Anyone watching The Persuaders must have to stop and think to themselves, “Wow, how could so much time and money be spent on such things?” In the case of Song Airlines – good god, how long did those people spend on that project just to have it fall through the cracks? How much money is spent in advertising each year for things that people will never consume, use, or even come into contact with in their lives? How many people do you know that actually got involved with Song Airlines? None that I can remember. However, I suppose I can see some upstart companies that did benefit greatly from extreme advertising once a long time ago (remember, even Microsoft had to be started sometime).
I couldn’t help but think, how many of those dollars are wasted on worthless advertising? But, in doing so, I only thought of the advertising that I myself buy into – I didn’t take into account the many other mediums that people in other areas are exposed to – for there is an abundance of space for ads….Magazine ads, newspaper ads, ads you see on the boards at the baseball game you went to last week, ads on the sides of taxis, buses, even cars. Ads in your television programs, ads on the sides of buildings, ads on the internet at the top, side and bottom of whatever webpage you’re surfing. Ads on the sidewalks, in the windows of stores, on people’s front lawns, ads waving behind planes at the beach, billboards, and of course, the annoying commercials between television shows that one is forced to sit through to find out what happens when Kramer on Seinfeld gets himself into another pickle. Of all of those ads, certainly, one medium will make at least one person think, “Hmm, that might be useful,” or “Hey, I think I really wanna get a Big Mac right now.” I suppose, for some companies, the possibility of drawing in a few customers by whatever means possible is worth the big bucks they’ve got to put into it.
Funnily enough, I was reminded by either the power of advertising or the stupidity of some people by recalling the woman who ate herself into obesity and poor health by buying McDonald’s food everyday (I believe this was prior to Fast Food Nation and Supersize Me). This woman sued McDonalds because the “TV ads made me want a Big Mac.” Apparently, according to her, the ads had more power over her than her own self-will to say “NO” to the Big Mac in question. I’d hate to think how much gas this woman wasted driving to and from McD’s everyday. As I said, this is either the power of advertisement at work, or the stupidity of people, but whichever it was, The Persuaders definitely made me think of it.
On the same note as those that already remarked about it – No, eating white bread does not make me feel lonely.
How can white bread make you lonely??? Silly advertising research...
