It clearly has gone beyond the realm of fantasy when shampoo is being advertised with having hydrating qualities. I thought it insulting many years ago when shampoo selling, directed mainly at the mane of the female, had those pseudo scientific linguistics added. VO5 or HO2 Carotene added for free and TO YOU. Now we have shampoo for curly hair, shampoo for straight hair, and even for baldness or ‘no-hair’, Shampoo for the bald? All this is now called ‘hair therapy.’ Are women taken in by all this? Perhaps they do? Advertisers now go through a lot of research before spending millions on ads. They understand that the word ‘therapy’ is immensely popular. Many are proud to admit they are in ‘therapy’, busy solving deep-seated and clear-sighted un-solvable problems, all clearly the fault of great uncle Herman with his sweaty feet. So, it seems logical and a short step to link shampoo with ‘therapy.’ Next time, I stand under the shower I’ll try and avoid ‘hydrating’ my hair. You just never know what damaging hydrating chemicals are in it.
Of course, stupid ads are even worse for the male. “Have women screaming in your bed, begging for more” is included in an ad for some Goat tablet. There are pills for penile enlargements with promises of a never ending erectile stamina with gigantic phalluses to make the ladies smile. “Make your love last longer” was on a gigantic bill board near Sydney’s airport some time ago advertising some inhalant taken through the nose. They should put that sign inside The Family Courts.
However, the blue ribbon for nonsensical advertising has to be awarded to the commercial TV channels. It was bad years ago. Now those channels just show ads with, if one is lucky, some short bits of film segments in between. There is no escape.
In some countries, Holland included, TV and Radio had no advertising at all. It was simply banned. However, as a triumph of money over good sense, the captains of industry and money making started both commercial TV and Radio stations off shore in international waters on boats and a tsunami of junks has followed ever since. The battle is lost now, but at least, they still have the sense in Holland, when we were there last, to show the ads in between programs.
Now, I hardly watch those moving pictures at all, ABC including. The modern way of making TV is to include hissing or amplified humming noises. Is this to make it real and to hide the lack of anything of substance? A kind of stupor inducing white noise with sometimes a few words intelligible but mainly a mixture of ssssssssssss…real cools…..zzzzzzzzz. Yeah…..love me…….. suck…..gggg nowrrrrrr……..fuck youhhhhhhhhhhh…………..wow, aaaaaaaaa……kind off…….yeh know…
It’s all so much Ennui, Weltschmerz, Malaise, and Accidie… How come English language is so poor in having words describing spiritual poverty?
More moronic TV is on ABC3. There is this irritating couple of pre-teens who can only think of fun by throwing buckets of paint over each other or rolling their eyes, twittering their eyelashes. It’s just bullying and the noise is unbearable. Who watches this stuff….?
There is one program that has a group of young people in a wild and dangerous jungle. At least, they try and overcome adversity by climbing trees, abseiling cliffs or roping across a river. It might be an English production, but at least it tries to entertain by adventure and includes nature. All taken together though, I find the fare for both young and old on TV clearly declining. Or, most likely,…… am I getting a bit passé?
Window Dresser's Arms, Pig & Whistle 
Gerard, one day I will fill up an empty shampoo bottle with dish-washing liquid just to see if you will find it as good as my expensive shampoo.
The date of this experiment will not be announced 🙂
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Even the bloody dishwashing liquid comes with pommegranites,strawberries, and all manner of unguents for one’s skin (and plates).
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You’re being rather platulant, young BM!
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All the more interesting to see if our Mr Gerard will know the difference when the time comes…
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I (H) am using His computer, it makes us look like twins…
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How do you get all that fruit out of the bottle, M.
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I’m waiting to see what the fruit flavoured washing up detergent does to Gerard’s hair. Haven’t contemplated fruit flavoured rubbers, yet!
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I heard that even the humble condom now comes in fruity flavours. Can you imagine a condom with the addition of the durian fruit? I would not mind the framboise!
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It is not the job of a hetro to taste.
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Is this the erection part of the story??
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The mind boggles!
😉
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Of course , with the fruit favoured condoms coming into play, it might well entice Hung One to come in and bat for a-while. Where is he?. Or does he only pitch?
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Perhaps Sister Hung is working nights.
The Pigs Arms is blocked at my hospital, reason: Social Networking Media, i.e. facebook!
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Errrr… I think the term you want is ‘bowl’, Gerard… according to my extensive research into cricket terminology; I’m sure you’re aware of just how much of an expert I am on that subject!
🙂
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You are lucky I used ‘bat’ instead of bowel. Like many I know nothing about cricket but admire the stamina of those that play the game and even more those that watch.
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We are ‘all’ subject to subliminal advertising.
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There’s an ABC 3?
