Defending her honor

Some pompous curmudgeons folks have been incensed by Dr. Myra Vanderhood’s Pherotones, claiming that she’s engaged in “trickster marketing,” besmirching the honor of the blogosphere and/or insulting the intelligence of web readers.

For instance: “When people stop calling it ‘marketing’ and start calling it ‘lying,’ you’ve probably made a mistake, gang. And dissing Web denizens everywhere by messing around with Wikipedia and the guys at Boing Boing? Even bigger mistake.”

Can a site that says “can one ring tone can make you irresistible?” be construed as a lie, or are web readers a lot more gullible than I think? Who buys into a product called “Testosteroni” without Googling the scientist behind it?

If the folks at Boingboing buy “world-traveled intimacy expert” Dr. Myrna and her products, we’ve learned more about Boingboing than the good Dr. (Don’t miss her blog. )

Maybe I’m too cynical, but when was the last time anyone took ANY interesting advertising literally? Watching Careerbuilder’s office-full-of-monkeys Superbowl ads last year, were we really to conclude that Careerbuilder’s ad agency had found an office somewhere in America full of monkeys? Does every joke need a disclaimer? Or do we fear webettes are so infantile that ads need to include: “NOTICE: these monkeys were trained to look human.” Is the web to be premodern and not postmodern? Must tongues never meet cheeks? Is there to be no fantasy for God’s sake?

[Insert THUNDERING APPLAUSE, interspersed with CATCALLS for webocrats.]

Print and TV advertising long ago evolved beyond simple descriptions of products — ads now often don’t display a product, let alone describe its features or merits. Ads deploy narrative arcs, startling images, interesting/attractive characters… all of them fictional, none of them a lie. We should expect the same online. No. We should CELEBRATE it.

[More APPLAUSE, some SHRIEKS.]

Proving that some people have a sense of humor, it appears that Dr. Myrna last night not only showed up to debate a critic, but bought an ad on his blog.

It’s only advertising folks. Leave the preaching to the pope.

Disclaimers: The applause above was simulated by trained monkeys. Blogads is serving ads for this wonderful product. And yes, it really does work.