The Presbyopic Six: Exploring Marginalization of Protest and of Journalism in a Television-Online Advertising Campaign |
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| Abstract: | This article is a textual analysis of a recent ad campaign for Varilux eyewear that features a fictional group of protesters known as "The Presbyopic Six." Varilux is a brand of eyeglass lenses marketed by Essilor, a French corporation. Viewers "follow" the protesters from their arrest for defacing a large-print book sign at a bookstore through booking, and through interviews with fictional journalist Lauren Lewis while incarcerated in a minimum-security prison. The ads suggest that new, more aggressive methods of protest have clearly passed the Presbyopic Six by. The campaign announces and celebrates their marginalization. The campaign also suggests that contemporary journalism is driven by the same kind of homogeneity. It could also be argued that a degree of evolution in protest and journalism is seen in these ads. Thus, the campaign may also be a veiled criticism of today's anonymous, aggressive protestors. |
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