Last night, while watching TV [again], I was glad to find a commercial by one of the biggest bookstores here in the Philippines. [Although unfortunately I could not find the commercial on the Net yet, so I could post it here, I used their banner instead].
Ciara, a 4-year old girl was reading with her mom at the start of the commercial. After a while, Ciara was already reading to and lulling her mom to sleep.
Such a short yet sweet commercial, which conveys that the love for reading should start young. Though sadly, the keyword here, in my opinion, is not really simply reading but commercial. It would be a better campaign, I guess, if an organization of librarians, reading advocates and even the Department of Education would also develop TV ads to advocate life-long reading and learning. It is true that we should start them young, and it is also true that reading needs to be sustained. Therefore, a need for more developed libraries and library collections is required. So that aspiring readers would not just remain reading in bookstores, they would also appreciate the existence of libraries, which do not only support their reading interests but also serve as places for comfort and relaxation.
I know it really is a big challenge, but I believe that there are many of us who are willing to face that challenge.
**DISCLAIMER: Picture taken from NBS' Homepage
**DISCLAIMER: Picture taken from NBS' Homepage
/dmarco
December 9, 2010 at 11:55 AM
I think the right word term is TV ad, not commercial. :)
And yes, it would've been better...
December 9, 2010 at 12:58 PM
waaah! yeah! I was looking for that right term kanina pa. haha! thanks Bee! :)
December 10, 2010 at 7:41 AM
i just have one concern: reading lulls you to sleep?
December 10, 2010 at 8:27 AM
@ara: yeah, i suppose so. that's why we have bedtime reading and storytelling. though i think that it is more applicable to kids than adults.
"read me to sleep" - Agnes, Despicable Me
December 13, 2010 at 8:14 AM
what bothers me is that the ad could reinforce the thought "na nakakaantok ang pagbabasa" and that some people read to make them fall asleep and not because they really like to read.
December 13, 2010 at 8:46 AM
@ms. ara: I get your point but I guess that's another perspective. If we see it that way, that would really be a problem.
The ad doesn't deliberately state that idea. I think what it really wanted to convey is that reading should be a habit, no matter what your purpose is: be it for relaxation, for entertainment, or just to lull you to sleep, etc. The main point is to love reading.
I,personally, read every night just so I could go to sleep. And I guess it's better if we look at it that way. There's a big difference between "reading lulls you to sleep" -- because there's a sense of relaxation and rest -- and "reading makes you sleep" -- because you just see reading as a tiring and boring activity.