People watch TV and say, "That commercial was so stupid, I'm never buying that!". I know, I'm one of those people. And generally, commercials are stupid. Most of the time they don't even address what it is they are selling or telling you. Sometimes its just a skit or a little funny blurb of frothy nothingness. For example, Emerald Nut commercials. If you've seen any of them, you know what I mean.
And no one asks why it's like that, they just think it's stupid. But maybe I can enlighten some folks out there scratching their heads about TV commercials.
The main goal of TV ads is to implant images. The vast majority of people think advertising is about raising awareness of something or someone. And to a certain, small degree, it is. But mainly, they try to imprint an image into your mind that you won't forget. Look at it this way, does Coke really need to make commercials to raise awareness about itself? No, everyone knows about Coke. I think I read somewhere that, after the word "OK", Coke is the most understood word in the world.
So the reason we keep seeing Coke ads on TV is to put an image into our heads. But now you ask, well if Coke is the second most understood word in the world, why would we need an image of it in our heads? We need it in our heads so when we go to the grocery store or pass a vending machine, we see the product and we think of the ad. And chances are, because you saw that ad on TV, you already had Coke on your mind way in the back filed under "Pointless Shit".
Ads don't make people get up and buy shit. I think they'd rather have it that way but it doesn't work out so well. Ads put an image in your head so the next time your out and you see it, you'll buy it.
The reason I said all that is so I can tell you this:
The other day, I was watching TV and I saw a series of seemingly unrelated TV ads. In books or movies, any time you see the words "seemingly unrelated", you know some crazy shit is about to go down.
Anyway, I'm watching TV and I see five commercials in a row. The ads in order were: One for a chain-restaurant, one for a dieting medication, one for ITT Tech trade school, one for 5 Hour Energy, and finally, one for sleep medication.
As I can figure it, these five ads represent the five virtues or addictions of American culture: Food Addiction, Body-Image Addiction, Work Addiction, Energy Addiction, Sleep Addiction.
Now if you bought my whole spiel about image implantations, one can only wonder why people struggle to find an answer to their depression and neurosis. And this string of seemingly unrelated ads perfectly crystalizes all that is wrong with TV, advertising, and most of media. I have provided a little thought-sequence of a typical American whose perceptions of the world mirror the sequence of ads that I saw.
Well, since I'm at this restaurant and they have free refills on soda and fries, I'm just going to gorge myself to the point of asphyxiation. After all, I have the right to consume as much as I want with complete disregard for the processes that came together which eventually brought the endless fries and soda into my greasy food-hole. Oh no, but I can't be fat! But I'm in luck because I can just take this diet pill and I'm be all better! But jeez is this life of dieting and gorging expensive. Oh I know, I'll just work more! And maybe I'll go to school so I can get a better job so I can buy more food and dieting pills! Oh but now I feel sluggish from all the sugar water and dieting and working. Oh here we are, 5-hour energy! Now I can stay awake long enough to work and work and work to finance my ridiculous eating/dieting routine.
So now my tummy is full, my wallet's fat, my stomach is slim and tone, and I'm perkier than a stereotypical high school cheerleader on meth. But something's wrong. Some natural process was missed. What was it? Something that just naturally happens...oh that's right - sleep! I forgot to sleep. Oops! It's okay, there's medicine for that too!
People are being pulled into so many directions. There's some more addictions out there that just make people unhappy with their situations - like love addiction i.e. eHarmony, match.com, chemistry.com, etc. This one may be the one addiction that is at the top of the totem pole. It's the one that all the other addictions are leading up to. The Final Solution.
But thats the magic of TV ads. They plant this little seed in your head and when you leave your house and you go to the market it blooms into a terrifying plant of self-doubt, low self-esteem, and fear.
