Warning: Ads and The Power of Words

Buy Something You Deserve

"Give her the ring she has always imagined . . . Only at Henry B. Ball." The background is filled with soft, wedding-like, happy honeymoon style music as a soprano voice descends with "Henry B. Ball . . . Jewelers." The music continues above as the door slams shut. I wipe my boots on the rug and place my winter coat, hat and gloves onto the radiator. I hear the click of the mouse, the swivel of the chair, and the tread of footsteps crossing the floor. The stairs creaks as my dad descends from his sound studio.

"Still snowing."
"Yeah, it's been heavy all day."
"How was your day at school?"
"Fine. I have lots of homework."
"Okay, well, you'll have a chance to finish that before we get home. I have a session at 4, so we'll be leaving a little later."
"Right, okay."

I settle into my normal routine - homework with an afternoon snack and maybe the possibility to read a few chapters of my newest addiction: Ann Rinaldi's Girl in Blue. Upstairs, the loop of the ad played again as my dad listened to the mix of the soundtrack, the voice and the jiggle. While I began my Algebra homework, I hummed along. "Henry B. Ball . . . Henry B. . . Baawll . . . . Jewelers." Eventually the repetition would be ingrained into my brain, and I would tune it out.

From fourth grade until I was able to drive to school as a senior, the bus would drop me off at my dad's office, a radio and now video advertising studio. There I would hear the voices for small local businesses like Henry B. Ball, Terry Tire's Town, and some big names like John Deer. Some days I would meet the voice talents and clients that were collaborating together and observe their busy lives. Or not really wanting to meet anyone or talk to strangers, I would hide behind the kitchen door or in my dad's back office. This tactic, however, usually only worked on strangers; regulars would always spot me. Either they would open the kitchen door and see me as I ran to the refrigerator, pretending to be looking for water, or they would see me peeking out of my dad's office. Either way, it was alright. They would laugh and exchange pleasantries with me, and I would immediately return back to doing homework.

At the end of the session after my dad walks the clients out to their cars, I run upstairs to the studio. There I can watch him begin the editing process. Watch the screen show the sound waves, similar to heart monitor signals as seen on TV hospital shows like Gray's Anatomy.  I learn the delicate balance between all the different soundtracks, sound effects and voice-overs. I see the repetition of the company's name throughout the jiggle, the catch phrase at the very end. "Give her the ring that she deserves." The you are worth it technique. The jiggle that plays through your head. Anything that keeps the company's name rolling inside your brain, waiting to  be prompted or triggered by the slightest thing.

My dad shows his newest creation in ads: his creative stories to sell the company's product. Like in American Tuxedo, it is prom season, and the guy needs the perfect tux. The guy's voice does the best impression of Napoleon Dynamite. My dad's voice cuts in, advising the customer that he does not want to end up like this Napoleon Dynamite figure and he can avoid this by getting his tux today. The peer pressure, the band wagon technique. If Napoleon Dynamite would have sponsored it, it could have been the celebrity endorsement.

We go home afterwards and turn on World News Tonight with Peter Jennings as we begin to make dinner. My mom's in her home office talking to a client, maybe Target or Krogers, and advising how to appeal to their consumers, how to get the consumers into the door, how to get them to buy more. Something is going on with something and another someone. . . . War on Iraq . . . . A teacher, a mother, a daughter that helped raise money for an organization is named the Person of the Week. The commercial for Viagra comes on . . . use of sex appeal filters through . . .  Wheel of Fortune begins to come on as the TV is clicked off, and we eat dinner, discussing our days, and my parents compare stories about their clients.

The water turns on, and dishes clink together as Jeopardy begins. We sit down as a family to watch the program. Commercials . . . my dad quickly turns on the mute button . . .In the span of one hour, we have already heard enough advertising to last us one day. For my dad, he has listened to enough commercials to last him weeks in the course of one day at work.

But really, if you think about it, we are constantly being sold to. The process is beautiful and subtle, but really it is everywhere. In a consumption nation, someone is always going to try to convince you to buy something. Whether it is the ad on the cup of coffee that you just purchased, the billboard about "Nice Legs. Tables for _" that you pass on the highway, the video that you see on the TV, ads are everywhere. Nine years ago that at least was the case. . . . Then we had our work, our business, and then our home . . . Then when we were busy in separate, public and private worlds . . .  But now?

Now in a world where we are constantly connected through our ipods, laptops, TVs, internet, smart phones, data plans, we are even busier. The private life has become public. We must always know what is happening. It must be amazing and frightening. It must be fast. . . . As a result, our commercials, our ads, our news is faster. It is more widespread. When we check our facebook walls, there is the ad for coffee. Watching TV shows online, even Downton Abbey, we see an ad for Bing or a sponsor for the Viking Cruises. Even this blog has a sponsor as seen at the very bottom of the page.

Consequently, we complain about the heightened news, the annoying ads, the constant begging for us to give money to a certain product. We complain about the loss of privacy. We play the victims of this long and hateful process. We wonder what would happen if we disconnect? If there was nothing but interactions with people.

. . .

People would sell products to you. It is an ingrained part of our societal manner.

Still - maybe this is a secret that I learned only through learning about the advertisement business from my dad - but you are not the victim. All of these commercials are just ways to appeal to your nature. Ways to beg for money. . . . Ways to "manipulate" your train of thought. However, these ads do not make you buy anything. They do not make you give your money. They do not tell you to share your private life with the world. No. That power rests entirely in your hands, and you can spend your money and life as you please.