Well not quite that but a rhetorical question. Is Washington D.C. the only city where advertising signs tend to lean toward the major military vendors? The only place where I have noticed signs in the subway system advertising the major providers of military equipment. I have seldom seen an ad for a radar system. Advertising for military aircraft. Boeing selling the new tanker aircraft to the Air Force. These things are just a part of what makes this city different. You know that you will not bump into the President while on the subway. Members of congress are in limited numbers on public transit. I presume that those who are the object of this advertising are the staff members of congress members and the staff working in the military establishment. They did advertise very heavily in the Pentagon subway station. The tourists seem to just ignore the signs as a part of the local picture, but they are more the targets then most of the locals who are on the train with them. Tourists may visit with members of congress or say something when they next see a congressman campaigning back at home. Remember that members of the congress are always planning for the next election. If you live in a city that does have major defense industries or an area that hopes to have one of the contractors build some big plant then you might see targeted advertising that shows how a particular project will affect you. We all know that the goal of the big companies are out to make a profit and in some cases keep the money being spent in this country. The big effort by Boeing to keep the new tanker that the Air Force needs from being built by Airbus, is just one example of this major effort of an industry that usually is very under the radar, to keep its constituency informed of its needs. With all of that said, it does make for a different type of advertising then we usually see. You expect soap, movies, and restaurants but not defense contractors. This does give you an early indication of who runs the city and who is important to those who live in the city. So visit the Capitol and enjoy the sights but do remember where the money is and who does the spending.
1 comment:
Interesting. I guess I can kind of see the logic behind them.
The only other instance I can think of that's sorta kinda like that is (though it's not a print ad) when once in a while there's an ad on TV for something very general, not really a specific product. I'm thinking of the occasional spots promoting cotton ("the fabric of our lives") or I seem to recall an ad for somebody (BASF maybe?) where they would say they don't make this product or that product, they "...just make them better."
If I see such an ad I tend to then wonder what the point was, what am I the consumer supposed to do having seen the ad? I'm sure there's a reason for them and the sponsors must feel they are worth the expense. They just make me wonder.
Then again, I generally am not a fan of 99% of advertising anyway. I tend to wear out the mute button on remotes.
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