In recent years, there seems to have been a trend in the magic of advertising: the way in which advertising copy is worded. More and more often we read words and sentences like these:
“This will fry your brain!”
“This is a killer effect!”
“Destroy them with this!”
“This will leave your audience completely devastated!”
“This is magic that will kill any audience!”
You know it, you’ve read it. But then — have you taken the time to think about it? What are advertisers trying to tell us? Become killers? Brain fryers? How strange!
Magic is supposed to be entertainment. To make people laugh, to show them a good time. And, of course, to show them things they can’t explain, so they can be fooled or deceived. Some little miracles. But to “kill” them?
You might dismiss this rambling as irrelevant. Unfortunately, I see more and more of the younger generation talking (and perhaps thinking) like this when discussing their routines with their mates:
“Yeah, I’m telling you — use that move and you’ll kill them!”
“Hey buddy, that move is a killer.”
“I did that last night and, man, I crushed them!”
“Hahaha … I fried them!”
Apparently, this advertising language started to get into their heads and it seems that they started to think in terms of killing, brain frying, devastating, destroying and so on. Then there is that nasty word “them” (meaning the viewers, the audience).
I understand that younger men like challenges and like to be winners. They seem to need the struggle and this language in the copy encourages them to see a performance as a ‘battle’ with the enemy (the audience) that needs to be won.
Do I like it? No! It is ridiculous, inappropriate, stupid and a ‘brainwashing’ initiated by greedy dealers who hope to sell more ‘weapons’ to their young customers by using this language.
As an active performer for over 35 years, working for real live audiences, I know I don’t need to ‘kill’ an audience. I also know how to thoroughly fool and deceive my audience with powerful effects that also entertain. No need to fry or kill them.
So please, dealer: time to STOP this silly language!
