sparkindarkness (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
sparkindarkness) wrote2006-06-27 12:26 pm
sparkindarkness) wrote2006-06-27 12:26 pm
A rant about.... the World Cup
And another rant about… the World Cup.
Ok, this isn’t so much an “I hate it” as much as it is an “I don’t get it.” I’m no fan of football, beyond the general pleasure I get seeing lots of athletically fit guys running around in shorts and occasionally taking their shirts off I don’t see the attraction. Still, that’s not my beef. No, my beef, pork, chicken and entire farmyard are the bloody adverts! We have wall to bloody wall football. Furniture sellers, supermarkets, Argos, garden centres – ARGH every single bloody advert has a football theme.
WHY?! Are my fellow countrymen so obsessed that they’re more likely to buy a DVD player from Argos because the advert happens to mention football? What does football have to do with Argos anyway? They’re not even remotely related! Does anyone say “hey, furniture from that place will be cheap and good quality” “why?” “Because they have a football themed advert during the world cup! It must be good!” And no, it DOESN’T make the adverts more memorable because EVERY SINGLE BLOODY ADVERT FROM CREDIT CARDS TO CARS NOW INVOLVES FOOTBALL! It’s just one long football mass from beginning to end of the advert breaks.
I could UNDERSTAND if it were for trainers or a sports shop – hey, that makes sense. There’s the implication that the clumsy and inept can gain Beckham like skills by wearing a certain pair of trainers (ok, it’s doubtful, but hey, there’s a LINK). But for a super market? The link escapes me.
Which brings me on to the celebrities. Now, I can see Beckham advertising the aforementioned pair of trainers – fine. But him hocking Pepsi? What is his appearance in the add supposed to tell me other than the fact Pepsi can afford his huge fee? That he drinks Pepsi? Well, and? He likes Pepsi, he hardly has a reputation as a gastronomical connoisseur of any kind, why should I care if his taste buds find Pepsi more appealing than Coca Cola? That Pepsi will make me look like him or play like him? Nah, that’s just too dubious for even the dumbest man in the street. That Pepsi will get you what he got – the fame, the money, the wife? If so I think you’d see the biggest horrified boycott of Pepsi you could possibly imagine. And again, people aren’t that dumb. Is it a coolness thing? A Starbucks chic thing? (That somehow drinking something can make you cool). It’s Pepsi. Beyond serving temperature I don’t think any soft drink can be considered cool – can you imagine, “hey, he’s one of the cool kids, he drinks Tango?” No. Doesn’t work.
So why should I be in any way influence to buy Pepsi because Beckham is on the ad? Why should I shop at Asda because Michael Owen advertises them? Is there anything in his resume that suggests he has l33t shopping skills? I mean, I can understand Sainsbury using Jamie Oliver – even if the guy should be anally raped with an egg whisk, he’s still a chef. There’s RELEVENCY. But a football player? The same goes for any weird celebrity endorsement - if they're skill set is not relevent why do people care if various celebrities are pimping products?
I just don’t get it. I’m not even ranting at the advertisers here (cue demonic music) so much as I am ranting at the possibility that, yes, there ARE people in the country who buy Pepsi because of Beckham. Or shop at Asda because of Michael Owen, or eat those damn mints because that goal keeper (whose name I forget) appeared in the adds and cut his hair. Because that would be really depressing and really scary. It's sad to know people are that dumb. Sadder still that an industry has been built out of their stupidity.
Ok, this isn’t so much an “I hate it” as much as it is an “I don’t get it.” I’m no fan of football, beyond the general pleasure I get seeing lots of athletically fit guys running around in shorts and occasionally taking their shirts off I don’t see the attraction. Still, that’s not my beef. No, my beef, pork, chicken and entire farmyard are the bloody adverts! We have wall to bloody wall football. Furniture sellers, supermarkets, Argos, garden centres – ARGH every single bloody advert has a football theme.
WHY?! Are my fellow countrymen so obsessed that they’re more likely to buy a DVD player from Argos because the advert happens to mention football? What does football have to do with Argos anyway? They’re not even remotely related! Does anyone say “hey, furniture from that place will be cheap and good quality” “why?” “Because they have a football themed advert during the world cup! It must be good!” And no, it DOESN’T make the adverts more memorable because EVERY SINGLE BLOODY ADVERT FROM CREDIT CARDS TO CARS NOW INVOLVES FOOTBALL! It’s just one long football mass from beginning to end of the advert breaks.
