I once watched a movie where a little boy asked his uncle what he does for a living. “Uncle ad writer” responded, “I make people feel bad. I create a sensation that there’s something missing in their lives. Then I convince them how buying my client’s product will fill the void and make them feel better.”
I find a lot of truth in that statement. I work for environmentally and socially responsible clients, but I still make people feel like “something” is missing. Like something is wrong. Only difference is my something is usually an “eco-something". Or “something sustainable” if you [GOOD and PLENTY Magazine subscribers] will. My “something” is not only supposed to make the consumer feel better, it’s supposed to better the world.
No matter how true that statement might be, I hope the way I communicate it never comes across as obnoxious as the two ads I saw this morning did. (click the thumbnail to enlarge) The side-by-side placement was a coincidence. But the sentiments were not. Both products tried to make me feel like something was wrong in my life, and that their products were the solution.
Carbon offsets, stem cell research, and Netflix are solutions. Convertible insects and sugar-flavored water, however, are not.
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