(Click to enlarge. Via Amitava Kumar)
The culture of a nation is driven to a large extent by its leadership. If politicians can invoke divisive and offensive religious and cultural code words to buy elections, why can’t businessmen do the same to sell merchandise? Businesses sometimes get into trouble for provocative ad campaigns which take aim at group or individual sensibilities. One would have thought that most sellers are aware by now of what does or does not fly in a diverse and generally decent society. As cultural sensitivities have sharpened, so has caution about provocative advertising. Some however consider negative publicity as a sales boosting device. Which is why companies such as Calvin Klein, Urban Outfitters and Abercrombie & Fitch slyly appeal to their hip customer bases – pushing the envelope by being "naughty."
But I doubt that "Dennis Mitsubishi" a car dealership in Columbus, Ohio had so sophisticated a plan in mind. The first axiom of the ad industry is to present a product in ways that customers are likely to remember – through visuals, music or words that are memorable. "Memorable" does not necessarily mean tasteful or artistic – crude, annoying and silly things too can be memorable. Recently the TV ad for "Head On" (the ad in which a voice shrilly repeats the name), a headache medicine, was voted the most effective AND the most annoying commercial on TV. Sometimes a simplistic approach that focuses on everyday vocabulary and concerns, can connect with the buyer. Since 9/11, the war on Islamic terrorism has captured the American public’s imagination. Words such as jihad, burqa and fatwa are now common parlance. It is not just the words but their connotation too is now familiar. In the minds of most people in the US, they are associated with evil terrorists. So when Keith Dennis of Dennis Mitsubishi in Ohio decided to use these buzz words to sell cars, he obviously was counting on easy recognition in the minds of prospective buyers. Radio commercials for the car dealership planned to use expressions such as:
- "launching a jihad on the automotive market."
- Sales representatives "will be wearing burqas all weekend long."
- One of the vehicles on sale "can comfortably seat up to 12 jihadists in the back."
- "Our prices are lower than the evildoers’ every day. Just ask the pope! "
- "Friday is fatwa Friday, with free rubber swords for the kiddies."
Dennis’ attempt at selling cars using a novel War on Terrorism strategy was not kindly received by radio stations and Mitsubishi Corporation. The ad campaign has been scrapped. I agree with the decision. But what about the so called national leaders who use words carelessly? I wish we would hear more outcry when George W. Bush exploits the WoT and uses similar vocabulary to sell his faulty political agenda to the American public and the world. Here are some words and expressions that Bush uses or has used in the past to cynically sell us a failed and faulty vision of the world.
Axis of Evil, Evildoers, Crusades, Hunting Down Terrorists
I dont’ know if the Head On medicine works on head aches. But I do know that Bush’s strategy of fighting terrorism hasn’t worked. He continues to use the same overheated rhetoric and the White House’s campaign is now beginning to sound as annoying as the Head On commercial.
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