Honesty In Advertising? Insanity!

Advertising is surely the most common art we see today. We have to go out of our way to see offensive movies or works of fine art, but advertising images are everywhere. We see them whether we want to or not, on billboards as we drive to work, on the walls of stores when we shop, in magazines and newspapers, on television, and on the products we use. We even get them in the mail. Everything gets advertised. Advertising industry is the biggest one today. But what is happening inside of advertising world? “The characters in this film do not depict people with real mental illness.
Mental illness is a serious disease that affects millions of people. ” Thus begins ”Crazy People”, schizophrenic comedy that is very funny when it’s a satire on modern advertising. Film talks about two types of nut cases: ones that are committed to institutions and the others who think they are normal and live on the other side of the wall. There are some targets of satire throughout a film. First, this is the job itself and way of living of admen. ”Let’s face it, Steve,” says Emory Leeson, main character of the film to his associate, ”you and I lie for a living. ” Emory is a Madison Avenue burned-out adman suffering a breakdown.
His wife has walked out of their suburban house, taking the furniture with her. Emory is suffering from writer’s block. ”Novelists have writer’s block,” screams his partner, Steve. ”All you do is write little slogans to go with the pictures. ” (Canby) In a manic burst of energy, Emory creates a dozen new ad campaigns for everything from Volvo (”Boxy but good”) to United Airlines (”Most of our passengers get there alive”). He calls it ”truth in advertising. ” Actually, the ads are not so much truthful as they are crass. But Leeson feels they will tap into the everyday mindset of the common man.

This is funny stuff, but Emory’s boss doesn’t think so. Steve gently carts him away to a private mental hospital. Another target of satirizing is the advertising itself. Whether it is truthful or dishonest, consumer ”eats” catchy slogans. You can say the right thing about a product and nobody will listen. You’ve got to say it in such a way that people will feel it in their gut. Because if they don’t feel it, nothing will happen. Emory’s ”truthful” campaigns somehow reach all of the national magazines and appear on television, where they become instant hits. Leeson’s instincts are proven to be correct.
People love them and sales zoom. But his boss and his crew can’t grasp this “truth” concept. So they ask Emory to come back. He agrees to do more ads only if his friends – his fellow asylum inmates – can help. Soon the asylum turns into a productive business center. They are energized and inspired by Emery, who unwittingly wins back his former company’s interest after an accidental truthful ad campaign makes headlines. One more satirized point, which depicts clearly that there are no big differences between admen and clients of mental hospitals at all, is that both of them making their job very well.
Moreover, advertising ideas of insane people turn out to be more effective. Using the theme of sanity and insanity, film achieves the satire in comical situations, which articulate erected issues of modern advertising. “Crazy People” is equivalent to those commercials that pretend to be sending themselves up. Its upside-down ad campaigns wouldn’t rate a smile in a college humor magazine, at least in part because they knowingly celebrate the system they are supposed to be satirizing.
The concept is high but fraudulent. Interesting, that the director of film, Tony Bill said in interview he is counting on the controversy that is sure to be stirred up over ”Crazy People” because of the fact that all the advertising in the film was used without permission or consultation. (Babbis) Conclusively, one trend in advertising, around no doubt for years that has become particularly shameless of late is to say exactly the opposite of what a company or product actually does.
The implication is that nowadays people will accept anything you tell them. Pioneer of advertising Leo Burnett said, ”Regardless of the moral issue, dishonesty in advertising has proved very unprofitable. ” But perhaps everybody knows, consumers and advertisers alike, that anything anyone says doesn’t matter any more. Finally, I think film accomplished with its goal and if it was ridiculing modern advertising, ”Crazy people” have done it in a very funny and humorous way.