Tuesday, August 7, 2012

The Olympics – the TV Ads and its hold on me


This BLOG is sponsored by Misty Hollow Carving. You are welcome to visit Misty Hollow and see all of my carvings.
                                        
My Web Site is a like a Gallery – please drop in for a stroll through.

To help me promote my Web Site please copy this URL address and email to someone today http://www.murraylincoln.com/  

The Olympics – the TV Ads and its hold on me

In the past week we have sat glued to the TV as we watched the daily and continuous coverage from the CTV broadcasting company.

As I have reported in this Blog before, our family has been trying to follow the cycling events where Zach Bell was involved.

The coverage seemed to be light and slight when it came to Zach Bell – specially towards the end – when he never won the Medal.  The preliminary stuff was a great build up… with a profile given and then a final clip that was shown on CTV’s Olympic Web Site was good(and appreciated).

But because someone didn’t win or perhaps was not considered to be a potential winner – they simply were not covered again – or maybe not at all.

It was very evident that CTV was making bundles on the Olympic Ad Campaign that is running during the Olympic coverage by their company. And I don’t doubt that it is very expensive to cover these events.  The International Olympic Organization sets a very high price on allowing companies to use these games as part of their production and broadcast to their countries.

I know now that P&G Company is a strong supporter and has paid out a gazillion dollars to get the message out that they support families and athletes.

I know now that Petro Can, our Canadian service station company, is trying also to let us know that they support families. They want us to know that they too think that Mom and Dad should be thanked for their supporting their kids to get to the Olympics.

But P&G already told us that message – and their Ads seem better up to a certain point.

And the Rona Ads are simply brilliant!

In one hour I calculated that we were getting far more Ads than we were Olympic Games. In fact the series of Ads that were streaming into our Kitchen, Family Room and my Mom’s bedroom was almost stifling our family.

I looked in on my Mom and she was sound asleep – DURING THE OLYMPICS!!!  What should have been exciting put her to sleep.  Actually it was the same Ad that was played Over and Over and Over and Over again that had hypnotised her and she was gone… head back and mouth open… sound asleep.

One of the funny things that happened was right after Zach’s races were over. She had seen Zach’s sister Jessie and Zach’s wife Rebecca in the stands cheering Zach along. Then when Zach won the two gals went crazy.

Immediately more of the same TV Ads came on saying the same thing over and over again….

Mom fell asleep at that point (again)…

It was not long after Zach’s race that a report came to the screen of a Canadian young lady that was in a horse event, was forced to withdraw from the jumping events – because her horse had a scratch on its leg. The Olympic and Equestrian officials accused the poor girl of not looking after her horse and that she was attempting to do something illegal – against Olympic Rules…

It was a sad story…  The young lady was crying and very broken.

Not long after that my Mom came from her room and was visibly upset… “What did they do to Jessie? Why was she crying?”  Oh boy!

The Ad campaign had put an old lady to sleep… then she woke up when the poor girl was crying… and my Mom was convinced that she was Jessie – her granddaughter.

I take issue with Ad Campaigns that blast the sanity out of the entire public when it is run over and over and over again. BLAH BLAH BLAH. Shame on you for doing that to an Old Lady!

Remember I said that it was too funny!

Phew… there it is all out.  We turned off the TVs and headed outside to get a life back again.

Yesterday at the park there were many people out and enjoying the sunshine.  There many people enjoying their sports. And none of them were watching TV.

I can survive without more Olympic TV Coverage. I can go on with my life and be free of TV.

Ah Nuts…! 
I just discovered another problem.  We bought a newer TV that has something called “HD”.  In fact we have three TVs with that feature on them.

My wife told me that we had to do something with the one TV she was watching in that it was not clear at all.

I came in from garage TV that is never clear and always dusty(not one of the HD TVs).  I finally read the instruction book… and pushed a few new buttons… HOLY MACKEREL – BINGO – whoa!  We have TV like we have never had before…HD TV and really didn’t know how to operate it correctly!

Now I can see the blood veins popping out on the side of athlete’s head and throat as they gasp for much needed air… I can see the sweat running clearly down their faces… and I can see their PAIN in glorious High Definition!!!

Ah Nuts – the TV Ads all look new… and I am actually enjoying them in HD!  NUTS!! I thought I was free…  The TV Ads in HD are something else!!!

~ Murray Lincoln ~

No comments: