Sometimes Advertising Really Puts Me Off

Let me start by saying that I am not at all anti-consumerism. I own at least 25 handbags priced between $10-$500. My collection of diamonds can hold its own. I almost never leave the house without at least eyeliner and mascara. I wish I could always fly business class. And I shop at Whole Foods. (On occasion.)

But sometimes, advertising just pisses me off. The first time this occurred to me was approximately 12 years ago. I was living in New York, walking to my apartment near 14th and 9th. On top of the building that now holds the Apple store was a billboard for Bvlgari. (See? I'm consumerist enough to decide to spell it with a 'v' instead of a 'u', since it just looks wrong the other way.) Jewel tones, a gorgeous woman dripping in jewels, and some wild animals. Or birds. Or a birdcage filled with birds and lush tropical plants. Something completely ridiculous. I remember saying to my friend, who was probably carrying a Dior bag, "Seriously, what the hell. Is this supposed to make me want to buy their jewellery? Because it just looks silly."

A few years later, I would see a Tom Cruise Mission Impossible ad and think, "Come on. You don't really expect me to believe Tom Cruise is a CIA agent, do you? God, who do you think I am?"

More recently, I saw a lululemon shopping bag (now carried by every manner of person under the sun, I'm sure only because they're so eco-friendly) that said 'Who is John Galt?' That's it, I thought. I have been avoiding lululemon because of it's ubiquity, and now I vow never to step foot in one of their shops. How on earth does someone like John Galt, or Ayn Rand, fit in with their whole yoga/presence/community thing? Do they have no idea? Do they not remember any of Atlas Shrugged? (That said, I have enough respect for the brand to type it with a lower-case 'l'.)

Then today, outside the Ferrari dealership, I said to my husband, "Wow, I'm not sure what's more pathetic: That Ferrari thinks their customers would drive a Ferrari in order to be envied, or that someone would buy a Ferrari in order to be envied." Admittedly, I'm not in their target market.

Whenever a Ferrari passes my kids and me on the street, I always point it out. "Look guys, there's a red Ferrari. It's one of the fastest cars in the world, and it's made in Italy, a place we love for lots of reasons. You don't see very many of them." From now on I'm going to have to try keep a lid on my cynicism. They're only two and four, and they have many years of advertising ahead of them. I don't want to spoil it for them.

Sarah Western Balzer

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Sarah Western Balzer is the editor of HITC Life. She grew up in Tampa, Florida, and lived in Washington, DC and New York before moving to London, where she lived for seven years. She now lives in Toronto with her husband and two sons. Her background is in the music industry, lifestyle relocation, and journalism. If you'd like to contribute to HITC Life, and work in banking or a field related to finance, please drop her a line (sarah.balzer@hereisthecity.com).