Saturday, September 19, 2009

Ads for who?

When we moved here Alex was (and still is) mesmerized with this ad.
And this.
And this.

You'd think it's an ad for an amusement park or something.

Wrong.

First one is for a driving school.

Next is for a bank.

The last is for a gambling arcade.


NY moms might be outraged.
"They are targeting children as young as 4?"

I don't think the marketing department had that in mind.
The arcades don't admit children and they are pretty strict about it.
No, they were targeting adults.
Bona fide adults.
And adults in this country fall for this kind of advertisement, it seems.
It's amazing
My child wants to join.

I tell him it's for grown ups.
He is incredulous.
"no it's not. It has cartoons! It's for kids"
I guess not in this country but Alex is not convinced.

On the other hand, the trains have magazine ads hanging from the ceiling that cater to the horny set.
It seems to talk a lot about how promiscuous celebrities are.
And to drive home the point, the 3 alphabets, "S" "E" and "X" are splashed across the ad.
Don't know why that part needs to be in English but it serves to be the perfect opportunity for Alex to brush up on his reading.
"Mommy, that says 'sex'! I can read it! What does it mean?"

Urgh, this is NOT a city to raise kids!

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