24 January 2008

Who writes this stuff?

I've just seen a new concept in sales: self-defeating avertising. In this case, it's an ad for birth control pills. Not exactly something to pique my interest right now, but there it was. A commercial.

As the hip and perky announcer extolled the virtues of this pill, athletic twenty-somethings jumped around the screen, kickboxing their symptoms and swatting away those annoying slogans that tend to hover around one's head.

Hey, happens to me all the time.

The part that got to me was the theme song. During all of this empowering activity, the song "We're Not Gonna Take It" was blasting in the background. I'll admit, it's a very cool song. Not one I can manage and still keep my vocal chords intact, but great for some lip-synching and air guitar. I have one question, however.

Why would you advertise a medication by repeating, "We're not gonna take it"?

Here's this beneficial pill (We're not gonna take it)!

It relieves your symptoms (We're not gonna take it)!

It gives you clear skin (We're not gonna take it)!

Yeah, I know. The idea is to tell the world, "We're taking this pill because we're not putting up with these symptoms anymore". Couldn't they have come up with a less confusing way? It's like naming an arthritis medication "Twist and Shout". Or using "Heartache Tonight" for an antidepressant ad. Just plain weird.

Oh well. As long as they don't start using "Tiny Dancer" in Viagra ads...

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

That is hysterical!!!!!

Unknown said...

They have a condom commercial with the funniest music, and I can't remember the song.

Oh, it just came to me, it is Stars and Stripes Forever, John Philip Sousa

Anyway I think it is hiliarious.

Dee Anna

Mags said...

Hey~
Ads...a necessary evil...I hate them all..well maybe not the funny ones.
Happy knitting

Dani said...

The world gets more incongruous all the time! I just watched the movie, Ladies in Lavender.... and they never wore lavender once. A complete puzzlement. Didn't that register with anyone involved with the movie? That the audience would notice?

So come tell your sock pals how you're doing! We're talking about you behind your back.

D.
Queen of Socks

Anonymous said...

You're so right. I'm forever complaining about the words in the songs our choir sings, So often the grammar is so garbled as to invert the meaning, and no-one else seems to notice or even care. Grrr.