2 posts tagged “marketing”
Every time I watch TV--about twice a week, once for Lost, once for Arrested Development--I can't help but notice that nearly every commercial is for a car manufacturer. It's a little like going out to a bar and being hit on. Some of these commercials have a pretty straight forward come on: they show you the vehicle driving around on beautiful highways, or tearing up dirt roads. Other commercials are going for subtle. One shows a variety of beautiful nature scenes and people enjoying them, one shows highlights from the 60's, including requisite hippies with an old VW van, but of course, at the end, just like guys in bars, they have to cut to the chase...buy the car. Buy the car. I'm sorry, but at some point have these car manufacturers not noticed that every single American who wants a car and can afford one, ALREADY OWNS AT LEAST ONE?! There's no one sitting at home, thinking, If I saw the right car, I guess I'd go ahead and buy my first one. Sorry, there just isn't. We already own cars. It's not like a razor, where you might see a new design (one with seven blades perhaps...) and decide to buy that brand the next time you're at the store. It's a car, people.
With New Orleans looking like an urban Lord of the Flies, I find myself like most Americans: wondering what to do. Luckily, I got a catalog in the mail that offered me several "Solutions." That is in fact the name of the company. Among their "products that make life easier" they feature this delightful item: facial features that you can nail on to your tree trunks. That way they have cute faces on them, instead of just bark. It's like a Mr. Potato head kit for your stately oaks and elms. What, I ask, what does this solve? What problem is this a solution to?
Now, this item, though, this is a real solution.
