Monday, July 25, 2011

Ads that tell me to "Personalize" things. "Find your frappucino". What's your iphone look like?

All right, this really bothers me: ads telling you that everything is "yours" or that you can make it "your own.” It really hurts my chest. You know, things like Cheez Whiz. “What will YOU do with it?" ...Put....it...on...toast? With all this trash, now you can't even talk to someone with the same computer as you.

"Hey, we have the same computer!"
"No we don't. This is the Steve Johnson. I personalized it. God. Yours is blue. Mine has diamonds on it. Get a grip."
"It's the same computer, though."
"No, mine is a Steve Johnson!"

Personal ads for really mundane things. Starbucks has an ad called "Find your Frappucino." Jesus Christ. You find my Frappucino, you work here! That's ridiculous, "Find your Frappucino."

"Can I have a Mocha Frappucino without whipped cream?"
"Um, actually, that's my Frappucino. Found it yesterday. Find your own".

Why does everything have to be YOURS? Where does this stop by companies?

"Come to the movies, and sit in YOUR own theatre. Why be around 300 other dirtbags? Get that extra legroom you've been after. And rewind the movie wherever you want. Why miss something because you HAD to check your iPhone? Empire: YOUR theatre, YOUR rules.”

"Tired of your cell phone provider having other clients to deal with? We hear you. Call us, and we will open a cell phone company specifically for you! Your own CEO, your own call center with operators standing by to take your calls only, where you can name your company whatever you want, and we will make a phone just for you! You’ve always hated the number 9 button? Of course you have! You're you! Be you, with your own cell phone company.”

I also get personally offended when ads talk to us. When they try to tell you how you are to get you to buy their product.

"We know you. You don't think we do? Yeah, we do. You like to walk, right? Watch movies? Sometimes you even like to get freaky? Scary, huh? Told you we know you. That's why we know that with your busy schedule, you need a chocolate bar that can keep up. The Walking-Movie-Watching-Getting-Freaky bar with almonds. The world doesn't understand you, but it does.”

"We know you like to bike, run, hike, be your own person. We've watched you sleep and saw that every night you roll over at exactly 1:30 a.m.  Find the gum that fits your lifestyle. Your Door Wasn’t Locked, the new gum from Hubba Bubba.

"You think for yourself. You don't believe everything you hear. You find out things on your own. You make your own decisions, you don't follow the pack. Why breathe the same air as other people? Breathe your own air with Hardheaded Air Tanks. You walk alone, now breathe alone. When mother nature calls, you tell her, ‘I got this.’”

Every ad is like this now. All of them, talking to us individually.  How did this become such a thing? Why does everyone need their very own everything? I like different colours and add-ons, but Jesus.

"Man, ANYONE with money can buy these watches? You're serious? That's ridiculous! Let me change the face or something. What, you're gonna let OTHER people choose that face?! Fine. Here. What do you mean? It's my own customized money. You think I'm using the same money these losers use? No way man. That's a 15 dollar and 37 cent bill right there. Made outta leaves –– everyone uses paper."

As well, could ads use real words? Don't spell cool "Kuol". The world is not a grade 10 kid's math desk. People fail courses for spelling things like this.
"Chris, you failed this test because you spelled building "bill-ding."
"But that's my ad for a phone in the shape of a duck’s beak. The Bill-Ding phone.”
"Really? I like ducks! How much are they?"

You can personalize all you want –– you will still have what other people have. Macs, phones, cars, all of it. If this ad sounds appealing –– "Sure, you want an iPhone, but you don't want the one everyone else has. Understandable. They're losers. Choose from millions of skins so you aren't a peasant who has the same phone cover as these other simps. You're better than they are. You're you. Right? Of course you are!" –– it might be time to move to an i-sland.