Commercials - Too Commercial?

Carmen Isom
What happened to people telling you about what the product actually does and how it does it? What happened to people telling the truth in a commercial? Only medical commercials do that nowadays. To some extent anyway. They usually lie saying 4 out of five doctors approve. Which may be true. But these are doctors that they chose themselves.

Most of the time commercials just try to be funny and tell you how much the people using the product like the product. But as for its efficiency or proficiency, most commercials fail in relaying that information. What product is chemically better? What costs less for the same effect? In other words, what won't give me cancer, is a good deal, and actually works? Beauty, medical, food, restaurants, movies, tv shows, kid stuff, cleaning products - digesting nestle milk for babies, diet pills, safe rapid weight loss? Those words don't go together.

Commercials used to be only about to do one thing- sell the product. Back in the old days when Lucy was still on television and the Beav was getting into trouble, commercials were not funny. Can you believe it? A spokesperson would come on, tell what the product does, say how much it was and then on to the next commercial. Or they would have commercials that showed just how happy the product would make the family.

But nowadays they have to compete with the other guy, meaning they have to draw attention to themselves - bad, good or shocking. So they got celebrities selling their products. They try to be funny. They make fun of themselves at how bad and annoying they are "you're killing me larry!" "Head on . . .I hate your commercials!" Larry, the spokesperson, has become more popular than the actual commercial and product. What is that commercial about anyways? And Head-On had to make a new commercial because people hated the one they had so much. It's become more about the gimmick than the product. And making people laugh. No wonder I don't usually know what the product actually does. But as dumb as we are we still go out and buy it.

My friend turns the TV down when she sees a commercial coming on. But I hate doing that. They're kind of annoying and some people absolutely hate commercials. I don't hate them per se. Some are very good, but when it got competitive, the focus became more about the make of the commercial instead of the actual product Say what you mean and then move on. Be practical. I mean, I love funny commercials, but make it about the product and then try to be funny. I don't want to get caught up in a commercial about a great new product and then at the end I don't even know what the product does or why I should buy it. It defeats the purpose.

Published by Carmen Isom

Carmen is a filmmaker who enjoys producing, writing and editing. She has a BA in Mass Media and a MFA in Film. Recently she has produced and edited a short documentary and is currently producing/directing...  View profile

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