DO NOT ATTEMPT
All of the cars downtown come to a synchronized stop. Doors swing open, drivers emerge and people scramble to get into a different car. It’s like a game of musical chairs taking place on busy city streets.
That’s the scene from a new car commercial that boasts something along the lines of, “We want you to love the car you have.” The ad grabs your attention and does a nice job conveying a message about car ownership.
But I do have a serious issue with this ad, and just about every other ad that involves a real-life breathing human being.
DO NOT ATTEMPT. That’s what the ad said at the bottom. Now let’s think about this for a second. Does the car manufacturer expect the entire city to coordinate a game of “musical cars” – potentially injuring or killing someone?
I understand that we live in a hyper-litigious society, but all of these “do not try this at home” messages seriously underestimate our intelligence as a life form. Flashing the warning on TV shows watched by 16-year-old boys that involve motorcycle flips, midget wrestling and hot peppers – fine. But on a car ad designed for adults with $30k to blow? C’mon!
Cooking shows could burn you, do-it-yourself home shows could result in a thumb smashed by a hammer and we all know not to feed the animals. We’re alive people, which means we all could get hurt – anytime, anywhere. Disclaimer overload has resulted in nothing more than wallpaper we’ve all learned to look past, so keep it to yourself.
This blog post was manufactured in a plant that also processes soy and tree nuts.
What do you think?