Saturday, February 28, 2015

Radioactive, Radioactive

Lest I have my face ripped off by fans, I'd like to start by saying, I really like the music group Imagine Dragons. This is by no means a reflection on the group or anything their music potentially sells. This says more about me.

I currently have an earworm. I suppose I should be glad that I've finally disposed of Carly Rae Jepson and Katy Perry (blog "Bugged by an Earworm", July 27, 2012). The earworm is caused by the song "Radioactive" which appears in a television commercial. Just in case you haven't noticed it's the latest trend for networks or providers to show ads twice during commercial breaks. The particular commercial with this song is one that is oft repeated. I suppose it's done so that you don't miss their sponsor in case you dared leave the room two minutes earlier.

When it comes to the "idiot  box", I have noticed that I have certain skills. I can have the t.v. on and fall asleep. I can have the t.v. on so that it might keep me company and drown out extraneous sounds while I do other things. When I was younger, I did homework this way much to the chagrin of my parents. I can have the t.v. on and partially watch or listen. I can have the t.v. on and absorb all kinds of trivial and useless information even though I'm not watching.  The t.v. rarely has my full attention although I do spend a lot of time with it on. I think it's a generational thing, the way my parents and more so, my grandparents used to listen to the radio. There were also many years where I neither had the time nor the inclination to bother with it. Somehow, this made me feel like an outsider, not knowing what everyone else knew. I didn't like that.

So when someone asks me whether I've noticed a certain commercial, my usual answer is, "No". Either I've PVR'ed a programme in which case I fast forward through commercials, or I just don't pay attention.

Having said that, I've always liked the tune of  "Radioactive" and have heard portions of it at least a hundred times of late. It's used as I said earlier in a commercial. I have no idea what the commercial is for so I can only guess that the ad campaign is a bit of a bust, at least when it comes to me. On the other hand, perhaps there's some subliminal effect that will have me singing this as I reach for something in a supermarket, a hardware store or a pet shop.    

Yesterday, I posted on facebook....the source of all irrelevant information.        

    I have an Imagine Dragons ear worm and I don't even know what the commercial is selling. If I were one of the twit generation, I would say, hashtag adcampaignfailure.       

A friend responded that she thought it was a car commercial. Hmmm... Come to think of it,  I do remember seeing tires. She then added that Hyundai uses the song Radioactive. Interesting, I thought.

Fortunately, I had purchased my car prior to the emergence of the hit song and now commercial so I can't say that I was in any way influenced.

It's a catchy tune and I'm glad Hyundai advertisers opted for the section of song where the words are  "Welcome to the new age, to the new age" rather than the part that mentions  ash, dust, rust and chemicals...."Whoa, oh, oh, whoa, oh, oh."
                 

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