• i want to preface this thought by saying that there might be something which i am unaware of surrounding the advertisement i discuss (cultural reference, inside joke). . . there usually is something i am unaware of. there may be some campaign which i’ve never heard of and, in that case, the bulk of what is to follow will be stricken completely irrelevant. xo •
watching a sporting event, there was an advertisement on a digital ad board, crazy, right? the ad was for balenciaga: the luxury clothing brand (do i get out much?). the ad read: “is the grass really greener on the other side?”
the ad sent me in circles. what the ad is referring to, what it is rooted in, is the common aphorism “the grass isn’t always greener on the other side (of the fence).”
what that means is, as we are all well aware, that what we want isn’t always (or often isn’t) better than what we already have. some like to add “the grass is greenest where watered.”
we love shit like this, simple riddle-esque statements which offer us a quick reminder of what we should already know, no guilt attached.
the balenciaga ad is curious for a few reasons (assuming that there are no ulterior or covert meanings behind it).
- it seems that the ad is assuming that everyone reading it already has balenciaga merchandise (therefore knowing what it would be like to be on that side of the fence, so to speak. know what it feels like to have balenciaga).
- the ad seems, theoretically, to be shooting the purveyor of the ad (balenciaga) in the foot, because of the meaning of the maxim.
it seems entirely possible that the ad is addressing the nature of the fashion industry, which seems fickle and unpredictable. one day all the attention can be on one item or brand, and, quicker than the blink of an eye, the focus can shift.
balenciaga could be addressing consumer capriciousness and disloyalty, market volatility and trend vacillation.
they may be saying: “hey all you fashionistas who once chased our image… now that you’ve jumped ship and chased the newest, hottest trend (competition), do you feel any better than when you chased ours?”
but this would be admitting that balenciaga themselves are part of the larger trend economy, and therefore an instrument in their own demise. they are part of the same cog. the companies which are taking from them could voice the same grievances about balenciaga.
this is all assuming that balenciaga is speaking only to those who already have, or are personally familiar with, their products. can we assume that the ad could be directed towards even those who haven’t had interaction with the products?
if the ad is directed at everyone, regardless of the many levels of brand awareness, then is balenciaga getting the most out of the ad space?
what does the ad tell us (or simply say) about the company, other than their own possible insecurities? (see, we are just as good if not better than those other brands).
it’s vague to the point of bordering on cryptic, which is why i have included the brief prologue, because in its vagaries there are suggestions of un-written meaning.
the point of the aphorism is to lead the subject of the experiment to the conclusion that no, what they were longing after isn’t better than what they already had. it is a classic platitude designed to bring out the best in one who deeply explores its practical application in ones own life. we have been conditioned to realize that the grass is not in fact greener on the other side (though the truth is that it may be). but this is a matter of perspective as well.
what if the intended target of balenciaga’s ad is already firmly situated on the opposite side of them? then the subject is conditioned to think that balenciaga is not the right option, that whatever side they are currently situated on is the place to stay. and the ad insinuates that the target of the ad has already ventured away from balenciaga, and therefore this is the most likely perspective of the subject. otherwise, what motive is there to ask the question in the first place?
balenciaga has no need to ask their current consumers if the grass is greener on the other side, because why sow that seed of doubt?
whatever their intention, aphorisms, or general and common truisms such as this don’t seem as practical to modern lives, don’t seem like such simple fixes, as they once might have been.
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