The Wonderful World of TV Advertising - by Phil97
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TV  commercials  eh?  We must see millions during our lives (If you have
Sky TV, make that billions:) OK, some are cool or funny but for the most
part,  they're  just  annoying  reminders  of  the  squalid  society  of
comsumerism we now live in..  But thats another story..

TV-advert  land  has always been pretty way off reality, but is it me or
are  they  actually  getting  worse?  Does anyone really believe it when
they're  told EVERY month that brand x soap power is "New and Improved"?
At  this  rate  surely  these products would be perfect by now!  Yet I'm
sure  if  you  were to test the latest version against one from a decade
ago,  you'd  be hard pushed to tell the difference.  And isnt it curious
how   all  the  rival  brands  seem  to  simultaneously  have  the  same
"Breakthrough"?

Ads  have  always  been  patronizing  but  a  new trend seems to be that
anything  remotely  technical  is  anathema..   "Here's the science bit,
concentrate!"  announces  a particularly irritating woman in one shampoo
ad.  And what about that hairspray ad "With bendy-holdy stuff"?  Arrgh!

Another  common  thread  in ads that I find annoying is the clever-woman
syndrome.   Have  you  ever noticed that its always the MAN that has the
diahorrea  /  the MAN that is made to look the fool / the MAN who is the
obnoxious  oaf...   Whilst  the woman is generally the sensible one with
the  solution / the last laugh / etc etc...  Sexism?  You bet!  How else
can  they  get  away with an office-load of women drooling over a muscle
-bound  muscle-head in that Coke advert, when the reverse would never be
allowed?  Hmmm...

But  I  know  these  companies are really taking the piss when they show
obvious  foriegn  language versions badly dubbed into English.  Look out
for  the  new  tactic however, where a universal advert is made in which
the  speaking  peoples  mouths  are  shown as briefly as possible, so we
"cant   tell"   its  not  English...   A  recent  Euro-Disney..   Sorry,
Disneyland  Paris,  advert was a classic with cups of tea, hands and all
sorts obstructing the mouths of the talking actors!


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