Thursday, June 2, 2011

My Pet Peeve

Here I am back again with my opinionated opinion about happenings round and about.
I was reminded today by an irritating advertisement that some folks have no shame. I have often over the last several months listened to a tv ad about HRT's! (At least I think that is the acronym used.) It is aired on a local station (WRAL) every now and then. It features one of several ladies who are just so, so astounded at the change taking place in their lives since they have submitted to treatments by these "whatever hormones" they are taking. Why their lives with their husbands has just zoomed up there on "makin' whooppee" scale til it is just like when they were newlyweds!! (Now what fool wants to get on TV and tell this bombastic tale??!!!) Evidently they paid these poor females enough to get them to air their "more private" activities with the entire listening area. I don't know why but this is the most irritating ad of recent time to me.

Reminds me of language arts lessons taught to fifth graders about advertisement techniques and strategies. Generally at that level the techniques taught were persuasion, bandwagon, propaganda, and testimonial. Now there are a few more secondary strategies poked in there like statistics, sense appeal, humor. nostalgia, and transfer/fantasy.
When teaching this objective I used to find it helpful to tape some advertisements and have my students watch them in order to recognize and identify their components. Need I say this isn't one I would ever tape and use but I am certain that even the most less astute students could see through this objectionable advertisement. I will save my more descriptive adjectives for another day. That's All Folks, for now.

1 comment:

Christy said...

I cringe at the same commercial! Glad I'm not alone!