You Fell For It

To the Editors of the Crimson:

You tell for it, Mr. Howe. The cardinal rule of advertising to get the person's attention. It doesn't matter how. The ad can be distasteful, like Burger King Kiddies' "na na na na na" jingle about their victory in some taste-test, or fantastic and sex filled, like the Edge ad. Remember that this ad appeared in a Newsweek supplement distributed solely to college students. It was targeted for you and it worked.

The ad that you reprinted (Crimson, April 1) to their almost certain delight, does not, as you claim, represent the height of detachment from a product: the man has Edge shaving cream on his face, and he is holding the can. It is attention grabbing, but not, I believe, for the reasons you proposed in your article. Why, then, is it so appealing to a college age audience? Sex, my friend, sex. The women figures, hidden in the picture like "Nina"s in a Hirschfeld drawing, are not intended to stimulate your subconscious; they appear to remind you of that freshman Psychology course you took in which you were told about the strategy of subliminal advertising. They are there to prolong the amount of time you spend looking in the vicinity of the name of their product. No doubt some scout for Edge will have seen your free advertisement and have gotten a big bonus. And due to the ad's great success, we'll probably see a lot more of the same.

Don't feel badly, Mr. Howe. If the cardinal rule of journalism is anything like the one of advertising, may be you'll get a bonus too. Jeremy Levy '87