Sunday, 28th September 2008
Truth to Tell – In Advertising
Once upon a time (well, actually the date was 11 October, 1975), in America, the first Saturday Night Live programme went on air.
Since then, notwithstanding cast changes and trouble backstage, it has remained the blueprint for wannabes the world over, including Malta, who alas, do not have the gumption or wit to carry off such a production…. although not for want of trying.
It has also spawned several catchphrases (never mind; isn’t that special?; it’s always something; you look mahvelous…) and propelled some of its ‘actors’ - James Belushi, Chevy Chase, Dan Ackroyd, Billy Crystal) into stardom.
Unfortunately, when transmuted into other forms, this type of social commentary often becomes bitter or vulgar; and unfortunately, this is often “what the people want”.
Consider the spoof advertisement that appeared at the very end of this programme.
The bumph explained how razors had been progressing along the line, from obsidian to straight razors, through the safety razor using stainless steel blades, to the then fairly new at the time twin-blade cartridge.
According to the announcer, a new product was in the offing – the all-new, triple-blade razor that would make shaving a cinch.
Deadpan, he gave further details about how the first blade would seize the hair and lift it slightly, to protect it from the onslaught of the second blade… which would provide a further infinitesimal length of hair to pull out… for the third blade to shear off as close to the skin, and even beneath it, as did not matter for the face to resemble a baby’s derriere.
Since then, of course, this triple-bladed razor has become a reality – and so has the four-bladed one. I seriously expect an environmentally-friendly version, some time soon, where the blades resemble those of a miniature lawn-mower, revolving merrily away as we borrow them for our underarms, and legs, without having to ensure a power supply close by into which to plug the apparatus.
This, then, is life imitating art; and I use the illustration as a reminder of the insidious power of television. There was a time when the Brady Bunch and the Partridge Family (never mind what happened off-screen) and the kids on Eight is Enough, and even the teens of Happy Days, all by and large respected their parents and respected curfews.
Advertising creates needs where none existed. Dysfunctional but nonetheless cute families, such as The Addams Family, were once merely a source of amusement. These days, there is a great danger that the changing family values one sees on television will have a bearing on the behaviour and attitudes of the children watching them.
Veronica Mars, at least, is not concerned with the hereafter, as are the sisters in Charmed or Buffy, the Vampire Slayer. But she did get an STD; which, for our children, is more here-and-now. Like some types of razors, values have become disposable…
Then there is the tiny “baby” doll that gets a fever… according to his young owner, this happens when his feed upsets him or when he is not feeling comfortable in his surroundings. Little women learn that there is an easy solution to ‘cure’ him. They either give their ersatz kid “medicine” - or a shot in his behind. This makes his temperature return to normal.This could be even worse that the “pill for every ill” mentality that was gaining hold when I was a child…
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