Adimmorality

There is, in fact, something I find more insidious than advertising campaigns that plaster names, labels, and logos as large as possible everywhere you look, until you're so used to them you almost don't see them anymore (though their effect is just as present on your mind and behavior).

It's this new trend I've been noticing, or maybe it's not new at all, of campaigns that DON'T include either the business name, or the product being advertised, at least not visibly enough to identify it.

3 things:

1. A subway campaign by Starbucks. The more square poster-like ads in the car all feature, very clearly, a big Starbucks cup and the name of a holiday-season-specific product available. And probably some other pro-Starbucks language pertaining to how it will improve the sense of family in your holiday and even your general health and well-being. The context of this ad is a certain color scheme - mostly red, a red background, red cup, white lettering, and either periwinkle blue or mint green accents (these alternate from one to the next).

1a. Then there are the long, thin ads that run above the windows along the entire length of the car, in 3 or 4 pieces. These feature very specifically the same color scheme and attitude, but feature family scenes - mom bringing the Christmas turkey to the family waiting at the table. A row of people bundled up waiting in line to place presents in the mailbox. A big family snowparty with snowballs, iceskating, snowmen, etc. Nowhere in these ads is there a Starbucks cup, nor even a representation of a warm drink, nor the word Starbucks.

2. Also subway related, but in the station - this one by Amstel Light. The ads are all very simple, a huge golden-colored poster with a beer bottle in the center, and it's "dressed up" in different ways, as related to the holiday season. I get off the L-train and the first one I see is tinseled-out and I can't read the brand name. The second is wrapped in foil like a gift, and again I can't read the brand name. The third has a red and white scarf, and the brand is slightly obscured but clear enough that I can guess. Then I turn the corner, and there's a maybe 10-12 foot by 3 foot poster (same colors) outlining each syllable of the first line of "Deck the Halls" including the tra-la-las, as if on a karaoke program where a ball or arrow bounces on each syllable as you sing. The ball is a bottle of unadorned Amstel Light, and since it's not video or movable, there's a separate bottle of beer on top of each syllable. That's 17 bottles of beer on the wall, lined up in a pretty row, leaving no doubt as to the brand.

3. The "installation" at the north end of Union Square Park, called Bright Nights or some shit. They closed down the whole end of the park for nearly a week putting up scaffoling and such, so I was curious when it reopened. Apparently the scaffolding is the support system for some sort of lighting display or program that comes on at night. But, of course, metal scaffolding is ugly alone, so they decorated it with some green fabric and red and white ribbon, almost as if each standing tower is a big gift. Seemed fairly innocuous as I walked through the first time, until I looked a little closer at the ribbon, which is a red background with white printed leaves and flowers, maybe poinsettia, and infiltrated with white target signs, you know, the red and white logo for Target? If you're anywhere close that little target is all you can see clearly on the scaffolding. (I have never seen the light display and don't intend to, so that part's missing from my analysis.) At either end of the walkway is a sign describing the installation, but first mentioning the sponsor, Target, and the designer's name. As if we didn't fucking KNOW it was Target's deal.

Problems: a) the advertisers are pretending to be generous with the space they've bought in not being clear that these are indeed advertisements, (as opposed to actual donated space or a public service announcement) which is illegal, by the way - check the FTC - but these big wigs have probably found ways around that. ADVERTISERS ARE NOT GENEROUS EVER. b) the advertisers believe that their logos as unconnected to a name or product will be enough to carry the effect of the supposedly sanctimonius message - and THEY'RE CORRECT. c) due to the nature of advertising as it has been, obscuring the advertised product simply makes people more curious and confused, therefore increasing the effectiveness of the ads with out obscured products. THEY'RE TAKING ADVANTAGE OF A UNIVERSAL HUMAN CHARACTERISTIC, CURIOSITY, TO MANIPULATE OUR CONSUMING HABITS - NOT TO MENTION OUR SUBCONSCIOUS SYSTEMS OF BELIEF.

Right now I think that advertising other than identifying signs above the store itself should be abolished. I'm not even going to mention a website review of a company I recently did at work whose purpose is research and placement of behaviorally targeted advertising on the internet. (You think they're not tracking your keystrokes and clicks?) I'm totally horrified and what with so many goddamned outside factors at work on my personality, moods, beliefs I don't know who the fuck I am anymore. I'm tired of it, and also tired of feeling I need to be so suspicious. Tired.