The spot: A young man steps out of his front door, a red Dell laptop tucked under his arm. As he makes his way down the street, he is met with continually escalating shows of affection: two children smile and point from a balcony. A crossing guard pats him affectionately on the rear. A busload of passengers lean and gawk. He gets thumbs up from two men on matching red scooters. He is patted on the shoulders by passersby. Cars honk their horns and flash their lights as he crosses the street. A crowd rushes him, and a beautiful woman kisses him on the mouth. He finally reaches his destination at a coffeehouse. He flips open is laptop. We see the product(RED) logo as its background. He gives a self-satisfied smirk. Cut to bold text on a red background: BUY DELL. GO (RED). SAVE LIVES.
(Disclaimer: I understand that I will break no new ground on this blog by stating that we live in an especially self-centered age. I will also acknowledge the subtle hypocrisy of making this statement on a blog, which is the ultimate symbol of the self-absorption that has defined the last 10 years.)
What is it that bothers me so much about this ad? Is it the gratingly hip soundtrack? The attempt to make a PC appear cool? The fact that the protagonist seems like a total douche? Yes, yes, and yes. But its also more than that. I saw this ad maybe a half-dozen times before I figured it out: why doesn't the douche have a laptop bag?
Who carries a laptop around without a bag? Aren't you afraid it might get stolen, or you might drop it, douche? Don't you need a power cord?
No, of course you don't. Because if you put your laptop in a bag, then we all wouldn't be able to see that you have a (RED) laptop, which means that you spent extra money to give to a charity, so we couldn't see what a GREAT PERSON you are with your (RED) laptop.
And isn't that the point of this whole product(RED) charity? I mean, what's the point of giving to charity unless you can show it off with some ostentatiously colored techno-gadgets. (RED) laptops! (RED) cell phones! (RED) iPods!
Because why should charity be about, like, the charity, and all the people it might help, amirite? Charity is really about you, and what a great person you are.
This fact did not escape the advertisers, by the way. Pay close attention to the young man smirking as he opens his laptop and sees the product(RED) logo. He smirks thinking about what a great, awesome guy he is. He is so pleased with himself. In the Age of Narcissism, there is no better angle for a product to have.
This coming from the man who has a (RED) cell phone? ;)
And he could just be taking the laptop to Starbucks... and it's a crappy Dell, so why bother with a bag? It's not like he has a real status symbol laptop, like a MacBook Pro.
jesse @ February 11, 2009 7:44 AM
I have a red cell phone, but I carry it around in my pocket. I don't carry it around in my hand showing people so that they can give me props.
And it isn't the laptop that is the status symbol, its the act of "charity" that it supposedly represents.
