Wednesday, April 11, 2012

"Reality" advertising

I don't like to be skeptical of reality television. I'll admit, I turn on selective listening when people start saying that "Keeping up with the Kardashians" is bunk.

But sometimes, I wonder.

Those Febreze commercials? Come on.

If you've created several commercials where you show people being led blindfolded into a room, asking them to take deep breaths and "Tell us what you smell," how do you expect to find people on the street to follow suit who have no prior knowledge of these commercials? You're right. You won't find those people.

First of all, it's pretty creepy to think about being led blindfolded into a room by a stranger and then asked to take deep breaths. Um, no, no and no. In any other circumstance you would never participate in such an activity. Which leads me to believe they probably hire actors, or at least tell these people off the street to pretend they don't know what's going on.

Second, again, we've all seen these commercials! I even know what those blindfolds look like--they're that satiny blue (okay, I watch a lot of TV and thus know this off the top of my head). If someone came up to me on the street and said "We're gonna have you participate in an experiment" and whipped out a piece of blue satin, I would call. their. bluff.

"Shaw right, you're with the Febreze people! I've seen that color before..."

And then if they offered me a handsome sum I would probably pretend to be smelling lilacs and rainbows rather than rotting fish.

Meanwhile, Kardashian authenticity is not up for debate. I'm not ready to stop believing that those sisters are beautiful and funny, that Rob is precious and Bruce is darling.

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