I could UNDERSTAND if it were for trainers or a sports shop – hey, that makes sense. There’s the implication that the clumsy and inept can gain Beckham like skills by wearing a certain pair of trainers (ok, it’s doubtful, but hey, there’s a LINK). But for a super market? The link escapes me.
Which brings me on to the celebrities. Now, I can see Beckham advertising the aforementioned pair of trainers – fine. But him hocking Pepsi? What is his appearance in the add supposed to tell me other than the fact Pepsi can afford his huge fee? That he drinks Pepsi? Well, and? He likes Pepsi, he hardly has a reputation as a gastronomical connoisseur of any kind, why should I care if his taste buds find Pepsi more appealing than Coca Cola? That Pepsi will make me look like him or play like him? Nah, that’s just too dubious for even the dumbest man in the street. That Pepsi will get you what he got – the fame, the money, the wife? If so I think you’d see the biggest horrified boycott of Pepsi you could possibly imagine. And again, people aren’t that dumb. Is it a coolness thing? A Starbucks chic thing? (That somehow drinking something can make you cool). It’s Pepsi. Beyond serving temperature I don’t think any soft drink can be considered cool – can you imagine, “hey, he’s one of the cool kids, he drinks Tango?” No. Doesn’t work.
So why should I be in any way influence to buy Pepsi because Beckham is on the ad? Why should I shop at Asda because Michael Owen advertises them? Is there anything in his resume that suggests he has l33t shopping skills? I mean, I can understand Sainsbury using Jamie Oliver – even if the guy should be anally raped with an egg whisk, he’s still a chef. There’s RELEVENCY. But a football player? The same goes for any weird celebrity endorsement - if they're skill set is not relevent why do people care if various celebrities are pimping products?
I just don’t get it. I’m not even ranting at the advertisers here (cue demonic music) so much as I am ranting at the possibility that, yes, there ARE people in the country who buy Pepsi because of Beckham. Or shop at Asda because of Michael Owen, or eat those damn mints because that goal keeper (whose name I forget) appeared in the adds and cut his hair. Because that would be really depressing and really scary. It's sad to know people are that dumb. Sadder still that an industry has been built out of their stupidity.
no subject
1.) Ten years ago here in the United of States World Cup coverage was only available via the Latin stations...Telemundo and Univision. One of the announcers would go into spasms of joy when anyone scored and shriek "goooooooooooooooooooooooal"! until I thought he might black out. I love that and find all kinds of excuses to use it in real life.
2.) I agree with Eddie Izzard that America's World Series may be some how rigged since it's always an American team that wins. Because with the exception of one Canadian team, we don't let anyone else play. The World Cup involves nations other than America, a concept I find exotic and fascinating. Also, if I watch it on the Latin station I learn the Spanish names for countries and Learning Is Good.
3.) It's allowed me to develop my own personal theory regarding which team will win any given game: the team that takes the field wearing no protective gear under their cute little shorts will win, because they are clearly fuckin' insane.
Of course, since I'm American I can watch it and pretty much ignore David Beckham unless he's actually playing in the game I'm watching. Advantage for me and probably hugely frustrating for the Beckhams who I suspect wish to be world famous. I wish Mrs. Beckham would eat a fucking sandwich once a year.
no subject
Yup, Americans don't play games that the rest of the world plays :)
I think it's more karma reasons - there are thousands of us who don't care about football who are forced to watch this, we might as well get something nice to look at while we're doing it
I try to ignore Beckham - well, except for as eye candy. I rather suspect he IS world famous in the world that cares about football (i.e. anywhere but America :)) people in Japan buy Beckham shirts *shakes head at lunacy*
Victoria Beckham, ex-posh spice will never consume a calorie. she will die of shock if she ever does
no subject
Our media also don't cover games Americans play unless we're likely to win.
This really frosts my cereal, you know. Here in America we only get media coverage of the World Cup until we're eliminated. We only get coverage of Olympic games if there's a chance an American will win. I've actually seen them stop covering things like marathons once the Americans are clearly no longer in position to win.
Sadly, I'm not living close enough to the Canadian border to get their coverage. Kinda sucks :(