Last weekend, my dad and I went to a flea market. This is no unusual Saturday -- we ARE Mexican after all. Upon getting out of the car, I realized that my dad did not bring his normal rolling cooler that is a staple of these bargain-shopping trips. Instead, he brought an over-the-shoulder rig that weighed close to thirty pounds. Realizing that he would be carrying this monstrosity around all afternoon, I asked him if the more convenient, rolling cooler was broken. He looked at me and said, "I was going to bring it, but haven't you heard the Real Men of Genius commercial?" I had heard the commercial, but the ad-student inside of me told him no. He went on to explain that they made fun of the guy for pulling a rolling cooler, so he didn't want people to see him and think of that ad. I told him that was understandable and let it go, but it was amazing to see the unintended effects of advertising and made me realize that sometimes the industry has more power that it thinks.
