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why do movies make advertising so glamorous?

posted 16 years ago by philosophily
10 replies | jump to latest

Ive always wondered why they portray designers and advertisers as rich and powerful (or rich and powerful business men who do designs and advertising themselves). Its not like that at all, most big companies just send their projects to a small design firm and let them handle everything. Creative people arent high powered business men, its the opposite, the suits are the ones who always screw good ideas up because they want to cut corners. Creative people dont get paid jack in comparison to the "suits" so why movies make it seem like they are so rich is beyond me.

[–] hossrex 16 years ago

Are you really asking why movies don't show the boring, mundane aspects of graphic design?

Maybe because the truth is boring, and no one cares?

[–] Radhacelis 14 years ago

Sorry but graphic design is not boring and mundane is actually fun exciting and interesting is not glamorous as usually portrayed but is wonderful I actually love it and there is a glamorous part of all this but is usually for the huge account executives but not for the creative department.

[–] 14 years ago

[deleted]

[–] paololita 13 years ago

What kind of degree do you need to have to have a job like this?

[–] addiemac2020 10 years ago

Hollywood went through a phase where it was the job to have

Mel in this
Mattew mcgonaguy (sorry spelling)10 days
Keanu: sweet november

However, look how glamorous and fun it looks to be a cop in most Hollywood movies.. And there you'd be dealing with absolute scum...

[–] rindercella 10 years ago

Bewitched. He had an advertising job if I'm correct.

"Please let me keep this memory, just this one." ~ Joel, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

[–] Prismark10 9 years ago

It actually is rather mundane with very long hours apart from the guys at the top who are also rich.

It's that man again!!

[–] ck1-5 9 years ago

...for the same reason that legal matters are always made to be so exciting and mysterious in movies. A lawyer friend of mine said that if anyone ever made a TV series about the legal process that was 100 percent realistic, it wouldn't last 13 episodes due to how boring it would be.

[–] Utpe 9 years ago

I agree, the most realistic portrayal of advertising that I've ever seen would be AMC's Mad Men (2007). Now that is what an ad agency used to be like, albeit in the '60s and '70s.

[–] vicferrarri 8 years ago

I have thought the same thing. And I have come to the conclusion that it (advertising and advertising firms, or designers) hits on the things the average viewer can grasp, (creativity, power, jockeying, status, wins, fails, etc.) and yet is nebulous enough to not have us going away thinking that the movie was about being in advertising. It is familiar enough that the average person could probably grasp, yet foreign enough to allow for some artistic license that many will not even know to cringe at. I'm sure that the movies over glamorize and over-simplify advertising firms but is suits the movies needs. Most movies are not about the job but instead the job is just a vehicle to exploit a character's passions and/or weaknesses. In this movie they could have had the characters be in some other sales, or business ventures, or even be lawyers. I think we all watch and think, "I could do that". And I want to make well over six figures and have a personal staff and get sign-on bonuses and severance packages. And all because I'm creative. Then we start to get frustrated and realize that the movie (at least the job part) is a little far-fetched. I do like this movie though once I suspend the reality about the job.