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The Bridge of (Disappointing) Sighs
The Bridge of Sighs in Venice, rumored to be where prisoners saw their last flicker of sunlight before being dragged down into the dungeons, is now surrounded by one giant advertisement. We passed it several times scratching our heads at the tourists crowded around, not realizing it was an actual monument. What the heck has happened to the sacred? Like those very criminals, marketers have sunk into a pit of depravity never to be seen again.
Everyone, everything, and everywhere is slowing selling out. I remember getting angry at tv as the little network logo crept on the screen (I think it started with mtv), then the scrolling cnn banners were added to the news, now ridiculous animating advertisements assault you while you watch your primetime tv. In twenty years the whole screen will be one giant ad overlayed on top of the program and I‘ll say wistful things like ‘I remember the day when tv just had tv on it.”
There are hollywood stars plastered all over foreign advertising, shameless product placements in movies, soft drink companies buying up our schools, and we all shrug and go on eating our coco puffs. Well now it’s our beloved and iconic world heritage treasures?! Do we revolt or get on board and make some money? There is so much wasted space out there and I think I have a few lucrative ideas to revolutionize advertising. Let’s have absolut vodka sponsor some strategically placed billboards on the golden gate bridge, or light a nike swoosh on the eiffel tower. Hell, let’s give the statue of liberty a bottle of coca cola and watch the sales roll in….
3 comments:
Very odd. When we were there two years ago, they didn't have the advertisements around it and you could actually walk through the Bridge and see the other side. I wonder if they are doing construction on it and that's why they have covered it up.
That's probably why. On a lot of the churches that are under construction (like in Vienna) they put a black and white photo of what it should look like over the scaffolding, which is briliant.
But then they still sell giant spots for watch and sunglass ads on top of it. I think it's ridiculous. Maybe if they could say ...this renovation sponsored in full by polo by ralph lauren, I could tolerate it.
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