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Don’t you have digital tv up there yet VL.
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Yes, Viv. However, I watch SBS, if I watch local; ABC occasionally, if it’s good drama and mainly Pay TV, because the programmes are superior.
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At the moment, Queensland is one hour and twenty five years behind NSW.
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Witty Big. We could do with some of that in here 😉
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Yes, VL, half-witted.
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http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-11-09/one-man27s-trash-is-another27s-centuries-old-treasure/3654974
VL, seemed appropriate!
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Mmm I saw that . A timely windfall 😉
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Gerard, ABC 3 is for the kids – what on earth are you doing watching it? We watch mainly ABC 21 or 24 or SBS 3 or 32. The ads on SBS are bloody annoying – funeral insurance, life insurance and more of the same from different companies – I switch to mute or I record as much as practical and blip through the ads. But shampoo – all shampoos are not the same and nor do they do much of what they claim to. I use a relatively expensive one as I am not going to wash my hair in a cheap perfumed detergent – all detergents are not the same – some will strip the skin off your hands.
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Our grandkids directed me to ABC3. They watch it when they are with us. That’s were that awful paint chucking couple is performing. They, no doubt have some good programmes, but, by and large, it still involves a hell of a lot of nervous shouting and noise. Doesn’t all that frenetic activity hype up kids? Mix in sugar salt and fat containing foods and one could surmise that some of the hyper activity in kids could ‘perhaps’ be sheeted home to the combination of all those ingredients. Why not show programmes that are a bit calmer? Eat a calm piece of fruit or a serene bowl of oats.
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What Australia needs most, at this time in its history, as does the rest of the world, is an open, ancient Greek type of theatre space, where the best literary masters can tell us what’s going on around us, in the same way that the ancient Greeks or the Romans, or Elizabethans did.
An open theatre, not one encased by sun-forbiding, elaborate heavy walls and even heavier curtains.
Let the sun, the rain, the sleet, the snow, the thunder and the tempest be involved in our discussions about ourselves. Then, and only then, will we be able to put matters into their proper perspectives.
Let us hear Aristophanes and Plautus once more!
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Yes,Asty.
People buying stuff after seeing the ads is what the industry is about. I find it surprising though. I never buy anything advertised mainly because I don’t watch or read advertisements. Some time ago I was told you can earn money by joining Nielson polling. On the computer you fill in lots of questions and earn points that can be redeemed for goods or cash. I was continually cut off as I had either never heard of the product and/ or would also never buy it. Needless to say I earned very few points and never earned a cracker out of it. I was just the total opposite of the average consumer.
The same with banks. We never bought anything on credit except our house which we paid for as soon as we could. We always have a surplus on the credit card and never ever are in debt. We are the worst kind of customer. for both retail and banks. So be it!
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How do you know you never buy anything advertised if you never watch ads, Gerard? You may be buying a helluva lotta advertised stuff without even knowing it!
(Of course, this doesn’t mean that your purchases will be any the less conscious – as opposed to the kind of ‘unconscious’ or ‘impulse’ purchases that advertising precipitates – or suggest that you are in any way a ‘follower of trends’…)
Yeah, I think we all probably tried those ‘earn money online by completing surveys’ scams, Gerard, but what they’re really about is getting a very specific ‘consumer profile’ (of you and everyone else!) which it can then use to target you specifically with specific products which they KNOW (’cause you told ’em!) you are likely to consider purchasing. And you never end up getting enough points to make it worth their while sending you a cheque either!
Please don’t get me started on Banks… it reminds me why cultures turn such people as John Dillinger, Bonnie and Clyde, and Ma Barker into folk-heroes! At least they were ‘honest’ crooks! The banks use the laws themselves to rob the whole community and call it a ‘service’… Well… someone’s getting ‘serviced’ alright!
😐
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I suppose everything gets advertised but in my shopping I recognize an item and the cost but not the brand. I wouldn’t know the shampoo or toothpaste I use, nor the brand of butter or even the TV, my camera or indeed my computer. I know I drive a Holden but only because I compared fuel consumption and prices and was forced to then chose a brand of car.
I wonder what difference it would make if there was no advertising? In Russia when I was there I did not see any public advertisements. Did people starve or not drive cars, not clothe themselves?
No, they did not, all wore shoes, had shirts on, wore dresses or jeans and drove cars. I think advertising is over-rated. On the other hand, I read last week that the first thing Chinese tourists buy when overseas are well known brands. They are brand mad and want to be seen as having money, ughh. How disappointing. Is it a New US rearing its ugly head?
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In other words you’re tight-fisted.
You’d buy a cheap pair of shoes.
.
Every few months 🙂
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No, the last pair happened to be over $350.-, I still wear them, they are Australian made. Forgot the brand. I’ll look now.Oh, they are R.M Willeams.
