Monday, November 20, 2006
Not Only Me
Yahoo News: "Nearly two-thirds of Americans say they believe that most TV programming and advertising is targeted toward people under 40, the survey said. More than 80 percent of adults over 40 say they have a hard time finding TV shows that reflect their lives. ... A significant number of baby boomers — 37 percent — say they aren't happy with what's on television, according to the study."
It's nice to see I'm not the only geezer who hates so much of today's marketing. The music is bad enough, but I can understand music's appeal to buyers. I figure if I hate the music, I'm not going to like the product. This is especially true in some clothing stores, Abercrombie and American Eagle come to mind. It's not just that I don't like the music, but the volume is actually painful to me. My wife has learned to let me wait outside while shops inside places like that. I've made a comment before that stores like that should have a quiet night, so old-times like me could go shopping in there.
What is more irritating to me are the attitudes in a lot of commercials. Right now there's a Haggar commercial where some middle-aged guys rip a radio out of a passing car. While I'd often like to do that, to actually condone vandalism like that is just wrong. There was another commercial awhile back (a couple years or more actually) that showed a pickup truck (Chevy? - but not sure) running rampant through a placid picnic scene. Pickup truck ads really seem to be bad - are assholes the only people who buy them? Why promote more crime than is already out there? And why, when gas is going over $3 a gallon (not right, but soon again), do we really need a 400 horse pickup truck to go to 7-11 in? And the latest Target commericial is all about "I want" and "I need" and "I'm buying it." As if all greedy consumers out there really need yet some more cheapass trinkets.
On the other hand, a recent Vonage commercial was great. There was a Christine like orange van chasing down some would-be car strippers. However, two things I didn't like about it was driving through a store and the fact the van didn't squash the hoods like a summertime highway cricket against a windshield.
