Saturday 9 February 2013

The joy of advertising

My dislike of advertising grows stronger by the day - partly because of the corrosive and limiting effect it can have on people's lives, worldviews and aspirations, but also partly because of the insulting, manipulative rubbish that the industry continues to pump out.

Take this new McDonald's ad for example - peddling the idea that burgers can mend bridges between families.  It's so obviously revolting as an idea I really don't understand why more people don't complain more about adverts like these - I know lots of people get annoyed by them but maybe there's just no outlet for complaining about them.  Hopefully that will change soon with an idea we're working on...

As a final treat in this post - and when you thought things couldn't get more absurd, Justin Timberlake has joined the ranks of celebs becoming 'Creative Directors' for big brands, as he is unveiled as the 'Creative Director' of Bud Light Platinum.  This is of course nonsense in itself, but the real fun is in the press releases. Says Paul Chibe, vp U.S. marketing, Anheuser-Busch:

 "Justin Timberlake is one of the greatest creative minds in the entertainment industry, and his insights will help us further define Bud Light Platinum’s identity in the lifestyle space."

Lifestyle space.  Ahem.