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Falling for the tag line
24/11/2006 09:37 - (SA)
Colleen Figg
I was somehow annoyed to hear my daughter wandering around the house singing an advertising jingle the other day; you know the one, where they promise to meet your needs and assure you they care about you?
I thought of writing to them asking for a farm in Grahamstown, with a couple of Arabian horses thrown in. I've got a little corner just out of town which I have had my eye on for years. If they can't spring for the farm, I wonder how they'd feel about a second hand Polo (staying with the equestrian metaphor). How about aid for the poor - if they care about us and are on our side surely they wouldn't mind scattering a few hundred million about for the edification of vast sections of the populace?
Whilst pondering thus, I concluded that my annoyance sprung from the fact that we all know that jingle! It is thrust upon us from all angles, every day. And it's not the only one by a long shot! I bet if I went to any school and played a selection of jingles, our children would be able to identify every single last one without batting an eyelid! This is alarming, people, because if they know the songs, they know what's being sold, too.
What's worse, they, and we, fall for the tag lines more often than not. We know the jingle is designed to manipulate us but like puppets we march off to the place, don't we? The advertising agency must be laughing all the way to the bank, arm in arm with the executives whose pockets we blindly help to line.
Adverts are very insidious as they creep silently and uninvited into our subconscious. Before you know it they're lolling on the couches of our minds and sending out for Chinese. I remember my sister and I used to sing jingles on the journey from Jo'burg to the Eastern Cape and we never ran out of ideas. Must have driven the parents completely around the twist, but that's another matter altogether! Ja, nee - braaivleis, rugby, sunny skies and Chevrolet!
An ad in sheep's clothing
I often visit the local Advertising Standards Authority website to see their position on the latest rulings. I am glad to see that there are still people complaining about advertising. But really, what can you do when the ASA dismisses a case made by a man who said that a certain cell phone service provider was targeting children under sixteen with one of its adverts? The advert was clearly aimed at children, as so many such adverts are nowadays.
The question now arises of what we can do about the effects of advertising. You only need to go to any mall and watch the people flowing past to realise that we are all in thrall to brands, which we unavoidably and involuntarily became aware of through adverts. No rugby match can be complete without adverts taking up every available space; the players themselves wear clothes festooned with sponsors' brand images.
Where and how do we draw the line? How can we take control back?
I think we have to start by recognising the manipulation that's happening. Then we need to point it out to our children. Sheep only listen to the dog because they haven't the intellect to rebel. Think about it.
Related links: Advertising Standards Authority
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