Here we have a commercial for SPDR investments that’s again sending a questionable message, although for the powerful, it might be perfect. And that’s because this shows a maintenance man fixing a water fountain with a very low level, and he raises the water pressure to a ridiculous degree, such that the water is now spraying up like three feet into the air. Oh, but at the end, the biggest guys in the school, presumably the basketball team, walk up to that fountain to take a drink, and while the water level is ridiculously high in the air, it’s just perfect for these incredibly tall basketball jocks.
Oh, but what will this new water level do to everyone else? The nerds will walk up to take a drink, and without warning, the water will spray all over their face and shirt, and they’ll get laughed at, picked on, and beaten up. And girls will be sprayed in the face and humiliated too, ruining their makeup and hairstyles. And with the water pressure so high, people might even hurt their mouths or have trouble drinking it at all unless they’re the tallest, strongest ones. And that’s what the Wall St. investment stuff is really all about isn’t it: it’s tailored only to work for the rich, and everyone else gets screwed. And that’s the message this ad sends to me. But maybe that’s the secret message they want to send anyway?
Oh, but what will this new water level do to everyone else? The nerds will walk up to take a drink, and without warning, the water will spray all over their face and shirt, and they’ll get laughed at, picked on, and beaten up. And girls will be sprayed in the face and humiliated too, ruining their makeup and hairstyles. And with the water pressure so high, people might even hurt their mouths or have trouble drinking it at all unless they’re the tallest, strongest ones. And that’s what the Wall St. investment stuff is really all about isn’t it: it’s tailored only to work for the rich, and everyone else gets screwed. And that’s the message this ad sends to me. But maybe that’s the secret message they want to send anyway?
Seriously, this is almost as bad as the one where some rich the-rules-don’t-apply-to-me lady smashes a plate and defaces a mosaic on display in a museum, which would be a serious criminal offense. But I guess not if the laws don’t apply to you because you’re so rich and can buy your way out of anything, or you have friends in high places. And actually, come to think of it, maybe this new water fountain ad ought to be called: “Friends in High Places”.
Here’s the spider spraying spot:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_fhGvuQ9wJ4
You know, if this was the water fountain in the basketball team locker room, this whole issue of it being good for them but inappropriate for everyone else would have been avoided completely. But with it in the regular school hallway for it to spray everyone else in the face who is not seven feet tall, it's kind of hard to miss it being kind of a problem.
But just because I have a problem with an underlying message in this ad, it doesn't mean it's not a good ad. In fact, this and the other ads for SPDRs that I have criticized are likely great ads for these products, because it likely is attractive to prospective investors, this getting special treatment/being above the rules thing the ads present. And advertising is supposed to attract its prospective market and make people in that market interested or more likely to buy the product or service. And if, in doing so, the marketing strategy ruffles the feathers of people who would never buy the product or service anyway, what difference does it make? No difference at all: these ads aren't talking to those people anyway.
You know, if this was the water fountain in the basketball team locker room, this whole issue of it being good for them but inappropriate for everyone else would have been avoided completely. But with it in the regular school hallway for it to spray everyone else in the face who is not seven feet tall, it's kind of hard to miss it being kind of a problem.
But just because I have a problem with an underlying message in this ad, it doesn't mean it's not a good ad. In fact, this and the other ads for SPDRs that I have criticized are likely great ads for these products, because it likely is attractive to prospective investors, this getting special treatment/being above the rules thing the ads present. And advertising is supposed to attract its prospective market and make people in that market interested or more likely to buy the product or service. And if, in doing so, the marketing strategy ruffles the feathers of people who would never buy the product or service anyway, what difference does it make? No difference at all: these ads aren't talking to those people anyway.
