After showing a couple of mid-nineties films about advertising, one of my students suggested the films were old saying there was a huge “cultural difference” between today and 15 years ago. I replied, honestly I think, that the film is a few years old but still relevant. Nothing has changed regarding the dynamics of advertising.

Still, if a more up-to-date film were available, I would like to know about it, so I wrote to professor Bernard McGrane, creator of the brilliant film “The Ad and the Id: Sex, Death, and Advertising,” which I’ve used for years in my classrooms. McGrane responded:

From: McGrane, Bernard [mailto:mcgrane@chapman.edu]
Sent: Sunday, October 10, 2010 1:04 PM
To: Shawn Hamilton
Subject: RE: The Ad and the Id

Dear Shawn,

Thanks for your note. Glad my videos are useful to you. Unfortunately I haven’t  (yet) done a new edition. Regarding subliminals  I’ve heard that “Programming the Nation”  (2010) DVD may be very good but it seems to be having difficulty actually coming out and being available (I just checked Amazon and Netflix).

I’d tell your students that my experience is that it’s all alive and well and ever creatively thriving (sort of like our military technologies). I’d suggest they go out on an expedition and find some on their own. (I also think you tube has some material)

Thanks again,

Barney