The day I missed class

I fully admit I was not the star student of Mankato State University's Business School 1991, and I must have missed the day in marketing class when they discussed under which circumstances we would encourage the public to LIE about the use of our product. The fine folks at S.C. Johnson company have done just that in a series of ads for Glade candles. Rather than admit they have a good product, we are encouraged to hide our use of their product and LIE about it.

In one of my recent favorites in this latest series, we see a woman who has apparently found five minutes to herself to soak in her over sized bathtub. She has surrounded herself with Glade candles and -- for reasons unknown to me -- her cell phone. Her friend calls and rather than admit she is taking a quick bath while hubby gets dinner started with the kids, she LIES and says she is at a spa. WHY?! If any friend of mine said she'd managed to get in the bathroom alone with the door locked I would shout, "Hooray! Go, girl!! I'll call you back later!!" This chippy lies and then -- again for reasons unknown to me -- LIES about her candle which her friend can't see and didn't even ask about.

Today, I have seen a holiday commercial featuring this woman. She is burning a Glade holiday candle and lying about her baking ability. Who cares?! Pass the coffee. As she lies, one of the little gingerbread men pipes up, "IT'S GLADE!" and rather than display the proper shock and awe of the phenomena of a talking cookie, she EATS IT. That's right. She eats the talking cookie rather than admit she uses Glade candles.

I don't get it. Honestly, is our culture so obsessed with materialism that our brand of candle matters?

Don't answer that.