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Archive for March 16th, 2010

Screw Unto Others

I was setting up my Beanie Baby Jesus nativity scene when it struck me that no one should get too worked up or too surprised about the increasing crass commercialism of the holiday season.

In fact I think Jesus Moses Allah and Buddha would all be ad people if they were alive today.

What do advertising and religion have to do with one another? Plenty.

Advertising and marketing are borrowing basic tenets of religion to increase customer loyalty and sales. Nike created a belief system around its brand. So did Ben and Jerrys HarleyDavidson Saturn all established a set of values their brands were based on. On Sunday morning you can go to church to feel a sense of enlightenment and community. You can also go to Starbucks and feel the same thing.

A few years ago an ad agency declared that brands are the new religion.; Human beings are tribal beingsmdash;joiners at heart. Everyone wants to feel like theyre a part of something bigger than themselves.

If Christianity Judaism Islam etc wont do the trick maybe driving a Saturn will. Is it a spiritually empty way to embrace a brand instead of a god? Maybe maybe not. But advertising has legitimized thinking of brands as having value systems one can believe in. Consequently many consumers have bought into this.

Whats dangerous is that positive messages in both advertising and religion always come with negative implications for disbelievers.

You can easily intertwine similar ideas about religion and advertising. I’ll do it in the same sentence: If you dont believe in this deity or buy this product or live this type of lifestyle then you are damned you will go to hell you are not a complete person you are not sexy or successful you will never get laid.

Simply put you are not one of usmdash;thats the inherent premise of most fundamentally religious peopleor brandconscious people.

Too much belief in a certain religion or brands that represent status turn rational decent people into intolerant and critical ones. Dont believe me? Think back to the cliques you saw in high schoolmdash;if you didnt look or dress a certain way boy youd get a lot of crap.

This isnt just an abstract concept it affects our daily relationships and the people we work with. Someone who proudly preaches I’m a Christian and someone who says I only date people who wear Prada share the same holierthanthou attitude and look down upon those who don’t.

Think back: Did you ever have a client tell you to do an ad based on the message our product is the best? Youre not really given a solid reason why that product is the bestit just is. Myopic clients believe in the basic superiority of their productno matter what the truth is. That’s also what each religion believes about itself.

We as a society prefer believers. Take the flip side: In mainstream America people who dont believe in organized religion and people who encourage others not to buy stuff or conserve resources are treated like outcasts and pariahs.

Both religion and advertising risk losing credibility. The perception is out there that they are responsible for badness as well as goodness. While unwavering belief in a religion contributes to the destruction of certain groups of people mass consumption contributes to the destruction of the earth’s resources.

I know it’s a heavy topic. It’s just what I think about when I get stuck in traffic on the way to the mall.

About the writer:nbsp;nbsp;Branding. Religion. Censorship. Office politics. Global politics. Sexual politics. And getting drunk during a job interview.
Since 2002 Danny G. a.k.a. Dan Goldgeier has been writing the most provocative advertising columns ever published. They’re all witty thoughtful and probing and a must read for those who want a perspective rarely seen in traditional industry publications.
An Atlantabased copywriter and ad school graduate Dan has worked at shops big and small. He reads incessantly about advertising and is a whiz at rock amp; roll trivia. Learn more about him by visiting his copywriting website or AdColumnist.com the View From The Cheap Seats Archive website. You may also find articles by Danny G at TalentZoo.com.