My mother received a digital receiver and two black boxes for the other televisions in the house the other day from Comcast. We had no choice but to convert to the new system or we would not receive a signal.
I followed the instructions provided for wiring the devices and programming the new remote controls, then called the activation phone number which was totally automated.
We waited the required 45 minutes following the call for a sign that the digital box was programmed, but nothing happened.
Still waiting.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Monday, March 1, 2010
How subtle absurditiy works in advertising
I just saw a Menards commercial featuring a woman painting a wall near a staircase. Painters tape was applied to the baseboards and the edge of the staircase. The woman was painting the wall beneath the stairs.
Against the wall she was painting was a bookcase, which was also taped off. No, it was clearly a small bookcase that could easily be moved out of the way and professionals would move out of the way, but it was taped off.
Another commercial for Green Giant vegetables featured a scene with men hand-picking ears of corn. A few years ago it wouldn't seen absurd, but everyone I know, knows corn is picked by machine.
Other ads feature the bizarre anthropomorphism of mops and feather dusters into strange animated stalkers, desperate to retain their position in the hands of the women who replaced them with Swiffer brand tools.
One that stands out most is the woman who gets a phone call from a mop. She had the mop's number and photo on her phone, how bizarre was that? The key ingredients are the inferences that arise from the circumstances of the mop's phone call.
• How did the photo of the mop and a phone number for the mop manage to get into the list of phone numbers the woman has on her cell phone? Why?
Inferences are established in the mind of the audience as a first impression. Sight at a distance is the first stage of determining a situation. This is a key ingredient in survival. Inferences are made before inquiries are made.
A billboard for Miller Genuine Draft I remember, showed only the logo and brand name on a white background, and a woman dressed for going to the beach carrying a clear tote bag over her shoulder. Within the bag was a long rectangular package, gift-wrapped.
The key to remembering this advertisement was the scale of the gift-wrapped package.
The package appeared to measure two inches by two inches by twelve inches.
Using the power of deduction, try to imagine what would fit into that package.
Not a beer bottle.
Not wine bottle.
What? Do you see my point?
The confusion that arises from the first impression of such a simple juxtaposition of your logo with something slightly out of place can embed the impression for years.
Against the wall she was painting was a bookcase, which was also taped off. No, it was clearly a small bookcase that could easily be moved out of the way and professionals would move out of the way, but it was taped off.
Another commercial for Green Giant vegetables featured a scene with men hand-picking ears of corn. A few years ago it wouldn't seen absurd, but everyone I know, knows corn is picked by machine.
Other ads feature the bizarre anthropomorphism of mops and feather dusters into strange animated stalkers, desperate to retain their position in the hands of the women who replaced them with Swiffer brand tools.
One that stands out most is the woman who gets a phone call from a mop. She had the mop's number and photo on her phone, how bizarre was that? The key ingredients are the inferences that arise from the circumstances of the mop's phone call.
• How did the photo of the mop and a phone number for the mop manage to get into the list of phone numbers the woman has on her cell phone? Why?
Inferences are established in the mind of the audience as a first impression. Sight at a distance is the first stage of determining a situation. This is a key ingredient in survival. Inferences are made before inquiries are made.
A billboard for Miller Genuine Draft I remember, showed only the logo and brand name on a white background, and a woman dressed for going to the beach carrying a clear tote bag over her shoulder. Within the bag was a long rectangular package, gift-wrapped.
The key to remembering this advertisement was the scale of the gift-wrapped package.
The package appeared to measure two inches by two inches by twelve inches.
Using the power of deduction, try to imagine what would fit into that package.
Not a beer bottle.
Not wine bottle.
What? Do you see my point?
The confusion that arises from the first impression of such a simple juxtaposition of your logo with something slightly out of place can embed the impression for years.
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