Well, wrong topic in the sense of who makes up the Sphere. It garnered no interest until I claimed mea culpa. But that's besides the point.
I am breezily indifferent as to whether or not these (McDonalds or Samsung ads) are commercial art or in fact if there is even such a thing as commercial art. So why would I suggest otherwise by starting a thread that belabors it??? I refer you to Marilyn…
I can’t for the life of me understand why anyone pays to advertise. I just don't think advertising has much if any effect on my buying decisions. Apparently it does on others.
Commercials that make no attempt to present their product in an attractive, interesting way are artistically worthless. But I do find the huckster dishonest honesty approach interesting in their own right for their guile (or utter lack thereof) but their hyperbolic messaging is a total turn off. Literally. I turn the channel. Click click click…
What if I told you that the McDonalds commercial is based on a true story? Seriously, what are the odds? It’s not. I’m sure even without looking. But here’s the thing: If I were able to turn over every stone – every one of them – and find out that in fact this commercial is a true representation of a real life situation – then what? OK, it would still be creepy.
However, just for the sake of discussion (I never do anything for the sake of argument) the scenario painted in the McDonald’s scene is the nut of a classic literary theme: a broken family, a disapproving mother (btw, the mother in this commercial is horrendous – without a shred of understanding or an ounce of parental intelligence), a boy searching for his identity… And then comes the Almighty Product Placement -- now THAT is commercial art, though I can understand how some think it nothing more than creepy. I don’t stretch it to be anything more than a one-minute mirage-like interlude between two longer segments of mind-numbing TV. Opiate for the masses is what I think it has been coined.
The Micky D commercial is incredible. It has absolutely no connection to the product being sold. Am I to believe that it has some unconscious affect on my mind that will steer me into the golden arched gates next time I'm hungry? (I haven't eaten at a McDonalds since my Dad died, incidentally. He loved McDonalds). It most definitely does not. But the plot and acting and scene scripting are artfully done.
But here’s what I think: commercials that just blare out the predictable pabulum and make no attempt to capture your interest other than notching up the decibels are akin to cheap drugstore novels. They don’t win awards for creativity or artist excellence (CLIO Awards). for good reason. They are the antithesis of creative arts. I don’t necessarily need a commercial to be artfully done, but I appreciate the effort. Did you ever see the Dos Equis commercials, “The Most Interesting Man In The World”? Very entertaining. For 1 minute.
Here’s a wild, reckless thought: what would a poem of yours look like “commercialized”? What if someone with a perfect voice – a James Earl Jones or Sarah Bernhardt – read a poem of yours and a commercial artist tied it to a product with visuals of -- whatever. What would you think? Would you even give permission? For a boatload of money? Wild reckless thought.
So much more to discuss. But then again, sometimes it's not what's being discussed but who's discussing it.
|