New, improved and completely fake

Posted by Vicki on 23.08.05

In 'The corporation', the documentary on the development and personality of the corporation, passers-by are asked to state what type of person a named company would be. Duly Microsoft are branded as being "aggressive" perhaps due to most people's typical response when confronted by the helpful paperclip the lurks in Word offering the unwary useless advice and assumptions; Nike as being "young and energetic" and bizarrely McDonalds as being "young, outgoing and enthusiastic" - which is rather at odds with the majority of their staff.

Similarly a piece of market research that I took particular joy in ruining wished to know how I felt Sony's advertising made them appear as a person, and whether I'd want to spend time in their presence.

Presumably the assumption is the consumer will buy products from someone they perceive as a friend. This is linked to the corporate scandals that increasingly attract attention from sweatshops to financial improprieties, union breaking or skimming pension funds.

Since the corporation seeks to be your friend it has changed its advertising strategy, it seeks to sell products on the grounds that they will keep your loved ones safe and happy. Hence the bleach that smells of sickly sweet chemical lemon and is demonstrated as being used on a child's high chair as the child is sitting just centimetres away. Or the Dove campaign featuring real women - as now ripped off by Nike.

The reality is of course the vast majority of companies don't care at all about anything more than securing their grip on the individual's wallet and their children's wallet. The pretence of morals and standards is on a par with telling a one night stand "I love you"; with the recipient being desperate to believe the words they suspend both disbelief and sanity in an attempt to hold onto the feeling of being wanted. Not that there is an affordable real alternative to the vast array of good and services provided by major corporations, the key is not to buy into their lies; just because the mascot's fixed smile looks happy doesn't mean they aren't screaming inside.