Jen always says that the best thing about living with another planner is that you'll never hear the dismissive phrase, "I think you're overthinking this." Case in point:
I love Microsoft. (Truly, the love that dare not speak its name.) It pains me deeply that one of the most interesting, powerful brands ever seems intent on making itself invisible. This ad is typical. Typical of Microsoft, of bland corporate advertising in general and of the Silicon Valley fantasy that IT will magically transform the power relations and psychology of work. Just add software and we’ll all become inspired stakeholders, no-collar teammates whose confident vision is framed by Oliver Peoples eyewear (1). Brother Wrench! Sister Pantsuit! Let us march forward together and embrace the thrilling adventure of the marketplace!
What’s interesting about this ad is that the underside of the fantasy is also visible. Maybe a Freudian slip by a hurried art director, the repressed has returned in the faces of these two people (2) who look as though they’re caught in the headlights of the confident vision. Meet the people_not_ready.
Zoom in so that you can compare their facial and body language with Cocky Foreman in Gray Fuzzy. The old man’s face says, “I’ve been here 37 years and now this young kid says I have to learn NT-something-or-other or I’ll lose my pension! How can I tell Ellen that we can’t afford to retire?” His folded hands (3) make a sharp contrast with the hands on hips in-your-face-itude of his passionate young co-workers. All he wanted was a steady job when he got out of the Navy. Now he’s being dragged into Wall Street’s cost reduction revolution.
The woman next to him is also not_on_board. But her glassy stare is hiding something other than fear. She’s thinking about how she can get Gray Fuzzy in front of the turbine later and claim it was an accident when he comes out the other end as fuzzy exhaust. Now she’s truly inspired to turn insight into action! In fact, she’s having a brainstorm right now: “I’ll blame it on the new software…”
But maybe I'm overthinking this.
Somehow, when you send that as an email, it's slightly freakish and obssessive. But when it's a blogpost it's perfectly appropriate. Maybe that says something about blogging.
Posted by: russell | June 09, 2006 at 03:28 AM
Somehow, when you send that as an email, it's slightly freakish and obssessive. But when it's a blogpost it's perfectly appropriate. Maybe that says something about blogging.
Posted by: russell | June 09, 2006 at 03:28 AM
Love the notion of 'overthinking'. Now there's a thought... erm - as it were...
Posted by: Holycow | June 21, 2006 at 02:44 PM