Tuesday, October 03, 2006

Blue billion

I see that Pepsi has started its advertisements leading up to the World Cup Cricket championship of 2007.

The theme is "Blue Billion". Blue refers to the colour worn by the Indian team, and billion to the population of India - who will all supposedly be cheering Team India.

This is most odd. The advertisers, the advertising company, the viewers - all of them have nothing whatsoever to do with all the people who make up the bulk of the billion. They don't know them, they don't see them, they have no concern for them. In fact, they revile them for even being alive: "the greatest problem is overpopulation; the poor breed because they lack any other form of entertainment; population control is necessary for India to advance..."

So why this great embrace of the masses just to be able to claim that we are a billion? Why take pride in numbers, when just those numbers cause you such anguish?

Only a small fraction of the billion Indians have any interest in cricket.

The bankruptcy and ugliness of India's fragrant elite!

1 comment:

Gaelin said...

We don't have much Pepsi advertising here in South Africa, but I can imagine how that particular campaign must be driving you crazy!

Advertising is the scourge of capitalism. The way the ad companies use any means at their disposal to sway public opinion in the hopes of increasing the profit margins...no thought to the actual needs of the consumer.

Advertising is the reason I ban television in my home! I don't want my head messed with while I'm sitting on my sofa...