I get out of bed in the morning and watch a bus roll past the window. It has a huge poster for the new James Bond film on the side. I log on to an online newspaper; an advert for the Bond film pops up into the centre of the screen. On the tube to work I see several passengers reading free newspapers, the entire front and back pages of which are devoted to an advert for Bond. As I leave the station, a passenger's mobile rings to the tune of the famous Bond theme. Passing a newsagents, I see one can buy James Bond National Lottery scratch cards. A schoolboy at the bus stop is stuffing his hand into a bag of crisps with a promotion for Bond on the side. I turn on my radio* and hear Cubby Broccoli's (the Bond producer) daughter talking about feminism on Radio 4's Woman's hour. In a café at lunchtime, I browse through a broadsheet newspaper; a double page spread tells me how I can get the James Bond body with a new fitness routine. Later at work, I overhear colleagues discussing the new Aston Martin that Bond drives. On the way home, I am handed a flyer advertising 'Bond's London', a tour of the city's sights as seen in the movie. I call a friend to ask what he's doing tonight, and he is, or course off to see the new Bond film.
The spin surrounding Casino Royale is like nothing I have seen since George Lucas took marketing advice from Bernard Matthews in selling his second trilogy turkey. Such is the pervasiveness of a full-spend marketing campaign, that for the average guy in the street, there really is no avoiding a major 'event' like the release of a blockbuster movie. As I am sure you have guessed, I'm not interested in James Bond. Yet I know that there is a new actor playing the role, that he wears an Omega watch, drives a Ford and an Aston Martin, he uses a Sony Ericsson phone, his femme fatale is called Eva Green, the story is from one of the original Ian Fleming books, the new Bond is more muscular, more gritty and more, er, blonde than before… all this I know, and not once have I made a conscious decision to learn this information. Somehow, I just know.
Now I begin to worry. Am I missing out on something here? If it's in the newspapers the critics must think the film is worth seeing. If my friends are talking about it, it must be worth seeing. Is this film an essential part of the zeitgeist, of which I must keep abreast or risk being labelled a laggard? Now I'm thinking that I should go and see the thing, that I ought to see the thing, even though I find the clichéd one-liners, the macho posturing, the stone age gender politics, the CGI action and the schmaltzy direction more than a little, well, shit. I know deep down that if I do go see the film, that I'll walk out feeling just as unsatisfied as I would eating the £5 bag of M&M's from the kiosk. And yet I'm thinking about going anyway.
I believe this is the modern manufacture of consent. Telling the public what they want, as opposed to providing what they need. How many people would really pay to go see an aging movie franchise like Bond, if it were not supported by an advertising campaign that overwhelms any negative thought about the product? Why would the producers spend the millions on advertising if the audience didn't need pushing into the cinema? Media tie-ins ensure any criticism of the product is edited out, or drowned out by the din of the ads (turn the page of every Bond newspaper feature and you'll see an advert that paid for it). If our homes and our streets and our stores become saturated with the branding of a product, it must be because the product is important in some way, it is a 'must see/ buy event'. Very few people seem to complain that their environment is being flooded with this stuff. Of course, we are free to go watch something else at the cinema and we are free to criticise Casino Royale among each other. But take it from someone who is making a point of avoiding mass marketing; we are not free to look away from the ads.
27 Comments:
There are a lot of really drivel-filled, undifferentiated animated children's movies in the US. You can knock them out like bodice-ripper romance novels with just a slight twist on the theme (oh, this time he's a race card driver).
Their basic strategy is to plaster the brand on everything, animate or inanimate, that could possibly be seen from the ground or a helicopter. This works well on children because they mentally adapt to having seen the movie and having enjoyed it *before* ever going to the theater and then feel the need to live out that imbalance.
What you are describing sounds very much like the same thing for an older crowd. Beat it into someone until it's a part of them and hope they can't resist the urge to fill the void.
Hence, my interest in Hindu meditation as a way to embrace the void ;-)
Hey Justin
thanks for posting.
