I've discovered that I miss commercials.
I miss being interrupted 15 times in a 30-minute show so that someone can cram their marketing down my throat, forcing their idea of what happy, cool people want so that you may also suddenly want it, too. I miss having a reason to flip the channel, or to chuckle condescendingly at the silly fluff that someone spent $400k on to make and spew on my television. Now, if I know you (which granted, I may not, but work with me here), you're thinking "Who in the hell misses commercials, Acker?". I know, I get it. I'd say the same thing if I were in your shoes. But... I do. I really miss them.
Let me explain. Here in the wonder of Singapore, commercials are rare creatures, barely popping their head up to say hello. Apparently advertising on television hasn't quite caught on here, or they figure the 2000 signs you see on the bus, the MRT (subway), magazines, etc are more than plenty to take in. For the first few months, I thought it was great - you never realize how many commercials there really are until you rarely see them. It was cute, even quaint - "isn't Singapore awesome?? They don't even interrupt my television show to blast me with advertisements!".
Then, it slowly to creep up on me. I started feeling disconnected - no American radio, no gossipy news in the papers here, no water cooler talk about how hot Bradley Cooper is or did you see the latest Sox game - but that I could handle because I expected it. What I didn't expect is that commercials actually tell you something about the world you live in and without them, you feel a little.... well, unnotified (that's probably not a word, but let's go with it). You don't hear about cool new useless things to buy, or see great hair styles to try, or salivate over a car you can never imagine driving but can see your future boyfriend in. And you don't get to laugh at the Old Spice guy, or wonder if they really meant to portray Lindsay Lohan on the eTrade commercial or if she's just a tad too sensitive. Nope, it's just you and the tv show, and it's surprisingly boring.
Now here's the really interesting part. Sometimes a commercial comes on for a brand I know from the States and I find myself pausing to watch, invested in the outcome of that 30 second spot. It's like a little slice of home and I actually relish it. Weird, right? I have become a marketer's dream, but they can't reach me.
And the real kicker? Since they are so few commercials, shows don't always come on at "normal times". Since a show is created to last 30-60 minutes with commercial breaks, it only last 22-40 minutes here. So they'll just start up the First 48 at 7:20, followed by Ancient Aliens at 8:05. Seems so innocuous, but it just makes you feel discombobulated. I love that word.
Okay, that's my diatribe about commercials. Little, weird and unexpected differences are what makes this exciting though, so I'll get past it. Somehow, someway, I will make it past my strange sadness over missing commercials. This too shall pass. ;)
Before I go, I promised my friend GK a shout out on my next blog. So, to the GOAT, the best wingman, social butterfly and beer can cracking pool friend ever, here's to you. A real American hero. Wait, that sounds a little like the Budweiser commercials. I'm definitely losing it.
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