Birthday Cake

A funny thing happened, which I then realized kind of illustrates what I think about advertising. It wasn’t that funny, really—I know we’re not supposed to be surprised anymore about our lack of privacy and the extent to which our devices literally read our minds—but it still startles me occasionally. I was listening to a podcast (otherppl) and an author (Jinwoo Chong) passionately related how he celebrated (either finishing or publishing his novel, Flux) with a “Birthday Cake” from Milk Bar. So infectious was his enthusiasm, I looked up this particular treat on that internet when I got home (even though I can’t eat wheat or sugar, and there’s no Milk Bar local to me). Then, the next time I looked at Instagram, probably an hour later, the very first thing in my feed was a Milk Bar birthday cake. Shouldn’t surprise me but it still does. Anyway, the point of this is to say, that made me think about—for me, anyway, how much more effective and pleasing it is to be sold the cake by a guy expressing real, spur of the moment, love for something—rather than to be waylaid by a network of creepy robots with no boundaries whatsoever. I suppose that’s obvious, and maybe a simplistic way to look at things—but still worth remembering, as far as I’m concerned. Now I probably really should go out and read that book, Flux (which sounds very good, as well, and not quite as sweet as the cake). And… okay… maybe I will fall off the wagon and reward myself with that $62 cake (if they make gluten-free version), perhaps on my 62nd birthday. Though, for that, I’ll need time travel (perhaps the novel will help me there), as I’ve got to go back about a year and a half.

4.30.23