Walgreens' "California Girls" Medicare Ad Triggers Mental Depression
Walgreens' slogan -- "Walgreens has you covered" -- is torpedoed by the mental images that its latest TV ad produces. I saw it over the weekend.
This ad is depressing. It is even more depressing for me than it will be for you.
To understand my mental state, you need some background.
First, I spent my adolescence in Manhattan Beach, California. That was where surf bunnies were first introduced to American culture. I was in school with Dewey Weber. I used to sell records to him at the Manhattan House of Music. Years later...
Second, one of my best friends in high school was a few years older: Neal Jardine. Neal lived five miles inland in Hawthorne.
Third, Neal's kid brother Al was six months younger than I was. They key idea here is "younger." He was a year behind me in school.
Fourth, a few years later, Al got a steady job.
THE AD
When I saw the ad, the music was familiar, but the setting seemed out of place: Walgreens.
As the ad developed, I had a sinking sensation in my stomach. The connections were unnerving.
These were... California girls! (Note: I am now older than the then-aged legendary comedian was when he arrived on screen at the end of the song. Grim.)
The ad's closing scene left me in a state of denial.
Some memories are best left unconnected with today's reality.