MED-ADS

Your path =Home>Uses of Beads>Beads as Metaphor> Advertising

Beads in Advertising

Beads are common in print ads, often symbolically. The image of an oyster with a pearl is frequent. Beads are in TV commercials too.

A spot used by Geraldine Ferraro when running in the democratic primary for U.S. Senate in 1992 carried a heartbreaking message. Her father died when she was eight. Her mother crocheted beads on dresses to support the family. How humiliating. And think of all those people who do beadwork for fun.

In a Maytag commercial Jessie White, the original repairman with nothing to do, is recruiting new repairmen. He announces to them, This is your kit. Playing Cards for solitaire, crosswords, (gulp) beadwork (holding up a kit). Another advertising agency that regards beadwork as something to do only at a last result.

And if beadwork were not maligned enough already, consider Item A9427 the "Floral Sequin Yoke Sweater" offered on the QVC channel on 18 August 1992. The design had beads as well as sequins. There were both round and tubular beads, but all were called "bugle beads." Bugle refers only to tubular beads in beadwork.

Beadworkers of the World, Unite!
You have nothing to lose but their misconceptions.

An ad promoting Tylenol as an arthritis antidote shows grandmother and granddaughter working on a project together. Grandmother has clearly taken the medicine because now she can do wat she wants -- stringing large blue beads into a necklace for the little girl.

But I guess my favorite ad with beads is one for Skittles candy. A boy on a boat kisses an amulet (typical of the South Pacific) and tosses it into the sea. It lands in a sort of magic garden and when he retrieves it, the garden spouts Skittles. Talk about the power of beads!

Note: one or more images on this page may be copyrighted. I believe their use is covered by the "fair use" clause (Section 107) of the U.S. Copyright Law. If any copyright holder informs me in writing that the use is not fair, I shall remove the image in question.

__________________________________________________