Monday, June 09, 2008

Everything I ever wanted to know about the philosphy of the Steve Harper Party of Canada...

... I learned from a gas pump.



Notwithstanding that buying motor fuel in BC is more than a little inconvenient, the price of oil skyrocketed on Harper's watch. The price of everything is already going up.... on Harper's watch... while he cozies up to Big Oil. Well, he always was cozy with Big Oil but now, he's going to have his party pay them advertising bucks to further insult your intelligence.

Since, apparently the Harper party guerrilla ad campaign isn't going to be interactive, some people have the right idea. No, it's not the fault of the gasoline retailer, but it's a way to send a message back up the line. If you're dumb enough to allow a political ad to run while I pay an excessive amount of money for fuel I'll take my business elsewhere.

Be creative. Be innovative. Tell them that, since there's no such thing as customer service at a gas station anymore, you'd like to be left alone in your fueling misery.

Boycotts seldom work when it comes to oil companies. This however, isn't completely about the price of gasoline and diesel. It's about having oil companies, making obscene amounts of money while trying to portray themselves as helpless victims, shove their political puppetry in our faces.

Oil companies have, for the past few decades, been whispering the same words to consumers every time they dismiss complaints about the price of their product: Fuck you.

And now, from the very same pumps the oil companies send you that message, they show you their party of choice. And they have a blob of oil speaking for Harper. It doesn't get better than that. The new Harper party message is the same as that of the oil companies.

Methinks at least one advertising expert would have a field day with this one. Especially when the message starts to filter through the slack-jawed fog in the Harperite war rooms.

Right back at ya... assholes.

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