I read Chandru’s article It all ads up a week ago… It piqued my interest and made me uncomfortable at the same time… Thoughts on why advertising is like terrorism. Going for the jugular, creating and feeding on fear – new fears each time people get used to the old one, being louder and larger than life…
And one more thing that Chandru has missed. In advertising, as with terrorism, no one knows what is going on the mind of the person(s) who created it, who is in charge. What is that ideal that the terrorist is willing to kill for… die for? that no one else can quite see. Or understand. Or accept. How does the terrorist embrace and live with a cause that seems, at best, unacceptable and pointless to the rest of the world? Ditto with advertising. What drives that near fanatical faith in the cause of his brand / claim that causes the advertising professional to behave like the terrorist he is compared to? I often wonder…
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The article, as I said, is very interesting, if a tad ill-timed… From today’s e-edition of the ToI – Fifteen killed in suicide attack in Lanka.
And Assam on high alert after ULFA attack, toll reaches 42
And Two killed, 45 wounded in Kashmir explosion
There is just no excuse for terrorism, no explanation for barbarity. Here is an bold and insightful article by Prof. Raj Persaud Inside the mind of a terrorist – no excuses about psyhotic behavior
Also read : Rock Paper Scissors