Of Cigarette Smoke and Whiskey Glass Rings
We started watching Mad Men on DVD once before, getting 16 minutes into the first episode before getting sleepy. But the images lingered, hanging around in my head like the tendrils of cigarette smoke that dominate the screen in this show based in the advertising world of 1960s Madison Avenue.
Mad Men has been critically acclaimed, and it is easy to see why. It captures the polished veneer, the glamour of cigarettes, bourbon, and the entrepreneurial, creative drive of that world; it also portrays in stark terms the sexism and misogyny of the age. The characters are nuanced: likable, contemptible, pitiful. This first episode set the stage for a wide range of narratives.
I hope the show lives up to the promise of this first episode. Judging by the awards it has received, it does.
In honor of starting on this particular narrative path, a brief updated list on advertisements that should be considered abysmal failures, in that they make me want to do anything but partake of the advertised products, up to but not including self-inflicted bodily harm:
1) Subway. Jared was irritating enough, but the new "Five Dollar Footlong" musical montages make me feel sick, and I can't help but thinking of grease when I think of their sandwiches. I don't know why.
2) Burger King. That creepy King figure needs to go away, and their new Sir Mix-a-Lot/Spongebob Squarepants mix is probably the worst thing I have seen since Subway commercials. Seriously, a guy can only poke out his eyes so many times.
3) Anything McDonalds, but in particular the billboard they put up on Mission Street in such a way as to have it loom directly above a Burger King. I'm sure the thought process was that it would be a bit of a tweak aimed at their rivals, saying "We're at a higher level," or something like that. But if so, that's just annoying. And plus, if it makes someone hungry for bad, salty food, they are just as liable to go right into the Burger King, because that would be much faster bad food.
Mad Men has been critically acclaimed, and it is easy to see why. It captures the polished veneer, the glamour of cigarettes, bourbon, and the entrepreneurial, creative drive of that world; it also portrays in stark terms the sexism and misogyny of the age. The characters are nuanced: likable, contemptible, pitiful. This first episode set the stage for a wide range of narratives.
I hope the show lives up to the promise of this first episode. Judging by the awards it has received, it does.
In honor of starting on this particular narrative path, a brief updated list on advertisements that should be considered abysmal failures, in that they make me want to do anything but partake of the advertised products, up to but not including self-inflicted bodily harm:
1) Subway. Jared was irritating enough, but the new "Five Dollar Footlong" musical montages make me feel sick, and I can't help but thinking of grease when I think of their sandwiches. I don't know why.
2) Burger King. That creepy King figure needs to go away, and their new Sir Mix-a-Lot/Spongebob Squarepants mix is probably the worst thing I have seen since Subway commercials. Seriously, a guy can only poke out his eyes so many times.
3) Anything McDonalds, but in particular the billboard they put up on Mission Street in such a way as to have it loom directly above a Burger King. I'm sure the thought process was that it would be a bit of a tweak aimed at their rivals, saying "We're at a higher level," or something like that. But if so, that's just annoying. And plus, if it makes someone hungry for bad, salty food, they are just as liable to go right into the Burger King, because that would be much faster bad food.
Labels: advertising, commercials, Mad Men
posted by Devin at 2:16 PM
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