Thursday, August 03, 2006

Consumption and identity



W.H.Smith continue to defend their promotion of Playboy stationary aimed mainly at pre-pubescent girls.

However, for W.H.Smith it is a style choice. "We believe it is a fashion range," says Evans. "There's no inappropriate imagery. It is just the bunny. It's a bit of fun, popular and fashionable."

I agree W.H.Smith, there is no ‘inappropriate imagery, but neither is there anything ’inappropriate’ in the Nazi Swastika, which is also just an image. It is the message behind the image that carries the power, when it becomes a symbol of something else.

Imagine trying to use a Swastika to promote a product.

Imagine defending your choice of advertising imagery by declaring that the swastika is merely a Mandala symbolising ones' ultimate goal on the spiritual path. There is no “inappropriate imagery” It is just a Mandala, pretty and spiritual, and was celebrated for years as a meditative tool before the Nazi party used it as THEIR symbol.

6 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Really enjoyed this post, excellent spin!

6:54 pm  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Fuckin' A, Sparkle-Matrix.

The bunny logo means porn.
The swastika means racism.
The cross means Christianity.
The six pointed star means Judaism.
The golden arches mean McDonalds.

There's a great deal of meaning in symbols and logos. If that weren't so, there'd be no need for graphic artists and brand marketing. For that matter, there'd be no point in putting the PB bunny logo on stationary or anything else because it would have no meaning. WH Smith knows this. They also know that they're promoting porn to little girls by selling products to them that bear the PB bunny logo. From a marketing point of view, however, it makes sense. WH Smith is making a killing as a porn retailer. So, it only makes sense that they ensure a profit off porn in the next generation of porn purchasers by starting their marketing of porn to them NOW.

1:38 am  
Blogger spotted elephant said...

You silly, it's just a picture!

Great post.

2:26 am  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Cool Aunt you should email what you have posted above to WH Smiths - I'm going to email or mail them too. I'm fuming.

OH I don't know, I think WHS should just start marketing the GUnit (Fifty Cent) symbol to little boys, then the little girls and boys could play pimp n' ho - fun! But the point is to help "groom " little girls to be primed and ready even before they reach puberty, to be receptive to male sexual approach - there MUST be organised plan by someone somewhere with a lot of power who is orchestrating this to happen - if it didn't start out as a plan, it sure has been picked up and turned into one - Hugh must be rubbing his hands together - he probably never realised in his wildest dreams he would be so successful at having porn take over the world and making many women feel the psychological pressure of porn; being turned into what amount to being sexual slaves - next stage in the plan is to get the legal age lowered to 12 - this really is being seriously talked about. They are the nazi's - but you know what? I think even the nazis would think this was evil.

9:03 am  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Anonymous, since I'm in the US and therefore not WH Smith's target market, my words may not mean much to them. So, if you want to include what I posted above in your e-mail to them, then please do so. It'll mean more them if it's coming from a potential customer or a potential lost customer.

12:08 pm  
Blogger sparklematrix said...

Thanks all of you. I baked an email to WHSmut and here's the
recipe...

One bag of Sparkle*
Generous pinch of coolaunt
Generous pinch of annon

cheers

6:31 pm  

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