. While I had not so much as visited an airport, Delta's "Friendly skies" ad was already my friend. Long before I wore my first tie around the neck, the "Zodiac" symbol was firmly lodged in my brain charts. As a child I knew and could have advised elders, "Suit agar silwaana chaaho, Gwalior suiting se le lo". I was all set for partying later in life, because I knew very well "Rang jamaata hai Coca Cola"
Even in the US, my fascination with advertising continues. The metaphors and imagery was different; and it took some time to get the punch line. I admire the strong brand association with a face like "Flo" for Progressive insurance, or Gecko the face of Geico insurance, or the cute-ish woman in Toyota, or even the tag line "Car that sells itself" in Honda commercials. I have chuckled at the tag line "Have you driven a Ford... lately"' alluding to the company's heroic struggles to put all the mechanical problems and notoriety (FORD: Fix Or Repair Daily) behind them. I still remember Amazon's funny pre-debut commercials, imploring the Vatican to vacate their premises to make room for a gigantic warehouse for books; and concluding, no that won't be enough space! The first one that had stumped me was Virginia Slims "You have come a long way, baby" line - not seeing smoking as a particularly hip thing, nor being fully conversant with the women's lib movement, it was hard for me to connect these two dots. I don't mind admitting in the privacy of my own blog, that I am one of those who watch Super Bowl mainly for the multi-million dollar commercials, rather than the half time musical show, the full time mayhem or the occasional malfunctions. Even here, many commercials are beyond me. For example, I am still trying to figure out what the splendid team of horses has to do with an ordinary brew like Budweiser - possibly that the smell is reminiscent of a horse stable?
Then there is this one for Cialis, which has left me sleepless with puzzlement! (Reminder: my interest is purely artistic!) I have a general idea about what it is for (erectile dysfunction); only because they have done a splendid job of blurring the line between precaution and product pitch ('in case of an erection lasting more than four hours, please contact your doctor'). Where I get confused is when they show the couple at the end - in separate tubs. Not sure exactly how they ended up there from the preceding lovey-dovey demeanor! These tubs appear to be on a beach too. Now, I have checked, most NJ beaches don't offer a side-by-side pair of tubs. Hey... most homes don't have two tubs side-by-side. This worrisome after-effect is most likely keeping the sales of Cialis from sky-rocketing.... sure the company doesn't realize this.
And that brings me to the pharmaceutical commercials! Poor pharma, who have commissioned lawyers for copy writer jobs, in fear of the multi-million dollar lawsuits about 'truth in advertising'. So much time is taken listing every possible harmful side effect the medicine may have, that they usually have to rely on the viewer's imagination for what the product may achieve. Plus, they are also busy inventing diseases that their miraculous medicines may be able to cure. All these ads leave me with is hypochondria - and there is no medicine for that!
Yet!!
Even in the US, my fascination with advertising continues. The metaphors and imagery was different; and it took some time to get the punch line. I admire the strong brand association with a face like "Flo" for Progressive insurance, or Gecko the face of Geico insurance, or the cute-ish woman in Toyota, or even the tag line "Car that sells itself" in Honda commercials. I have chuckled at the tag line "Have you driven a Ford... lately"' alluding to the company's heroic struggles to put all the mechanical problems and notoriety (FORD: Fix Or Repair Daily) behind them. I still remember Amazon's funny pre-debut commercials, imploring the Vatican to vacate their premises to make room for a gigantic warehouse for books; and concluding, no that won't be enough space! The first one that had stumped me was Virginia Slims "You have come a long way, baby" line - not seeing smoking as a particularly hip thing, nor being fully conversant with the women's lib movement, it was hard for me to connect these two dots. I don't mind admitting in the privacy of my own blog, that I am one of those who watch Super Bowl mainly for the multi-million dollar commercials, rather than the half time musical show, the full time mayhem or the occasional malfunctions. Even here, many commercials are beyond me. For example, I am still trying to figure out what the splendid team of horses has to do with an ordinary brew like Budweiser - possibly that the smell is reminiscent of a horse stable?
Then there is this one for Cialis, which has left me sleepless with puzzlement! (Reminder: my interest is purely artistic!) I have a general idea about what it is for (erectile dysfunction); only because they have done a splendid job of blurring the line between precaution and product pitch ('in case of an erection lasting more than four hours, please contact your doctor'). Where I get confused is when they show the couple at the end - in separate tubs. Not sure exactly how they ended up there from the preceding lovey-dovey demeanor! These tubs appear to be on a beach too. Now, I have checked, most NJ beaches don't offer a side-by-side pair of tubs. Hey... most homes don't have two tubs side-by-side. This worrisome after-effect is most likely keeping the sales of Cialis from sky-rocketing.... sure the company doesn't realize this.
And that brings me to the pharmaceutical commercials! Poor pharma, who have commissioned lawyers for copy writer jobs, in fear of the multi-million dollar lawsuits about 'truth in advertising'. So much time is taken listing every possible harmful side effect the medicine may have, that they usually have to rely on the viewer's imagination for what the product may achieve. Plus, they are also busy inventing diseases that their miraculous medicines may be able to cure. All these ads leave me with is hypochondria - and there is no medicine for that!
Yet!!
Little disappointed as I don't know anything about ads in USA. Or the superbowl. (Or the erectile dysfunction !)
ReplyDeleteHow about a piece on radio ads in India before the tv era began ?
Hemant, was hoping my writeup will provide a bit of context for US ads where necessary.. Just meant to be a funny piece. But you are right, to get some of the jibes like 'malfunction in Super Bowl', you need to know the context. Unfortunately, on my own I dont remember the old Indian Radio ads that much, will if chatting with someone about it :)
ReplyDelete