Oral-B is running a strange ad right now for their electric toothbrushes. Of course, their ads have been odd for a while, what with their idea of using teams of dancers running around the Bonneville Salt Flats interpreting the life of a toothbrush bristle. And it gets even more disturbing at the end of the commercial, where they show a close-up of one of the dancers running her tongue over her apparently immaculate teeth, enjoying the taste of clean teeth far more than anyone should.
But what's extra strange about this ad is the final line from the narrator: "You can find the perfect holiday gift at a store near you." I always want to respond to that by saying, "That's nice, but where can I find one of your electric toothbrushes? I'd like to buy one if only to thank you for your lovely if cryptic advice that I can find the perfect gift at a store near me."
It's one of the unfortunate sides of modern Christmas, this annual attempt to convince us to give mundane products as gifts. Really, it's to be expected: Whatever else Christmas is, it's now a huge boon for business, so every company wants to get in on it, not just the toy companies. It's great for the economy: you can bet central bankers the world over wish they could make everyone feel obligated go out and buy extra stuff. But it's a bit of a downer if we just buy the same stuff we normally do, but more of it. Buy a family member an electric toothbrush in June and it's just a purchase. Do it in December and it's a gift.
It would be great if Christmas was not just an artificial boost for our collective finances, but an artificial boost for our psychology too. So I encourage everyone: resist the urgings to do your gift shopping at the grocery store. Restrict your Christmas purchases to completely useless things you would never normally buy. Let's keep Christmas impractical!
No comments:
Post a Comment