Ba da bup bup BLAH
Okay, so now it will be painfully obvious this is an obsession (if it wasn't already... what comes after painfully obvious, anyways... throttlingly obvious? Now I have to make up words about the degree of discomfort you're feeling at putting up with my "obviosity.") But just one day after reading the article inspiring this post bemoaning the growing threat of the advertising epidemic, I find simultaneously this article and kindred spirits.
So what's the harm in the advertising strategy of branding kids so that by age 2 they're already drooling when they turn a corner and see the Golden Arches? (Granted, studies have yet to show a direct correlation between the branding and the drooling - it could just be that they're 2 years old and 2-year-olds still can't control lots of things that come out of their bodies. Hey, I'm over thirteen times that old and I still manage to sport a shirt-dribble once or twice a week.) What's the harm, you ask? Well, none - that is, so long as you're okay taking a glowing hot iron and searing some kid's skin with it - because that's what branding is. Look it up.
To be fair, it's not just McDonald's that does it. But they do seem to have a knack for annoying the hell out of me with way more spunk than most of the competition (any sympathizers?).
Exhibit A: Ba da bup bup ba. Catchy, right? A little edgy, too, eh? Well, once it drives me over the edge, I don't know that there will be anything to catch me.
Exhibit B: Happy Meal. But you know - maybe I would have grown up liking spinach if my parents had called it "Mega-Cool Vedge" and told me that Voltron got all its powers from it (Popeye popping out of his clothes just didn't have the same awe-inducing effect as when Voltron finally decided to summon the Blazing Sword to annihilate Robeast... the word 'wow' here doesn't even begin to communicate the utter wonderment of such a thing...).
Exhibits C, D, & E: "I'm lovin' it," "Havin' Fun," & "Get Shoppin' " (see their homepage). The phrase "tragically hip" comes to mind, seeming all too appropriate here...
Bless you, Diane Levin. Bless you, Victor Strasburger. Bless you, Tom Robinson. May many more be truly not "lovin' it" because of your efforts.
(If you're interested in reading the study, it's here.)
So what's the harm in the advertising strategy of branding kids so that by age 2 they're already drooling when they turn a corner and see the Golden Arches? (Granted, studies have yet to show a direct correlation between the branding and the drooling - it could just be that they're 2 years old and 2-year-olds still can't control lots of things that come out of their bodies. Hey, I'm over thirteen times that old and I still manage to sport a shirt-dribble once or twice a week.) What's the harm, you ask? Well, none - that is, so long as you're okay taking a glowing hot iron and searing some kid's skin with it - because that's what branding is. Look it up.
To be fair, it's not just McDonald's that does it. But they do seem to have a knack for annoying the hell out of me with way more spunk than most of the competition (any sympathizers?).
Exhibit A: Ba da bup bup ba. Catchy, right? A little edgy, too, eh? Well, once it drives me over the edge, I don't know that there will be anything to catch me.
Exhibit B: Happy Meal. But you know - maybe I would have grown up liking spinach if my parents had called it "Mega-Cool Vedge" and told me that Voltron got all its powers from it (Popeye popping out of his clothes just didn't have the same awe-inducing effect as when Voltron finally decided to summon the Blazing Sword to annihilate Robeast... the word 'wow' here doesn't even begin to communicate the utter wonderment of such a thing...).
Exhibits C, D, & E: "I'm lovin' it," "Havin' Fun," & "Get Shoppin' " (see their homepage). The phrase "tragically hip" comes to mind, seeming all too appropriate here...
Bless you, Diane Levin. Bless you, Victor Strasburger. Bless you, Tom Robinson. May many more be truly not "lovin' it" because of your efforts.
(If you're interested in reading the study, it's here.)
Labels: culture-watching, petty ranting
posted by joe.peebles at 8:33 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Links to this post:
Create a Link
<< Home