Re your comment: 'This works well on children because they mentally adapt to having seen the movie and having enjoyed it *before* ever going to the theater and then feel the need to live out that imbalance'.
This is interesting... could you explain further? Is this something you've read/ written about?
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Neil,
Hi! My name is Bianca and I work in an website that researches fashion trends called PENSO PREVIEW STUDIO in Brazil.
I found out about what you are doing on the web and we were interested in doing an interview with you to be posted in our website.
We have a link were we do interviews with professionals that work in different areas (like web designers, musicians, artists...) and we thought it would be great to do one with you.
I can send you the questions by email. And if you want to check our website first, the adress is www.pensopreviewstudio.com
It's a payed website but we are in the midlle of a process to make it free.
so if you want to check more about the website I can send you a temporary password. =)
Think about it and write me if you are interested or wants to know more about this!
bianca@pensopreviewstudio.com
Sincerily,
Bianca Markus
I was talking with a Media Studies student the other week about an essay in which he mentioned David Beckham's 'endorsement' of a new razor - I won't mention which razor just in case you feel compelled to go out and buy it.
Firstly, I suggested that the use of the word 'endorsement' was deliberately deceptive: it's just a weasel word for 'advertising'.
Secondly, I suggested that the fact that Beckham is being paid immense amounts of money just to say 'this is a good razor' doesn't mean it necessarily is any better than any other razor.
I was amused/bemused/astounded because the student not only took this guff at face value, but had actually gone out and bought one of said razors himself! A Media Studies student, no less.
Do you really believe humans are so weak? Is it possible that people like me who make a living in the branding game are so all powerful that we can overwhelm rationality and desire alike and force people to do things they don't want to do?
If hype alone guaranteed big attendance, Godzilla would have earned a billion dollars. Give people some credit. Branding isn't omnipotent and consumers aren't victims. Either that or I don't get paid enough.
Oh, you should probably credit Edward S. Herman and Noam Chomsky on that Manufacturing Consent thing. It's an interesting read.
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Hello, Neil -
I'm a journalist in the US, working on a book called Obsessive Branding Disorder. I'd love to include a few words about you and your efforts to live a brandless life. My guess is you're as busy as me - can I send you some questions via email? If you have a moment, drop me a line at lucasconley (at) gmail (dot) com.
Thanks - and good luck,
Lucas
I'm actually on the same track as mr Lucas in the comment above. It would be great for me to collect some background etc... just 2-3 questions by mail. I'm writing an essay about brands, guerrilla marketing etc. for my master. Would be great!!
best of luck
Robert
Stockholm/Berlin
robert.lofstrand@hotmail.com
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I just found out about your blog, and it's really interesting. It reminded me of the Toby Slater song & video "Consumption" that was going round about 5 years ago. The website appears to be down now, but it's still there if you go through archive.org. You may know it already, but here's the link:
Consumption
Anyway, keep up the good work, and best of luck with the book.
Regards,
tvassassin.blogspot.com
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Hi Neil
Good luck with your endeavours, but please stop plugging the book. ;)
Advertising is endemic throughout all aspects of life. There will always be a need to show off, have you seen a Peacock lately?
I can whole heartedly agree with where I think you are really heading and that is the excessive amounts of promoting of lifestyle both overtly and slyly.
Mark
how much are the filmmakers paying you for the advertising?
If advertising creates a movie as a hit regardless of the quality of the movie, why aren't all movies hits, or at least all movies with big backers? If we are mindless hits, why do Hollywood productions sometimes take baths - like Waterworld? Why
Hey Tracy
thanks for posting.
I don't think I have ever asserted that advertising is an infallible hit maker. With the greatest respect, that is a stock in trade argument given by pro-advertising groups and it doesn't hold any water in my opinion.
Advertising might not be claim a perfect sucess rate, but it must be doing something right, or manufacturers wouldn't have spent a record £19 billion on it this year in the UK alone.
Hi Neil.
I'm Daniel and I wanted you to know how good I think your action is. We are learning about you in our english lessons book (I'm in France), and it has this article of yours in it.
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x
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