Wednesday, October 10, 2007

Tax Ads

I'm really getting tired of these cute and funny tax ads. These ads are so polished up that they give you the impression of professionalism. From a marketing perspective they've done what they set out to do which is con people, but enough already, the more they show them the more I feel tricked wearing that '3emma' they're talking about. The problem is that they're trying too hard to be sincere and it's the same old corrupt, beat down offices that don't do anything for the people.

I wish the government were as fancy as those ads with all the well thought of script, sound and picture quality. The trouble is that they're approaching those advertising companies with the promises that can hardly be delivered and the ad companies who are the real professional makes sure that people believe those promises. But it's all fake, the government never puts our interest first, and sure we should pay taxes in order to get services, but what's changed? The ads might change the attitude of tax evaders but where are the equally powerful ads to change the attitudes of those who spend our taxes? There's just too much distrust in me to believe that those taxes aren't making rich corrupt people even more richer.

So this is the new trend, more lies from the government using trendy means. It is foreseeable that these ads will develop to encompass more messages and will take on the same style of soda drinks with Nancy Agram singing for the government or showing us some sort of sex appeal to being in bed with the government.

I much preferred the old crappy government ads that were as fake as their promises, that way it was at least more honest. I prefer them when they're preachy because that makes them more remote and somehow more sincere. Isn't it enough that they're trying to polish up everything? Why should they be better at looking shiny and invest all their resources in that rather than serving people?

They're funny ads and it annoys me that I find some of them funny because of the cops that would beat me up if they chose to and the annoyance they can have me feel if they desired. By time the illusion will be complete for those who don't deal with reality. Too few people care already, and with time even less will care. In time our casing will be beautiful and who knows what will be inside.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Will,

those tax ads are piped all the way here on nile tv. Do they disclose how the collected revenue is invested???

Or do they just stuff the money in their coffers, and eventually lines the pockets of the chosen few?????

Wael Eskandar said...

All they say in the ads is that the money is generally used for building roads and schools, but considering the quality of roads and schools we have I would have to say that the money lines a few chosen pockets.

The trouble is that the government gives you broad lines of where the money is going but you can't track down every pound. So they would say something like a billion has gone into road constructions but you don't know which roads.

Once in a while they tell you that this road/school/etc.. costs so and so, but what really gets to me is that the quality of things done doesn't at all reflect the amount claimed to have been spent on it..

There's a lot of distrust between the government and people and not without cause.. I really can't trust the government with their fancy ads, if anything, these ads prove that they've just become better at ripping us off.

hurricane_x said...

yeah, and that ad about job opportunities and how every unemployed person should seek any kind of job and "eventually" his "dreams" will come true, simply from an ordinary worker to a manager,...(after how many yrs??.. 20 yrs for example?!)..
and finally the fake quote "2elbalad bett7arak"...
I'm not against seeking respectable jobs rather than being unemployed and worthless but the fake way they present all that is really disgusting!

Wael Eskandar said...

Don't get me started on those!!

insomniac said...

need i remind you about the endless endless campaign of the kids' hospital... they've been fundraising for it since i was in college!!!!

this is a sad sad sad country

Jade said...

I didnt see this year's ads but I saw the very first one a couple of years back... Yeah I am one of those people that believe that tax payer's money will not go into building a better country, but then that makes me wonder - if we all think like that - then why do we complain that our roads & schools are crappy - once again, egg first or chicken?

Wael Eskandar said...

@inso, yes .. those as well, looks like this has been around for some time.. I wonder how many people are getting rich out of all this.

@jade, the simple answer would be that the government started by losing its people's trust and so they must gain it again. The person who betrays is the one who has to gain trust of those he betrayed. But after a while it's not that simple, after years of distrust no one remembers who started it and to change it, the change must happen simulataneously.. but these ads are targetting the people, and we don't see the same kind of ads for officials.

Anonymous said...

Ghazal is in ya will.