As a further demonstration of the pathetic depths to which the ad biz has descended here in the US, and probably to a certain extent in the UK. There is a TV campaign currently airing here for Pepto Bismol, an anti gas, over the counter medication. The ads feature various social situations in which individuals embarrassingly fart. However, rescue quickly arrives as a member of each gathering produces a bottle of the pink miracle cure from their pocket, handbag, backpack, napkin, arse, whatever. Hey Presto… Thanks to Pepto Bismol, the day is saved, and the air is cleared.
No wonder George Orwell once described advertising as “The rattling of a stick in a swill pail.” Or better yet, when with typical French panache, Jacques Séguéla, co-founder of one of the agencies that became part of Havas, wrote a book titled, “Please don’t tell my mother I work in advertising. Please tell her I play the piano in a brothel!”
It makes me wonder if in spite of all the technological wizzbangaree that BDA’s and their respective BDHC’s are currently blowing their money on, are we in actuality regressing to the hard sell days of the 50’s as exemplified by Rosser Reeves at Ted Bates with his hammers in the head for migraine respite and flames in the belly for acid indigestion relief. Although, to give him some credit, at least he didn’t have the actors ripping big ones in their bell bottomed pants.
Relief arrived in the sixties with the creative revolution headed by such agencies as DDB, PKL, Tinker, Ally Gargano and others producing work that puts today’s pathetic efforts to shame. Sad to say that those days are long since gone, along with my favorite 60’s quote from Jerry Della Femina… “Advertising is the most fun you can have without taking your clothes off.” Not to forget the Three Martini Lunch.
PS My blog is now titled adscam.blog
