Don't hit me, it's just the advertising talking

However you want to cut it I work in marketing. We all do.

I am constantly reminded of this phrase.

 

Awesome cartoon borrowed from Hugh MacLeod at gapingvoid.

That really rings true with me. Most of the time advertising, and all marketing, is ridiculous. We've just got used to the absurdity of it.

But that expression haunts me, “If you talked to people the way advertising talked to people, they’d punch you in the face”. No one wants to be responsible for work like that, right? So most of the time if I have to "talk to people" I try and keep it as straight as possible. Be straight forward, clear, honest. Say what you need to say and get out of there. (There are exceptions but let's not go into that here.)

Then walking round a high street on Sunday I cam across some advertising talking that made me want to punch them in the face.

Ahhh yes the tradition of giving. At Christmas, the tradition of giving 'COS I'D FUCKING FORGOTTEN ABOUT THAT YOU FUCKING MORONS. I thought it was national holiday so we could all sit around the fire moaning how shit the Vicar of Dibley is and why the fuck did they cancel Only Fools And Horses. Silly me.

And then there's this. What are you getting for Christmas? A book on how to fucking use punctuation if I have anything to do with it. But hold on a minute IT MIGHT BE A GAG!

Look! Quite possibly they mean what illnesses will you get at Christmas? Think about that for a minute. You might get a dreadful cold. Yeah. So let's stock up on the old Milk Thistle.

They must mean that. They can't be suggesting you buy someone that shit for a Christmas present, can they? I have no idea because the communication is so mangled and confused it ends up meaning nothing.

And if you talked to people like this, they would quite rightly punch you in the face.

Comments

[Paul Regan]

Anyone seen my Rescue Remedy?

[Rob Mortimer]

Good point, well demonstrated!

[Richard]

I imagine the periods were supposed to symbolize the point in their advertising where they were trying to think of something catchy, but then they just went for fuck it.

[Dan Elman]

I'm LMAO... do you think there's a cure? ;)

[Andy C]

BAH HUMBUG. ;)