TV Commercials without the TV

The current in-store advertisements at Walmart.

One of the reasons we stopped watching television eleven years ago was because of the commercials. Although my career, at the time, was in the advertising industry, I didn't like being bombarded with televised junk mail. Don't get me wrong, I like good commercials. I like the creative process and the thinking behind the concepts. That kind of stuff motivates me. I just didn't want it consuming a large portion of my time. I wanted less distractions in my life. One of the benefits we found in moving to Colorado was the small number of billboards on the side of the highway. Less distractions—I like it. But while I was at the store this past weekend, I realized that television commercials don't need television anymore. Commercials are now played on dedicated flatscreens that are strategically placed throughout the store. Great. Now we've got our own personal i-billboards to distract us.

Blade Runner, 1982 (Ridley Scott)
The strange Japanese advertisement on the side of a building
and later seen on the side of a blimp.

Although these in-store video advertisements have been around for a few of years now, I'm still not used to them. I usually ignore them and walk past as if they are not even there. I'd feel weird standing there watching a commercial. Wouldn't you? Actually, when I first saw one of these commercial screens, I was reminded of the commercial on the giant screen on the side of the skyscraper in the movie Blade Runner. Remember the geisha lady taking a pill and smiling into the camera? Check out the clip below. Bizarre stuff, eh? Anyway, this was one of the production details that made this futuristic world believable. The story was set in Los Angeles 2019; which is only seven years away! Although the movie was made back in 1982, the execution still holds up today. The Blade Runner screenplay was an adaption of the novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (1968), by Philip K. Dick (1928-1982). If you don't know much about Philip Dick and you like sci-fi, you should check him out and check out the other films based on his works.

Eight of Philip Dick's novels or stories were made into movies. The most recent is The Adjustment Bureau (2011). Another one of Dick's story-turned-movie, Total Recall (1990), won an Academy Award for special effects. If you were to watch this movie now, the effects would seem hokey; but back in the day, they were cutting edge—I promise. Actually, a remake of Total Recall is coming out this August. I'm hoping to go see it.

Minority Report, 2002 (Steven Spielberg)
The personalized, retinal-scan powered advertisements
that seem to be all over the city.

Minority Report (2002) was a popular Philip Dick story/movie that incorporated advertising in the plot. The story is set in Washington DC, 2054, where retinal scanning technology is used by the government to monitor the population. The media also uses this technology to deliver personalized advertisements. John Anderton (Tom Cruise) is a cop on the run. In the clip below, he realizes that he cannot hide in the city because of all the retinal scanners that are mounted everywhere. Big brother is watching his every move.

Anderton is trying to solve a murder mystery while simultaneously evading the police; but in order to move about the city undetected, he has to undergo an eye transplant. He needs new retinas which will provide him a new identity. In the clip below, he enters a Gap store where he learns his new identity.

Mr. Yakamoto, that's hilarious! Get it, he's not Japanese! Anyway, Minority Report is set in 2054, that's thirty-five years away. Do you think we will have this kind of technology in 2054? I mean, right now our computers let folks know what city we are in, websites track our purchases and offer suggestions the next time we visit. Our phones tell everyone where we've been and where we're at; and these are only a few of the basic tasks that simple computers can do today. Technology seems to be advancing at a faster and faster rate which effects all areas of our lives, even advertising.

It's hard to imagine that this story was first published in 1956. I know the screenwriters adapted the story to make it relevant for today; but I also know the advertising of today is much more distracting than the advertising of the 50's. It's probably true that the advertising of the future will be much more distracting than it is today. So I guess the impersonal flatscreens aren't that bad after all. I guess I can tolerate them or at least continue to ignore them. But once they start interacting with me on a personal level, I'm going to look into getting eye transplant insurance.

Related Links:

In-Store TV Still Fighting for Respect -- and Marketing Dollars
Ad Age, 2010

Does 'Minority Report' Portray a Scary Future?
ClickZ, 2002

The Philip K. Dick Website

Total Recall, 2012
Release date - August 3, 2012



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