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it’s natural that one would buy a reputable brand.
Brands have history, which should mean a certain quality and reliability.
Once upon a time it was ‘Made in England’. Now it’s made in Germany.
Made in China symbolises badly made with cheap labour & materials. Although many designer clothes are made there now.
The ALP, plan to blitz us all with advertising the carbon tax. They will spend millions telling us how it works.
Well we know how it works, but what will it do for Eurasian pollution? That’s going to increase.
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Crikey, aren’t you a bit out of date there, VL? It moved on to Made in Japan eons ago. Perhaps it’s moved back to Germany and I’m out of date. Dunno.
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Made in Japan, rates, ‘under’ Germany.
Engineering: Mercedes, BMW, Bosch, AEG ect.
Lowenbrau, Holstein 😉
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Yes, I was think Zeiss => Nikon. Sony.
Honda.
Hello Kitty.
Mostly electronics. Wasn’t it here though I read in passing that Sony isn’t what it used to be? Oh well.
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And, of course, Erections are not held in China.
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VL, wherever the German companies produce their wares it’s still top quality; it is still made under German supervision.
Soms Italian fashion houses have moved to China, but they also make sure that quality of fabrics and workmanship is to their standards.
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Oh, so you are Tory Boy, Helvi?
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VL, I don’t understand why do you think that I am Tory Boy…but I’m not saying yes or no…
I do know of some male posters who write under female Pseudos and some women who have a male alias 🙂
What about you, ‘are’ you sometimes a woman 🙂
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I don’t think that you are Tory Boy. You are the antitheses.
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Voice, I don’t compute. Ziess is German?
I have a Honda. They are tin cans, compared to German cars.
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Oh yeah, that’s shorthand. Basically, Zeiss was the best, but Japanese cameras took over.
You got me on Honda. My knowledge of cars is extremely limited.
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In fact though, I wasn’t really referring to TV’s consumers ‘buying everything that’s sold them’ in the sense of purchasing advertised materials, however (even though this IS a very valid point!) but rather in the sense of them ‘buying’ the new kind of cheap-to-produce ‘reality’ crap which sells very average people their own mundanity as entertainment! Which is THEN used to sell them tons of other crap!
Such people don’t need TV, or movies, or plays or the theatre… or any other form of entertainment; all they need is a mirror with a flattering frame; a frame which tells them they’re the ‘fairest in the land’ just as long as they keep putting money in the slot provided!
🙂
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I agree that the quality of TV has declined tremendously since I was a kid, Gerard… I think it is largely because although the TV programmers still want to make lots of money in profit, they don’t want to have to pay for things like writers and actors, so they come up with some terrible game or other as a pretext for a ‘reality’ TV show which sells the mundane and drab problems of ordinary people as if they dramas, such as ‘Biggest Loser’…
What I find most objectionable, though perhaps not particularly surprising is not this decline in or of itself, but the fact that people seem to support it, unquestioningly buying all they’re sold and what I really find objectionable is what some of these games say about our society when shows such as ‘Weakest Link’ emphasize some imagined virtue of sacrificing the ‘weakest’ team member…
Anyway, time for me to hit the sack; I have to take the car for an oil change… that’s something else I find hard to believe: the cost of a simple oil change: $185! That’s what Mazda are charging me; I think ‘Ultratune’ would have been both cheaper and more convenient, and I’ll certainly bear them in mind next time it needs servicing! I’m told the extra is for checking and reporting on all safety features and topping up fluid levels… but that checking is mostly about them trying to find more work for themselves to do, I reckon! And now they’re charging like a wounded bull for the privilege of something most mechanics used to do either very cheaply or for free! Next time I’ll get several quotes I reckon!
‘Night all!
🙂
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asty, asty, ASTY!
You’re forgetting who’s watching this crap! These are programs directed only at exactly those who will watch them and who will buy the advertised products because the two phenomena are twins of the same problem: below average IQ. LCD, in other words… which are not too-distant cousins of poor education; and I don’t mean the Oz system is any worse than all the rest but that the whole world needs to start teaching its young how to think and not how to buy and sell. How to imagine, to invent, to love, to feel, rather than to inject some intellectual virus in their brain that will allow them to be mesmerised by shiny things, by bells and whistles and by numbers in their bank accounts!
Those who watch, buy! The two are as inseparable as are an addict and a one-arm-bandit.
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Sometimes I have entered peoples homes with the TV on without anyone watching. It was a kind of ‘feeling alive’ phenomenon. Without noise in the background and a continuation of flickering images, people might somehow feel they are missing out of something very vital. I can’t come up with a more laudable explanation.
Silence is golden, so true, and costs nothing!
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