Agree re: the "new" VW. As the owner of three original beetles back then the new one just makes the case that "everything ends in parody".
arthur -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Mike Spencer Sent: Wednesday, November 17, 2010 2:54 PM To: [email protected] Subject: [Futurework] FW: The Search for Authenticity Arthur wrote (fwd): > Subject: The Search for Authenticity > > http://www.tvo.org/TVOOrg/Images/tvoresources/D4048485-E9DF-A5DE-7467FF5EFB1 CCD44.jpg > > http://www.tvo.org/cfmx/tvoorg/theagenda/ The William Gibson interview that I mentioned in a recent post here was preceded by an interview with (I missed his name) what I took to be a marketing/branding guy who asserted that "authenticity" as the holy grail of contemporary marketing. He cited the Volkswagen Beetle as an example of a successful capture of authenticity. But he meant the VW model introduced 15 years or so ago that sorta looks like the original, iconic VW Model 1 sedan. I suspect this is a lovely example of what the academics (on the TVO program) and Andrew Potter (in his book) are talking about. I was at one point a wizard VW mechanic. I could still, I think, recount verbally every step, every bolt and screw, bearing and key, cover and gasket, in the right order in rebuilding a VW air-cooled engine. For me, the "new" VW was a hilarious sight gag, a corporate culture hack, a sort of mass-produced, funny-once conceptual art happening. And this spurious "authenticity" lies at the heart of making the people of the world feel better about themselves. Oy. - Mike -- Michael Spencer Nova Scotia, Canada .~. /V\ [email protected] /( )\ http://home.tallships.ca/mspencer/ ^^-^^ _______________________________________________ Futurework mailing list [email protected] https://lists.uwaterloo.ca/mailman/listinfo/futurework _______________________________________________ Futurework mailing list [email protected] https://lists.uwaterloo.ca/mailman/listinfo/futurework
