By Lee Pfeiffer
Americans are suckers for anything that invokes the spirit of patriotism. Politicians learned this decades ago. Just stand in front of a big American flag and you can spout any kind of outrageous lie or advocacy for programs that range from promoting bigotry to outright lunacy. If anyone dares to question your motives or your facts, they can be denounced as unpatriotic. Madison Avenue got on the bandwagon in the 1980s and incorporated patriotic themes to sell everything from soft drinks to cars. Advertising Weekly has compiled ten notorious TV spots from over the decades that blended marketing products with patriotic themes. Some are well-crafted and are moving enough to distract audiences from the fact that they are being shamelessly manipulated. These often involve the plight of U.S. servicemen and women who have become de facto pitchmen for every sort of product through these "tributes" to their courage. In another ad, the images of civil rights icons are utilized to market trucks. My personal favorite is a big budget commercial in which George Washington leads a battalion of Dodge Challengers against British forces-- with our first president driving the lead car! Believe it or not, this is not done tongue-in-cheek. The sickest exploitation is featured in a Budweiser beer ad in which the famous Clydesdale horses travel to New York City to pay their respects to the victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. If Sen. Joe McCarthy had worked for an advertising agency, he couldn't have come up with a better way to exploit patriotism. I can foresee the day when Dwight D. Eisenhower will be invoked as a pitchman. The dialogue will go something like this:
"My fellow Americans, this is your former President, Dwight D. Eisenhower. You know, when I was the commander of Allied forces in Europe, I was up all night planning the D-Day invasion. Now you can be up all night, too, with some help from Viagra!"
Click here to watch 'em and weep.