Viral fear inspires and rewards paranoia, greed, conformity, while it undermines self-worth, independence, connectedness with others and, worst of all, faith in God and a higher meaning in life.
What are we to do?
This is what Edward A. Merlis said way back in 1975 when he worked with the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee and devoted much of his time to advertising legislation. "He [the American] is bombarded at every flip of the magazine page, at every turn of the TV dial. Can he be proud that we now export our form of mental gang rape to the people of other countries? Advertising is a science, designed to attack people's weak spots in order to sell a product. Wolfbane may have been the antidote for vampires and wolfmen, but it appears that only knowledge and awareness are the antidotes for our 20th-century monster, advertising."
He was right. Knowledge is power and a proper awareness can be life-altering not only in terms of what you're willing to buy, but what you're willing to swallow.This is why psychotherapy works when your therapist is aware of all the factors and what really needs to be healed.
Many years ago in another advertising agency, an account executive sat down the creative team to discuss a new account. We would be developing a promotional campaign for a diet aid. It was designed to expand in the stomach and give the illusion of fullness as well as provide some stimulant action. (Meaning they would have gas, abdominal distension and the trots as well as increased heart rate, racing thoughts and agitation. But at least they wouldn't eat.) The target audience for our advertising was young women from 14 to 35. As the account executive expanded the market profile, it became clear to me that they were targeting anorectic girls and women with body dysmorphic disorders, meaning women with delusional images of themselves. I mentioned this to my creative director who told me to go to my office and stay away from the account team. So I wrote an ad that would eventually become one of my last. On the top of the page was a close-up of the diet pill and the headline was FAT CHANCE.
Needless to say, they didn't like the ad. But I did. And while I didn't stay in that job for long, I've never regretted it. Not once.
In this arena, awareness is everything. When we know what they're really selling, we can determine what we're really willing to buy.
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