 | The New Economy |
Within the last few months, I saw an LG (Life's Good) Commercial that disturbed me a great deal.
The LG TV commercial was about the beautiful woman who sees a new LG clothes washer & dryer set in a local retailers window.
She then goes into a dream about all of the things she would do to her old washer and dryer set in order to get a new clothes washer and dryer set.
Woman from LG Commercial
LG Washer Dryer Commercial can be seen on LG's site
I HOPE THIS IS NOT GOING TO BECOME THE NEW ADVERTISING
I was absolutely horrified when I saw this commercial!! The message that they're sending makes planned obsolescence for motor vehicles seemed childish.
The message this commercial is sending along is this:
Tired of your old dryer? Take a sledge hammer to it and get a new one.
It's ok to destroy the perfectly good things you own to get the newer, better model.
This is the ultimate in consumerism and commercialism.
So... for every product that you've purchased in the past that you're now tired of, destroy it and buy a new shinier one.'
Why have this:
Old beaten up drier
When you could have this:
LG shiny new dryer
The problem with clothes dryer's is that they last for 10+ years which is bad for LG's sales. They want you to have a newer model so that they can sell more dryers on a more regular basis.
Destruction is the message
The answer for LG's marketing team was to create a commercial where the woman throws the washing/dryer machine off a diving board. Next she launches the clothes washer with a trebuchet. Next she's seen jackhammering the old clothes washer and dryer machines. Next she's driving a steam roller over her old clothes washer and dryer. then she fades back to her standing in front of the store looking at the new models.
Very creative, powerful (but bad) advertising.
In the old days, people kept a hold of things for as long as they could. They would repair an item if it was broken.
THE BOTTOM LINE:
It's good for a household's finances if they don't have to continuously replace their appliances and other household goods. While it is nice to have nice things, you should really only buy new items if your old ones are worn out and can't be fixed.
In the old days, people used to praise their washer and dryers for lasting 10-20 years. This was a good thing as they didn't have to keep replacing them. People valued their possessions more at that point.
Even though you may have an old "white" washer and dryer... If it works, why replace it. Keep that appliance for its natural life. After all, you paid good money for it when you first bought it. Why not get the full value out of the clothes washer & dryer that you have already paid in full for!??!!
