It’s not the best, nor the worst, ad you’ll ever see but it does have the distinction of being the world’s first tv commercial for marijuana. Made for Canadian company Crop King Seeds, its theme rests on the comparison between alcohol and marijuana in society and in the marketplace.
It isn’t on the air yet but it is available on the internet, a premiere run that will give ad makers and the company a chance to gauge its effectiveness and likeability - they’ve already indicated that that they're likely to have to edit out one bit of profanity before the ad airs. Most of all, they’re hoping the ad will go viral so I thought I’d give them a helping hand.
While it’s funny and memorable, it has come in for its fair share of criticism. Some feel that the hostility shown towards the negative effects of alcohol is too heavy-handed. Others that the “spokesking” is too over the top or, as
Chris Weigant puts it:
"...falls somewhere on the scale of creepy corporate mascots between Jack from the Jack In The Box ad campaign (fairly benign), and the truly disturbing plastic-faced Burger King from their ad campaign of a few years ago (totally creepy). At the very least, get a better fake beard! Having a mascot for your company who looks like Santa's weed-growing cousin isn't all that bad an idea (it's actually pretty funny!), but maybe do a better casting job for the next ad. Maybe hire an off-season mall Santa with a real snow-white beard? Just a suggestion."
It is nevertheless historic and a pioneer in its own right. It breaks down a long-held barrier, an event millions of people never expected to see, and begins the normalization of marijuana acceptance via the powerful advertising medium as more and more companies produce their own ads.
The commercial has appeared at just the right time for those states with midterm ballot propositions to legalize marijuana. Many are concerned that midterms are a bad time for such propositions because of traditionally low turn-outs in a non-presidential year. However, I’m with those who believe such propositions help to increase turn-out, especially of young voters, and I see this ground-breaking commercial as furthering that outcome by appealing to, and energizing, the “yes” voters. I hope I’m right because that outcome can only be good for Democrats.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~(◕‿~)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~