Possible Side Effects
Welcome to my Book Club. Rather than a detailed synopsis or critical discussion, we’re going to borrow a format from my college grammar class. If I’m posting about a book, it’s because I enjoyed it. I’ll excerpt a passage that helps explain why.
Augusten Burroughs is a trashy memoirist (his words), recovering alcoholic and former ad wizard. Our first Book Club book is Possible Side Effects, a collection of his personal essays.
This paragraph refers back to his advertising days at Ogilvy, where he was the only copywriter on the Junior Mints account. The client wanted a commercial that encouraged consumers to “cross the mint threshold.” Burroughs has just explained why people eating Junior Mints in the supermarket does not make a good TV spot. Should be especially amusing to anyone in the ad world.
The client became defensive. “Well, I do think people are waiting to see some ads for Junior Mints. I disagree entirely. We don’t have a presence on television. So when somebody sees the Junior Mints brand name flashed on the screen for a good fifteen seconds, you can be sure that’s going to get a lot of attention. Yes. That’s going to get talked about. Because people just don’t expect Junior Mints to be advertising on television. They are used to encountering the product in a movie theater. Not when they’re home, relaxing and watching some television shows. Seeing Junior Mints like that, in the context of relaxing and watching some good shows, that’s what will make people want to have a Junior Mint.”
It was at that moment I finally reached my mint threshold.