Art & Copy

I streamed a movie on Netflix and watched it on my Samsung screen.  I sipped a Diet Coke out of my 7-11 cup and procrastinated sewing the button back on The Boy's Old Navy shorts.  

The movie I watched?  Art & Copy, a 2009 documentary about advertising.  

Here are some stats from the film:  

1. 75% of American homes have 3 or more televisions. 
2. Food companies spent $32 billion on advertising in 2008
3. A 30 second ad on American Idol costs $750,000 
4. A 30 second ad during the Super Bowl costs $2.7 million
5. Each year the average child sees 20,00 television commercials
6. 80% of all advertising is produced by 4 global holding companies

And some words of wisdom from advertising gurus (whose names I didn't record. Because I was being lazy and didn't feel like picking through the film and finding them again):  

"I hope people understand that brands can be dangerous.  They're like a TV channel that you get locked in to." 

"Fear is a very powerful depressant" 

"Great advertising makes food taste better".  (from the dude who designed the "I Want My MTV campaign")

This project of mine has been an exploration of consumerism and I've never pretended to lead or plan on leading a consumer-free existence.  It's an impossible task.  So in that spirit and I'm taking the complete opposite approach to day and listing my favorite ads.  

Say you: WHAT? 

Say me:  Stop.  We all have them, so don't try and shy away from it.  

Favorite ads of yore:  The touchy-feely Coca-Cola commercials.  


From my teens: The MTV commercials.  Once upon a time, MTV actually played music videos. Did you know that?   "Where's the Beef" was quite entertaining.  And Are you old enough to remember Nancy Reagan's Just Say No campaign?  That egg is forever imprinted. I'm not sure if this is a good or bad thing. 

Recent years: The Budweiser Frogs.  Hello?  Brilliant.  Coke's polar bear?  I hate to admit it, but their marketing is oh, so effective. 

Contemporary ads: The iPod spreads are beautiful.  Plus the spoofs are always fantastic.  I also love the Absolut vodka print spreads (scroll down.  The hangman one is spectacular).  Eye candy, every one of them.  Christmas time always offers some great ads, and Target, damn them, last year combined humor with my all-time favorite Christmas carol. 

Then there's the best ad to EVER hit the airwaves:  ->