Yesterday afternoon, a couple of my classmates and I took a brief trip to Woodland Mall. It was my first time at Woodland a
nd surprisingly, it looked almost exactly the same as the one in Seattle(I'm from Seattle). Because of the similar atmosphere and looks, it did not feel like a place 2000 miles away from home. It was the same welcoming, joyful, and happy place! As I was walking around and visiting some stores, I've noticed more things that I had no ideas about before, such as advertisements, architecture, and other things that Pahl mentioned in his book. Two advertisement that caught my attention the most were shoe ad and, a cosmetic product. They were not only advertising for specific products, but also hope, confidence, and lifestyle.
The shoe ad seemed like it was trying to convince people how they can be as good as a specific basketball player when they wear the same pair of shoes. Also, this "hope jar" was convincing women that they can overcome the aging issues.
Not only these two particular ads, but countless, almost all the slogans and catchy phrases and pictures were luring our minds to sell products, and furthermore, a lifestyle.
The mall did not look the same as it did before reading Pahl's article and watching The Persuaders. It still was a happy and welcoming place, but I could see other things behind it and got to think deeply about what we are buying and how people get lured by ads.
Good observations, Luke. The "hope" ad is truly bizarre when seen through the lenses of Pahl and The Persuaders! And your observation about the "placelessness" of the mall is important--Woodland is not about experiencing and loving the particularities of Grand Rapids, but the universal qualities of "The Mall."
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