Wednesday, June 29, 2005

Ads

As my time here is ending soon I am reflecting on some of the differences between Sweden and the US.

1 of my favorite is in the world of Advertising. Obviously the basic foreign-ness is a backdrop (language, products etc.) but its more the tone that strikes me. Much has been said about our semi-hypocritical Puritanism (that's not overstating it do you think?) about showing nudity etc. We could spend a long time on the juxtaposition of the black porno mag covers against the widely displayed Cosmo headline proclaiming 12 ways to handle name tags during an orgy! but its not really interesting. In Sweden they curse freely on television and after 9 PM on normal cable stations you can see up to soft-core porn level naked people. Unfortunately they are much more democratic and will show equal parts male nudity as well which has driven me to read more instead.

I am a bit off track now but maybe the background is interesting. So on to the ads that I found remarkable.

1. Firecracker Ass - This was posted prominently on the Arlanda Express (the train from the center of town out to the airport). It is a black and white profile photo of a naked guy turned slightly so that the naughty bits are not in view but clearly displaying the crack of his ass where we see extending downward at an angle the lit fuse of firecracker. The poster is reminding everyone to get a colon checkup.

2. Gravid? - This Swedish word means pregnant and I think relates to the Midsummer's celebration that is famous for drunkness and practicing the pro-creative act. The color photo is of a green field full of wildflowers and grass that based on perspective must be 2-3 feet tall. In the center of the picture are a woman's legs in the air but all we see sticking up is her lower leg and feet as though she were lying on her back with feet in the air. One is to infer (I think) that she is not alone. I don't know what they are advertising in this one but its on almost every bus stop in town right now.

3. Heineken - This ad plays so often I am nearly insane. No idea what any of it means. Enjoy

4. Ringtones - All through the day and night there are frequent commercials for people selling ringtones you can download for your phone. I understand that this is huge business here. Each commercial is pushing 3-5 tones based on some theme. Sometimes its music where you can pick a tone like a MIDI version of your favorite song. Some are variations on fart sounds. After 9 PM they become pornographic. But the most annoying is this little CGI donkey/pig/devil thing called (I think ) Jambo. He is usually pushing the more rude/porno tones but also selling the Axel-F tone which is insanely popular for some reason.

I'll ask Tina if she can think of some others but its a good start.

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