Advertising
mck (0 points) | Sat, 2005-04-16 18:54Advertising is the heart of a capitalist culture, so the following may shock you, but here goes...
Today, I was sitting in a car parked right outside a major supermarket, waiting for my companions, with my PowerBook to keep me company. As I was typing away, I heard something hit the windshield, HARD. I looked up just in time to see a guy walking away and a piece of paper stuck under the car's wipers.
Normally, I would just throw it away and get on with life, but this time, something flipped. I looked at the paper - Lawn Mowing. Call xxx xxx xxx xx. I was pissed! Who was this nerd, and who gave him a license to violate other people's property and shove advertising down their throats?
I dumped my PowerBook into its ordi and went scrambling for pens and pencils, which I found about six of (cause I'm a creative person :P) I defaced his advertisement, then walked over to another car he had polluted and swapped papers. Then I defaced that too, and so on, till about five cars had something their owners would not forget THAT lawn mower guy for a while.
Well, the point of this post is not to brag about what I wrote on the papers, but a question, what forms of advertising are acceptable, and which are not?
Personally (and in spite of myself) it's not the form of advertising, but the way it is delivered. But it's also about if I am forced to put up with it or not. For instance, if I do not like a web site's ways of advertising (pop-under, pop-up, etc.) I don't go there anymore. If I don't like advertising on TV, I go to another channel.
The way it is delivered is also important. Ever seen Apple ads on TV? Instead of hating them, I actually like them - some might argue that this is because I like Apple products, but there's more to it then that - they actually put in some effort into hiring a good ad agency and making good ads.
Mostly, I don't mind it, as long as I don't have to go out of my way to get rid of it, or let it rot under my car's windshield for weeks.
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Damn, you really went out of your way for to get back...I LIKE IT. Obtrusive advertising almost feels like an invasion of one's surroundings.
It's sleavy advertising tactics like that that give advertising a bad name. It all goes back to the old adage "consider the source" A truly reputible company wouldn't do such a thing just like a good graphic designer wouldn't bevel and emboss type or photoshop the hell out of something to "make a design better."
Other forms of advertising that piss me off are billboard in places other than interstates or freeways, b/c when they are well done, they are actually kinda amusing...for example, Chik-fil-a billboards with the cows painting on the billboards saying "eat more chickn"
I guess when it comes down to it, if you're gonna invade my space, you better have made it worth my while, amuse me, make me laugh, make me feel good about your product, then maybe I'll buy it.
Ok im done my rant as well, good post mackie!
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"The higher you jump on the flagpole, the higher the bonus you receive."
Isn't enough with 1 time at the blog.. most this exist on forum too? a bit too much?
I'ts been promoted to the front page. It's the same post accessible from two different places.
:-)
Ivan, are you going to tell us what your wrote on those papers then? Please!?
That's Mackie's post from the forum promoted to the front page. :)
In BP, yes, but I never park there (it's impossible!)
This inciedent did not happen in BP, it was in Esztergom. Now, for what I wrote:
"You won't believe it, I have a monkey who mows grass!" (next to the graphic of a guy mowing)
"We don't just cut grass, we water it too!" with a piss coming of of the guy mowing pic)
I do not really understand your problem Mackie. Really. If you park your car somewhere in the inner city you will get a pack of flyers on your windscreen in 5 mins. I mean it is not good, but u should have to got used to it (or you are a new citizen of our capital). It's the same with the flyer 'distributors' at the entrances of the subways. If you have two hands full they put that fuckin flyer in your mouth.
,,, otherwise known as the state of Maine, it is illegal to leave advertising stuck under someone's windshield wiper. We also have no billboards. Those were outlawed 20 years ago and I don't miss them a bit.
I wish I cold say we don't have dumb TV commercials, but of course we do. The really obnoxous ones do get my attention -- the first time, then they are subjected to the Mute button forever hence.
...so we can call them and inquire about their services.
But he'll prolly be getting a call from five irate people :-)
as someone who owns their own small business and is the sole saff. I'd get pretty pissed off after i've taken the time to design, print, proof, photo-copy, cut, and then walk for miles distributing advertising, to have some punk deface the material for no good reason. If you didnt like the mannor that the person put it on your car you could have talked to them? This type of advertising which you hate so much, is from the small players, who struggle for their livelyhood. Not the offshot of some multinational company with proper advertising budgets (who you probably see 100X a day on your precious powerbook when online)
So? Does that give them a right? If I were kicked out of jr. high I'd have more to show for it then a lawn mowing company.
At my house, every week I would have to go out and pick up a handfull of business cards for lawncare services. Now why would I use you to take care of my lawn when you feel it is ok to just litter on it?!?!? The worst one though was when someone got the bright idea to tape their card to a leaf on one of my trees! Well, I flipped a little on them, called them and kindly let them know that if I ever see another card of theirs littering my lawn, I will call the police and test out LA's littering fines.
While you're sat there with your expensive Apple Powerbook this lad could be struggling to pay rent or debts.
Lawn mowing isn't exactly the best job in the world is it.
Sometimes I'd like to mowe the lawn rather than deal with some crazy deadlines. But I get your point.