Monday, September 13, 2010

A radio play

There is a radio commercial that is running currently on the airwaves that I find fascinating. Fascinating not so much for the content of the spot but for how it is put together, and for whom the spot is targeted. I'm sure you know it, "energy tax, it's a tax on everyone."

Now the spot is targeted at the average American taxpayer and is paid for by the energy pacs and companies. They spout that an energy tax would be paid for by the average citizen at a time we can least afford it. At some level, that may be true but that is not my point here.

The next time you hear this spot, listen to the accents. The voices are very average American, an Asian male voice, an African-American man and woman and a white southern female voice. Although some may say I am being not very 'PC' by identifying the race of the voices, get your head out of the sand. Why do you think those voices were chosen in the first place? Listen also to the lines and cadence. None are grammatically correct or flawless as they would be if spoken by an actor. That is of course if you believe they are not actors playing the role of the average citizen.

At times we are all just standing in lines doing as we are told and when we can we must break through the 'message' and listen to the delivery. This one is a play directed right at our wallets in a time of fiscal uncertainty. Make the call for yourself. Do you want to listen to Act Two?

1 comment:

  1. I have had similar thoughts each time I heard that commercial.

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