I came across this ad this weekend while driving home for Easter Sunday.
At first I thought that it was an ad for depression medication that was poking fun at the condition. After I got home, I just had to look up this medication and see if that billboard ad was a hoax. As soon as I typed in “Reachemol” the same in your face criticism ads popped up, and this was the message: “REACHEMOL™ (popularitus maximol) is the only prescription medicine clinicallyproven to treat Deficient Popularity Disorder (DPD). In all but the most severe of cases,REACHEMOL™ will increase your popularity so much that people will actually like you,instead of shunning you like an Old Testament leper.”
After clicking on one of the links such as “Understanding DPD” an error message pops up that says: “C’mon, you and I both know that there is no magic pill that will make you popular, famous and beloved by all. But what we often forget is how powerful outdoor advertising can really be. Why, with just a few billboards, you can be the talk of the town in 30 days or less. Imagine what you could do using outdoor for a real product or service. Better yet, call us and we’ll show just how powerful our unique medium can be for your business.-Adams Outdoor Advertising”
So, all of the ads that I have been seeing are completely fake! This company has branches in 16 different cities across the eastern half of the U.S. including Charleston. They put up these controversial ads to get attention for their company, and to attract customers who want the same kind of attention.
Not only do I think they are reinventing the art of billboards, but they are also pushing the envelope.This ad, “Its okay to be gay” ran in Charlotte, N.C.
They also ran an ad in Charleston, Charlotte and Beaufort that made quite a statement towards the “poor” shrimp in the Gulf.
While Adams Outdoor Advertising takes stands against these issues it also made me wonder who was behind the scenes. When I saw this ad for “Reachemol” I searched for the company profile and found that while women are employed in the advertising departments, they do not have any positions of power in the company. I also noticed that all the ads were directed towards men as in the ad below:
So, although i do agree that the company takes great stands with issues that deal with our society this ad leaves me with these questions.
Even though the advertising company seems to be getting the attention they are looking for, do they have to objectify women at the same time? Why is this kind of advertising necessary to get the attention of potential customers?