Truth in advertising

With the Super Bowl upcoming, there is already a buzz about what commercials will air, and when. Well, already one of the proposed commercials, for Nationwide Insurance, is running into some harsh criticism. The ad features KFed dreaming about being a rap star, while, in reality, he's working away at a fast food restaurant.

Now we here at the CSM can already spot exactly what's wrong with this particular ad, but first we'll take a moment out to indulge those that are complaining. The claim by the National Restaurant Association claim that the commercial makes working in the restaurant industry seem demeaning, and that advertising as a whole should not "require denigrating another industry". Nationwide, meanwhile, is simply trying to say that the KFed commercial is trying to show how quickly life can change, and how they can help prepare people for those changes. All well and good, really, as both sides have now staked out their particular positions.

Ok, now that we've let the two sides hash things out, we're going to give our own spin to this subject. First off, on the notion that working in a fast food restaurant is somehow demeaning. Well, how good do you think that most of the people who work at McDonald's feel after having spent the day working for that $7/hr ($7.25 if the Dems get their way)? And if they happen to have friends who are able to pull down higher wages? Knowing that fast food restaurants are full of menial labor with low pay is what makes them demeaning, and no commercial aired during the Super Bowl is going to change that.

As far as Nationwide's claim about how fast life will change, well, yes, technically, they're correct. But they aren't telling us anything that any realist could have told us. So congratulations, Nationwide. You can call us "Grasshopper".

From our perspective here, it seems that there is a problem with the commercial, and it's a problem that nobody seems to be paying any attention to. Remember when truth was actually sought after by advertisers? You do? Good.

Now explain to me how there is any truth behind the notion of KFed being competent enough to hold a job at a fast food restaurant.