Advertising is not a trivial matter.

[Pacifist Patriot]

Donning some asbestos panties here, but I'll weigh in with my take on the SuperBowl ads. I hated the few I saw!

Granted, I dislike most advertising. It is institutionalized systemic brain washing. If religion is the opiate of the masses than mass media advertising is the cocoaine. Gotta get us jonesing for something newer, bigger, faster, brighter. You need to have ______ or you aren't worth shit.

We are affected by advertising whether we like it or not. Ad campaigns send powerful messages about what is normative or desirable in our society.

It is never useless liberal trivializing to take action against an ad campaign that targets any segment of the population, but particularly one already in an oppressed position. Spoofing suicide? Very rarely have I seen advertising get more distasteful.

If peace and common concern for our fellow human beings is of paramount concern to liberals than halting advertising campaigns advocating violence and degradation is never a waste of time. We don't need garbage like that permeating our cultural milieu, we've got a sick enough herd mentality as it is. I can think of a hell of a lot better ways to sell a stupid candy bar and promote a message of quality than by means of homophobia and robotic nightmares.

No, I'm not advocating censorship. But I do let advertisers know how I feel about the messages they disseminate...which has gotten harder over time as I watch less and less and less television.

[LostinVA]

1. Thank you for your articulate, thoughtful post

I salute both you and the Chalice in your avatar.

[porphyrian]

2. They're out of a job when we stop proving them effective.

You, and millions of others, watched the ads. There are a whole bunch of threads here advertising the ads simply by talking about them, including this one. Entire organizations are complaining about the ads, further solidifying them in the collective (un?)consciousness. If we want the ads to stop, we have to stop making them work.

[Pacifist Patriot]

3. The ads work if they result in sales.

Ads that are widely disseminated resulting in a decline in sales don't "work."

[porphyrian]

4. Greater audience = increase in sales.

It doesn't matter if they lose your business if they reach an expanded consumer base because of it.

[Pacifist Patriot]

5. That equation doesn't necessarily hold true.

Ask anyone who has spent more on a broadened marketing campaign only to find it flop despite the increase in circulation.

[porphyrian]

7. Ah, but were those controversial marketing campaigns?

Do you think heavy metal music would've ever gotten as big as it did if it weren't for the fundamentalists complaining about it?

[Pacifist Patriot]

9. It would be interesting to see if Snickers increases it's...

market share. Neither of these companies is doing break-in marketing to reach new customers. I'll be very surprised if the vast majority of people viewing these ads has never seen a Snickers bar or a GM car before. I would love to see the numbers in a few months to see if the notoriety helped, hurt or made no difference.

[porphyrian]

13. Agreed, though I'm betting they won't be hurt. - n/t

[Maven]

6. Thank you. nt

[DaveJ]

8. I agree, it's part of the corporate epidemic

People are not modular work and consumer units regardless of what economic models say. Our humanity should be taken into consideration.

I remember when I took an advertising class in college, we were trying to make funny Christmas ads, and the other students wanted to show a picture of a Santa Claus character shoveling reindeer poop. It's thoroughly disgusting by they didn't care. These are the type of people who make ads today.

Our sense of decency is not taken into consideration by corporations on any level, not as employees, not as consumers, and not as a community. Corporations are the most sick demented and immoral creations ever devised. But we must remember that corporations CAN be controlled. They are not natural manifestations. There are things the government can do to persuade them into working for the benefit of the community rather than against it, if we try.

As noted earlier, there is not much we can do by considering ourselves just consumers... instead of something to convince these evil monsters of our humanity.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

10. You're telling me.

[Pacifist Patriot]

11. Okay, I'll admit it.

I've seen the caveman ad with the psychiatrist. I understand there are more in an entire ad campaign. I find the irony in the ad I saw very funny. And when someone uses the phrase "so easy a Caveman can do it" I have an idea of the reference.

On the other hand, I can't remember what the product is. A cell phone?

[newyawker99]

15. I think it is a GEICO commercial.

[raccoon]

12. Yes! Yes!

"We are affected by advertising whether we like it or not. Ad campaigns send powerful messages about what is normative or desirable in our society. "

I would add that we are affected by advertising whether we ADMIT it or not.

Corporations wouldn't spend big bucks on advertising, trying to figure the best psychological approach to selling something, if advertising didn't work.

[Pacifist Patriot]

14. You're right. That's what I should have said.