Reality Commercials

As I was watching the NBA game last evening between the Pistons and the Heat I was, as was every other American watching any TV programming, assaulted by commercial after commercial espousing “coolness” (Jeep ad) and beer;Bud Light, and every other product you can think of that if you purchased or possessed would make your existence worth the while - so you might be led to believe.

And I think or would like to believe that if I had the funds and energy that I would launch a huge campaign challenging all these ad companies to help us, their audience, realize our true potential and not play to us like we are zombies walking around only concerned with image and status.

But then again, they, the marketing gurus, are very successful which must mean to some degree that we are zombies buying into to all the product placement and ad campaigns that help us know that by owning a new 2005 Jeep we will be “cool” cuz the ad shows a “cool” meter which says I am cool becuz I drive a Jeep.

I am very saddened by this and by my own acceptance of this influence.

If I could - my marketing genius would focus on wisdom so it might look something like this in commercial form:

Hip Hop music playing in the background and a good looking guy (he’s fresh and dressed to kill) in the Jeep cruising along with a pretty young lady at his side. The Jeep we see is beaming copper color and slows to stop at a red light – the “cool” meter appears and it is pointing at an all time high. The camera slowly turns and into the frame drives a clean but slightly rusted 1989 Honda Accord, windows are down and with a young guy slightly disheveled obviously a workingman behind the wheel rocking to a not so loud Eminmem song. The young male driver smiles and nods to us. Meanwhile we pan back to our slick couple in the Jeep who smile back when the moment is interrupted by a cell phone ringing with some mechanical sounding tune. Our Jeep guy not only has a cool Jeep but the latest technology in Cell phones and he smoothly whips out his phone and answers with a “Whasss up!” We are privy to the voice on the other end of the conversation and as the music abrubtly ends we hear a Verizon Rep state, “Mr. Smith we are sorry your cell phone service is being temporarily terminated but you haven't paid your $257.00 balance” There is a silent pause and the Rep continues with a “Can you hear me now?” Suddenly the cool meter pops up in front of our eyes overlaying the scene with Mr. Smith looking stunned and the “cool” meters reads at an all time low and typing out like a type writer on the screen we see the words:
Jeep - $550 a month,
Designer clothes - $850,
Cell Phone bill - $257.00/month.

Just as we are calculating this monstrous amount we hear that familiar male Master Card voice say “all the credit you ever wanted with a lifetime to hopefully pay it off”. Then the camera switches back to our workingman in the 1989 Honda Accord. And now we see typing out over the screen of our young working stiff the words:
1989 Honda Accord - $Paid for since 1994/$500 annual upkeep,
Working clothes - $company supplies
and Cell phone for emergency only - $150 annually.

The cool meter appears pointing to the "coolest" and then the word fades and reappearing is the word “smart” instead of “cool”.
Fade to black.

Wow! what a concept? ---that it is cool to be smart instead of taken. Oh, if the media moguls respected integrity over money?!