I was thinking about advertising today in the shower.

Last spring I was part of a focus group for this Neutrogena hair care line for people with really dry hair, and at the time I thought focus groups were ridiculous and the ad company was wasting its money. Basically I sat there for a few hours, ate some free food, and criticized different advertising layouts. In particular, there was one spread that featured a tub of hair creme, but the lid was arranged so it looked like a hockey puck. I told them it sucked.

Back to my shower musings... I bought the shampoo and conditioner from this line a while ago since the East Coast winter has plagued my hair with the frizzies. As I used it, I thought about the ad layouts and how advertising would be an interesting job; as a matter of fact, I would argue thatadvertisements are the most important art form out there today. You may be surprised/disgusted/suspicious to hear me talk about ads in such glorified terms, but it's true. If art is produced to make people feel a certain way, then advertising qualifies. A good ad makes you feel, among other emotions, incomplete without the product in question.

I was definitely feeling incomplete without the Neutrogena Triple Moisture shampoo and conditioner. In fact, my hair is looking a lot better but I'm not sure I bought quite enough of the products, so I might have to go back to CVS and get the once-a-week hot oil treatment. It's okay, though, I'm still ahead: I got $75 for the focus group. :o)