Saturday, August 18, 2007

With AT&T, it's easy as 1, 2, 3! ;o)

There’s a recent commercial (from AT&T, I think) that gave me a laugh. A woman is folding quilts, with her daughter and son (I guess) in the same room. Daughter comments on how wonderful the quilts are and wishes that other people could see them. Mother replies that when she was younger, she wanted her own shop. Son looks up from his laptop, has a bright idea, and sets to work. In what appears to be a very brief space of time (the same afternoon, probably only an hour or two), he presents his mother with her very own online quilt shop, complete with a gallery of photos of her handiwork. To top it all off, he casually remarks that she has an order.

(. . .long pause. . .) Hahahahaha! Yeah, right. If only it really were that quick and easy to put together a successful web-store! Set aside for a moment the fact that it does, in fact, take some time to build a decent website and take good photographs—even if you do use a template and have a handy-dandy camera-phone. This commercial is also propagating the misconception that “if you build it, they will come” (and buy)—and in just a few minutes’ time, too!

I’m all for people setting up web-based businesses. Many who couldn't possibly afford to have a brick and mortar shop are now able to run successful part-time (or even full-time) businesses from home. However, this commercial is thoroughly misleading.

Well, at least it’s worth a laugh.

. . .

P.S. How did Son know how much Mother wanted to charge for her quilts? Or did the Eager Beaver Buyer make an “I’ll pay whatever you ask, but I must have that quilt”-style offer, because the quilt is just that good? Hey, this is TV Commercial Land. It could happen! ;o)

P.P.S. If by some chance it turns out that I'm wrong about all this supposedly happening in one short afternoon-- if you've seen the commercial and noticed that they're wearing different clothes by the end of the ad, or something. . . Well, ignore everything you've just read. (g)

Despite the ridiculous speed of the quilt shop's emergence (and the rather annoying, Kill Bill-esque music in the background), I do kind of like this ad. What a nice thing to do for Mother! Even if he did offer her hard work for sale without asking first.


3 comments:

Anonymous said...

It would be so nice if it was so quick and easy :-)))
By the way, congratulations for your last creations, "faux ceramic" hearts and flowers : it's beautiful :-)
xx
Violettelafleur

Michael said...

Thank you! :o)

Yes, that *would* be nice. :o)

Sheikasaurus Rex said...

If it were really that easy, all artists would be lounging around in velvet robes while waving aorund expensive cigars.

I suppose its that anything-is-possible cheesecake charm that gets people.

I love your blog, by the way, and was kinda sad there wasn't a Top 10 Tuesday for this week but I'm sure you're just really busy.