In this week’s “Then, Now and Looking Ahead” feature, part of a series marking SHOOT’s upcoming 50th year anniversary in which industry notables reflect on how the business has evolved, Rich Silverstein, co-chairman/creative director of Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, expresses dismay over reality TV shows and other forms of mind-numbing content which seem pervasive, ironically during a time when exciting delivery systems for varied forms of content have come of age.
“We have all these incredible delivery devices but it’s amazing how many of them deliver bad television,” he said. “I don’t care if I can get live TV on my phone or on an airplane if the content is bad.”
Silverstein went on to observe, “You can’t help but think that we are dummying down America.” This in turn led him to bemoan the recent Supreme Court decision overturning campaign finance laws, contending it will open the floodgates for more political advertising and more dummying down clutter. “I know it means more money for the advertising industry but that’s not the way we should elect people or deal with issues.”
I agree with Silverstein regarding the Supreme Court’s ruling.. But in our corner of the world, I thought it interesting to explore that ruling’s impact on advertising.
In a world that too often seems to judge a situation’s merits by “How much? instead of “How,” the ad biz comes out a winner. There are conservative estimates that another $300 million will be generated for the political advertising pie, which is already several billion dollars. Indeed with this being a congressional election year, there figures to be a lot of additional special interest dollars that will be pumped into the marketplace.
Yet there’s a price to pay for increased revenue–continued erosion of our industry’s credibility. To say we live in polarized times is an understatement, and negative political advertising figures to fuel the fire. According to factcheck.org, a site run by the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania, this negative brand of political advertising is largely an exercise in fabrication and distortion–on both sides of the political aisle. Unfortunately, twisting facts and character assassination have proven effective enough so that they remain staples of campaigning. And advertising’s role in misleading the public represents a figurative black eye for our industry. It undermines the many competitions we have that show the creativity and care that goes into great commercialmaking, which at its best is undeniably an art form and can have a positive effect and influence on audiences, stirring thought and emotion while stimulating prospective consumers and commerce.
At the very least the public knows who’s behind mainstream advertising and can judge those brands accordingly. In the case of much political and issues-oriented ad fare, backers continue to hide behind organizations with names that sound fair but in reality are misleading “brand” monikers, camouflaging hidden agendas.
Will Rogers’ words sadly take on even greater meaning in light of our high court’s green lighting of influence peddling: “We have the best Congress money can buy.”
Gene Hackman Died Of Heart Disease; Hantavirus Claimed His Wife’s Life About One Week Prior
Actor Gene Hackman died of heart disease a full week after his wife died from hantavirus in their New Mexico hillside home, likely unaware that she was dead because he was in the advanced stages of Alzheimer's disease, authorities revealed Friday. Both deaths were ruled to be from natural causes, chief medical examiner Dr. Heather Jarrell said alongside state fire and health officials at a news conference. "Mr. Hackman showed evidence of advanced Alzheimer's disease," Jarrell said. "He was in a very poor state of health. He had significant heart disease, and I think ultimately that's what resulted in his death." Authorities didn't suspect foul play after the bodies of Hackman, 95, and Betsy Arakawa, 65, were discovered Feb 26. Immediate tests for carbon monoxide poisoning were negative. Investigators found that the last known communication and activity from Arakawa was Feb. 11 when she visited a pharmacy, pet store and grocery before returning to their gated neighborhood that afternoon, Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza said Friday. Hackman's pacemaker last showed signs of activity a week later and that he had an abnormal heart rhythm Feb. 18, the day he likely died, Jarrell said. Although there was no reliable way to determine the date and time when both died, all signs point to their deaths coming a week apart, Jarrell said. "It's quite possible he was not aware she was deceased," Jarrell said. Dr. Michael Baden, a former New York City medical examiner, said he believes Hackman was severely impaired due to Alzheimer's disease and unable to deal with his wife's death in the last week of his life. "You are talking about very severe Alzheimer's disease that normal people would be in a nursing home or have a nurse, but she was taking care... Read More