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Is this where we're headed?
Jan. 7th, 2010 10:51 pmNo 2007 recap tonight as I initially planned. Why? I've got something that feels much more pressing. Something I really need to get off my chest.
Some context...
In the last few days I've caught snippets of TV commercials for a new mobile internet service that is now available in Chicago. It's called Clear and since it's newly available it's being crammed down our throats pretty aggressively. Today on the way home I noticed that they've even gone so far as to do a series of ads inside the train cars. So many that in some instances you look up and they're taking up all of the overhead ad space. Smart campaign tactic, I'll admit. Cause I know from my own brief stint in marketing that the biggest battle is getting your target audience's attention. What better way to do that than to bombard them with messages when they're commuting captives, right?
Of course, there's a drawback to this. That being there's a chance people like me will read the messages, read between the lines, and conclude that the product is not so appealing after all.
Granted, I'm not the ideal target for the latest trend in internet service anyway. For me, just give me something that allows me to check my email and blog every so often and I'm golden. But I have to hope that other people, people who care about being on the cutting edge of this stuff, would find Clear's messaging just as troubling as I did.
What was so troubling, you ask?
The examples that were cited in the ads. The whole purpose of the campaign was to show Clear's wide-ranging access. To do this, they listed ways you might use their service. I wrote down a few so I could quote them accurately.
And they are:
Stream movies at a hockey rink.
Video chat from a museum.
Upload videos at the playground.
Watch TV on your commute.
Okay, so I can kinda sorta maybe see the appeal of the very last one, though why TV-watching is necessary when it's just as easy to read or listen to music (and probably less intrusive to possible seat neighbors) is still beyond me.
But the rest? The rest leave me completely flabbergasted and pretty appalled.
I mean seriously! They're suggesting that you disrupt activities, activities that generally call for you to be fully present, activities that in the case of hockey or a museum that you've paid admission to participate in, to surf the FUCKING INTERNET? And don't even get me started on the playground bit. I can just see some mom saying, "Sorry junior, can't push you on the swings right now because I'm updating facebook!"
And yeah you can say well maybe they're just talking about their phone service but no, that's not the case because in one of the TV commercials they had scenes where people had laptops with them at poolside, laptops on their cab rides, laptops laptops laptops because they are just SO IMPORTANT and we simply must forgo this thing called living lest we miss something in the virtual world!!!!
It's ridiculous I tells ya! It's disturbing!!! It's WALL-E on it's way to becoming a reality!
Anyone else with me on this? Please tell me I'm not overreacting. And please tell me this is not a path we should be expected to follow.
Cause honestly? If this is the way society and culture is headed, I've half a mind to rip out my umbillical cord and unplug from The Matrix. I can admit and accept that I, just like everyone else, have developed an unhealthy interweb dependency. But even I have my limits. This Clear stuff pushes them beyond their max.
Some context...
In the last few days I've caught snippets of TV commercials for a new mobile internet service that is now available in Chicago. It's called Clear and since it's newly available it's being crammed down our throats pretty aggressively. Today on the way home I noticed that they've even gone so far as to do a series of ads inside the train cars. So many that in some instances you look up and they're taking up all of the overhead ad space. Smart campaign tactic, I'll admit. Cause I know from my own brief stint in marketing that the biggest battle is getting your target audience's attention. What better way to do that than to bombard them with messages when they're commuting captives, right?
Of course, there's a drawback to this. That being there's a chance people like me will read the messages, read between the lines, and conclude that the product is not so appealing after all.
Granted, I'm not the ideal target for the latest trend in internet service anyway. For me, just give me something that allows me to check my email and blog every so often and I'm golden. But I have to hope that other people, people who care about being on the cutting edge of this stuff, would find Clear's messaging just as troubling as I did.
What was so troubling, you ask?
The examples that were cited in the ads. The whole purpose of the campaign was to show Clear's wide-ranging access. To do this, they listed ways you might use their service. I wrote down a few so I could quote them accurately.
And they are:
Stream movies at a hockey rink.
Video chat from a museum.
Upload videos at the playground.
Watch TV on your commute.
Okay, so I can kinda sorta maybe see the appeal of the very last one, though why TV-watching is necessary when it's just as easy to read or listen to music (and probably less intrusive to possible seat neighbors) is still beyond me.
But the rest? The rest leave me completely flabbergasted and pretty appalled.
I mean seriously! They're suggesting that you disrupt activities, activities that generally call for you to be fully present, activities that in the case of hockey or a museum that you've paid admission to participate in, to surf the FUCKING INTERNET? And don't even get me started on the playground bit. I can just see some mom saying, "Sorry junior, can't push you on the swings right now because I'm updating facebook!"
And yeah you can say well maybe they're just talking about their phone service but no, that's not the case because in one of the TV commercials they had scenes where people had laptops with them at poolside, laptops on their cab rides, laptops laptops laptops because they are just SO IMPORTANT and we simply must forgo this thing called living lest we miss something in the virtual world!!!!
It's ridiculous I tells ya! It's disturbing!!! It's WALL-E on it's way to becoming a reality!
Anyone else with me on this? Please tell me I'm not overreacting. And please tell me this is not a path we should be expected to follow.
Cause honestly? If this is the way society and culture is headed, I've half a mind to rip out my umbillical cord and unplug from The Matrix. I can admit and accept that I, just like everyone else, have developed an unhealthy interweb dependency. But even I have my limits. This Clear stuff pushes them beyond their max.
