Shazaam!
Abracadabra!
Boom!
Or whatever catchphrase modern illusionists and magicians use to bolster the impact of their dramatic reveal, or as is the case in many tricks, removal.
These utterances refer to magic, not the fantasy kind, with long-bearded, staff-wielding, octogenarians projecting fire from their hands, and mentally coercing bears to fight for them; but the non-supernatural kind, where a regular human being makes flowers appear from nowhere, or the proverbial plucking of the “rabbit from the hat.” I, and many others, are fascinated by this type of magic. It makes the supernatural virtually plausible, though innately we are well aware, or should be, that the source of the trickery is grounded by physical and biochemical limitations. We acknowledge spectacular displays on stage, and recognize seemingly impossible feats from various exotic locations. At the core of it lies the irrefutable law of “magic.” The magician is diverting our eyes from the truth of the trick. The performer is deliberately drawing our attention from the main cause behind the execution of the trick, and luring our already wide eyes to profound distractions. Thus the illusionist can maintain the secrecy, and integrity, behind his spontaneous manifestation atop the glass and metal container, in which the subject was but blinks ago, thoroughly restrained and completely submerged in water.
In complete contrast, marketing, or more specifically to my overall point, advertising, deliberately draws attention to its aim. As vividly, seductively, passionately, and convincingly as possible, the page, or commercial, or auditory, coercion attempts to focus your attention on its message. The idea, by singular impact, or by attrition, is that the user, viewers, or listener, will respond to the presented suggestion. Hopefully, the response is to buy more of a featured product, or to vote for a particular candidate, or to make sure you are wearing a seat belt, or to make sure that when you are having a heart attack, you think of a particular hospital to go to, since that will be an important element in the diminutive cognitive processes as you are begging your own body not to expire.
What happens when these two, seemingly, diametrically opposed ideas regarding drawing attention occur in one presentation? I have experienced this, probably more than once, but my most recent experience is the true source of inspiration for this whole dialogue.
I drive a regular, boring, consistent, route to work. At close to the fifteen minute juncture of my commute, which is particularly notable due to a deliberate traffic-halting road engineering feat, a billboard exists to my left, and approximately one hundred feet from the ground. This is a modern billboard, I make a specific point to mention this, as it is vivid, visually arresting, and vertically oriented. It is a far departure from the pallid, decrepit drive-in movie theater screen displays that once were the billboard landscape. This is a true, cutting-edge, focused on modern-humans, sheet of sensory arresting pixels, perfect for grabbing the attention of the finger-on-the-pulse-of-the-zeitgeist millennial, the intensely bored tourist, the trucker forced through a non-optimal route, or any number of non-label specific navigators.
The truly impactful part of this modern marketing billboard is its current message. Or rather, its the call to focus, and then message/direction that leaves an impression. My contention, is that this advert, which is intended to call attention to its contents and visuals, is also a major distraction, so it violates the creed of both the magician, and the marketer.
This digital banner features, at the top, a shower head dispersing a mild mist of water upon the upper, naked, waist-up, image of an assumed attractive woman. My omission of a picture of this billboard, should reassure you that I am in fact, a pretty safe driver. Though compulsively, I give this banner a quick glance. I am, of course, still minding the road ahead of me. This sexy image of a showering woman is framed with the words “Hey! Eyes on the road!” My eyes have, of course, been on the road the entire time, well, expect when I was drawn to the billboard that drew my eyes with a semi-salacious image, only to redirect my attention with a warning to focus on the road.
The concepts behind magic and marketing seem to originate from two totally different schools. But this billboard I have encountered, seems intent on a fusion of the ideologies. I think it a very poor idea to draw someones attention, and then say “What the hell are you doing! Focus!” This goes double when anyone has to encounter this type of stimulus challenge while driving a vehicle. Whoever put this billboard up, seriously, please replace it with a video of a happy, safe family simultaneously drawing across their bodies and clicking in their seatbelts, with simple and impactful text.
Or, take the billboard down. No one really needs them anyway, everyone has all the adverts that they need on their phone, which no one ever uses while they are driving. So, problem solved.
Humbly yours,
J