Life in the Blue

Since we are all in the advertising biz I thought I would share what I consider to be the deteriorating advertising in America. Corporate America must think that the US population drives pick up trucks, gets fat, buys all their clothes from Wal-Mart and shoots guns at mailboxes. Let me give you a few examples of said companies, who I vow to never purchase from again.

By far and away the leader, Hardees. You have seen these. They are usually of some fat construction worker chomping down on a ‘thickburger’ the size of a small plane. The thought that the sound of chewing a huge mass of greasy meat and talking with your mouthful makes me want to buy your burgers is insane. Then they came out with one staring a woman truck driver that had to win Ms. Missouri’s homeliest person contest. She is tearing into a salad and all you can hear is the sound of her smacking her dirty trucker fingers. Yeah, this makes me hungry. Throw on a burrito while you are at it.

Second goes to Chevy. During the recent college bowl games and NFL playoffs, they played that hosier country song ‘This is Our Country’ while people loaded up their trucks at every commercial break. People who live on the east or west coast must think that is how all people in the Midwest are. Drivin’ arend in my pickup, gunna get me a four wheeler. Secondly, I promise you that 80% of people who purchase these trucks will never once put anything in the bed. They will use their huge pick up to tool around on city streets, swinging thru the Hardees drive thru.

Three is kind of an odd one. Olive garden. They have these people who in no way reflect anyone in actually society. There are ladies sitting around giggling with their girlfriends and their waitress. Then the perfect husband walks in with the smiling perfect kid. Yeah right. First off, waitresses at Olive Garden are high school students. Second, this perfect husband with kid in tow does not exist. Has this ever happened? I don’t this so. More like the husband is late, and forgot the kid.

Next up is Applebee’s. A chain restaurant with one or more in every city in the US does not make you a small home town place. By that standard McDonalds could be a ‘hometown’ restaurant. I challenge you if you go there to ask someone who works there about the local high school sports squad. If they even know the mascot, you win. And not to mention the thousands of times they showed their singing dorks last year during the NCAA tournament. Every time it went to commercial it was, “sit right down and hear a tail, a tail of some tasty shrimp.” Good grief, is this what creative advertising has come to?

Finally, a local store. Furniture Factory Outlet. I have to try to explain this to you, but it is a lady who talks like she is from deep in the Alabama south and is going to “tell ya abert all the hot deels dern here at fernitcher factery outlet.” Are you kidding me? Every single person on television or radio can learn to speak correctly, but this lady cannot? She is always wearing a turtleneck every day of the year, even in the dead of summer. And she has a hairdo that was popular in 1982. Here’s a tip, You might want to do something, about that hair.

As advertisers, lets challenge ourselves to be better. Be more creative and get away from the same old garbage that used to sell soap in the 1950’s. I know we can do it.

PS – Did any notice that Yahoo SM sent out an email with the word advertising spelled wrong? Priceless.

1 Comment »