I have a tv at my desk at work. The official reason for it is that I need to be able to track/watch/summarize hearings when Congress is really in the swing of things. With Financial Services "reform" being a hot topic for this congress, sometimes there are too many hearings for our consultants and my boss to cover so I get to pick up a few.
In practice having the tv means I watch the news ALL DAY EVERY DAY. I have acquired a few habits and talents like:
- I can reach for the remote and hit the mute button without missing a key stroke while typing an email
- I can measure my lunch break by which program is on when I leave and which one is on when I come back
- I can sing every version of the FreeCreditReport.com commercial
I've also noticed that I don't see the same commercials at work that I see when I watch tv at home. And according to my own study, it seems that the advertisers believe the overwhelming population of news-watchers to be A) poor B) old C) looking for a quick buck. The majority of commercials are for gold - "it has never been worth zero" - powerchairs/scooters or dentures/denture paste - "if medicare denies your claim we'll give you your powerchair or scooter for free"/"so long ooziness" - and class action law suits - "call 1-800-BAD-DRUG". This does not make me look forward to being old, but it does make me grateful for my employer and knowing that I won't be desperate enough to use my life's savings to 'buy gold' from some Law & Order actor on tv.
And WHY is Campbell's soup marketing their new fresh veggie soups under the V8 name?? Have you ever met anyone who actually enjoys a V8 product? I know I haven't. Yet I know loads of people that love Campbell's Soup products - so why not market it as the new seasonal/fall Campbell's Soups?
Sometimes I wish I had gone into advertising
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