Melinda Routh

Growing up I was extremely close to my grandparents. I would spend a couple of weeks with them each summer. My favorite place to nap was sitting on my grandpa’s lap. My napping place led to us giving each other nicknames. My grandpa was my Marshmallow and my granny was Graham Cracker, because she always cracked up at my antics. And according to them, I’m sweet as chocolate.

While watching the latest Humana commercial, time spent with my grandparents came rushing back. In the commercial, children are telling their favorite grandparent that they are their best friend. The children and the grandparent are talking about the things that are unique to them in their relationship. The Humana organization was saying that they go out of their way to protect the rights and health of the grandparents of our nation.

After seeing the advertisement, all I could think about was how much I missed my grandpa. I completely missed what Humana was trying to sell me and my parents. This commercial led me to realize that an emotional reaction to an advertisement is not always a good thing. Had I not been thinking of my own relationship with Marshmallow and Graham Cracker, I would have been more likely to purchase whatever Humana was trying to sell.

The children in the commercial were cute kids, and yet I thought of mostly myself. I thought of what I would have said about my grandpa had someone asked me a similar question. I thought of what my daughter would say about my parents when she gets older. The point of the commercial may have been to get the audience to pay attention to Medicare and the needs of the elders. I don’t know. The point of the commercial was nearly completely lost.

With emotional advertising does anyone else ever find themselves thinking more of them instead of the point?

Photograph Credit:
Sabrina Segal