11-06-2023 6:53pm

The Golden Guy's Wiser Thoughts: Ad Nauseam

Beth Callahan Editor

Springboro's Guy Pasvogel, published author, shares his thoughts

This post expresses the views and opinions of the author(s) and not necessarily that of Warren County Post management or staff.

SPRINGBORO, OH -- In my seventy-five years on this planet, I can recall how the art of advertising has evolved from the Ivory Flakes detergent ads "pure as the driven snow" of the past, to the more impersonal ads, such as those for erectile dysfunction, constipation, incontinence and the like. We sure have come a long way from the ad... “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up!” to “It’s fallen, and I can’t get it up.”— Just saying.

I can remember in the late '60s when NFL Superstar Joe Namath was promoting products such as Beauty Mist Pantyhose, Noxema, Dingo Shoes, Brut Cologne, Hamilton Beach Popcorn Maker, and Ovaltine. (To see the old commercials, click on the product names.)

Today we see a frail and aging “Broadway Joe'' promoting Medicare.

Other aging former NFL Superstars have come out of the woodwork to promote products that "us Baby Boomers" have to be convinced we REALLY need. For example, Dan Marino, Emmitt Smith, Jerry Rice and Randy Moss are promoting Frito-Lay. Frito-Lay makes Doritos, Pepsi, Mountain Dew and of course, Lay’s Potato Chips. Then, the other Joe, Joe Montana, is promoting Guinness beer.

Here’s my take on bringing the old guys back.

Are they trying to weed out "us old geezers" by promoting unhealthy foods that eventually will make us fat and kill us, or do they think that "us retirees" are the only ones nowadays that can afford the exorbitant food prices at the supermarket? Or perhaps our aging NFL Superstars need the money because of squandering away their millions earned over the years.

I learned a long time ago not to believe ads that glamorize products that are indeed bad for you. Remember the catch phrases, “Winston tastes good, like a cigarette should” and “I’d walk a mile for a Camel?”

Didn’t the Marboro Man die from lung cancer a while back?

Today we have a new breed of NFL pitchmen to convince us to buy their products. Patrick Mahomes of the Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs has endorsement contracts with Adidas, Oakley, Head and Shoulders, State Farm Insurance, Bose, DirecTV, Subway and T-Mobile. His contracts net him $7 million dollars a year.

I especially have to shake my head at the new Mahomes Subway commercial. In it, Mahomes brags about the Subway meats now being freshly sliced in front of you... as if they invented the idea. Actually, Jersey Mikes has been doing it for a long time, and it has forced Subway to abandon their pre-sliced refrigerated concept. (I wonder how long those pre-sliced meats had been in the refrigerator?)

Now, his star receiver, tight end Travis Kelce has gotten into the act. He is now teaming up with Mahomes to do State Farm commercials. He is also promoting Experian, Campbell's Chunky Soup, DirecTV and Lowes. His commercials have racked up a staggering $1.42 billion impressions according to iSpot.tv., and advertisers have spent upwards of $21.2 million to air his spots.

To make it more absurd as to how the media and NFL are playing us, they have invented a Taylor Swift romance with Kelce to get the “Swiftys” to watch NFL football. When Travis makes a touchdown, the camera shows Taylor Swift in the luxury box cheering him on to boost up the ratings. How clever is that?

However, the most outrageous endorsement by Travis Kelce has to be the commercial sponsored by Pfizer promoting the double dose of getting the Covid shot with the Flu shot. Reports are that Kelce has received upwards of $20 million dollars for this endorsement. I'd do it for free… IF they only worked.

I find it encouraging that after upwards of 85% of Americans having had at least one Covid vaccine the first time around, only 4.5% of Americans have submitted to the new vaccine. Haven't we all heard of the saying first used by politician Anthony Weldon in 1650, “Fool me once, shame on you; Fool me twice, shame on me?”

I, for one, have chosen to ignore the many ads on TV (McDonalds, Wendy’s, pizza places and the like) encouraging me to eat fast food to make me fat and unhealthy. I will also ignore the diet formula and workout formula ads (Peloton, Jenny Craig, Nutrisystem, Weight Watchers) to make me thin again.

What ever happened to WALKING? It’s free and you don’t need to sell it on TV with a celebrity spokesperson. My choice, instead, is to use good nutrition, common sense, moderate exercise and to not put anything into my body that might hurt me. I plan to stay fit and milk the Social Security System for as long as my higher being will allow me.

One last thought about advertising … if a product is good, healthy for you and has good ingredients, word of mouth will be all you need to make a correct buying decision. All the advertising in the world and spokesman endorsements should not convince you otherwise.