Whitby Free Press, Wednesday, December 4, 1996, Page 7 i General Motore for example, seils its products as part of the landscape. Tried Trusted and True: Lt/w a Rock. GM has always been part of the Northi American Iandscape, these ada say, and always will be. No produet information at al.- Other automotive commerciale place themselves in the world of speed and dasbing Young maie macho. You've seen Fred: herets hoping he bits a speed trap every morning. Buit for the kind of drivers we should be keeping off the road. NO doubt you can corne up with your own.list of ads you'd rather not watch. My own pereonal favourite has been the series9 over the past year for mbanx. Tihe latest cafuffle bas been over the use of the Bob Dylan eong, The Times T/iey Are Changin'. That, of course, accomplished the aim -- te be noticed. mbanx commercials firet emerged as stark, black and white images of people walking around with protest signs, 'Can a bank change? That's the theme, of course. Banks. Can they do thingsciffrently? We had months of that. Then, over the summer, mibanx emerged with the Dylan song wbich, if you listen te the words, fits the age of change very well. Tirnes bave changed. The idealism of teenagers of the sixties bas' given way te the x»nmercialism of the nineties. If itIl fetch money, seli it. What is rnbanx selling? IereW/elePhone/opie banking. For everythïng. With mbanx, you need neyer go into a bank building again. Ever. They boast you will be able te do everything from your telephone or home computer. That includes paying bils, transferring money, applying for and getting loans and mortgages. You naine it. And to encourage people te jump on board andioin-the change, fees are relatively low and the service offered is high. Free cheques,, no extra ATM charges, free delivery of traveller cheques. As the girls in the TV -adasay, wouldn't it be a wonderful world if everyone always did what they say theytre going te do? One wonders if those saine snotty- nosed adnodinal 14 year-olds really do dlean their rooms when they say they're going to. Or is that, like, disgusting? And what do tbey have te do witb computer banking? mbanx is a subsidiary of the Bank of Montreal, and this is their bid to be the bank of the future. They may just do it. My computer makes it possible for me te sit at home and play seven-card stud poker with people froin across North America. Surely this saine machine should enable me te shop, bank and -sin. I'm sold on the concept. Itfs the commercials I can't stand. Once upon a trne., in a land far away, the messages of advertisers were clearly stated. Any good advertiser had to provide information about a product or it wouldn't seil. Advertising has since leapt into the future. One of the current signs of middle age may now be the realization thatyou dont~ understand the commercials on television. If you open a newspaper and look at the ada, you will likely find most stili follow the tried-and-true pattern. You look at the adread the copy, and you can tell what is being sold and who is selling it. There will also usually be some information for action, that is, naine, address, phone -number. Therefore, you can either phone for more- information or drive to the site and ask questions in person. But large, inetitutional advertising campaigns leave thie quaint old-fashioned idea in the dust. Watch television any night: 'IlI give you even odde that for haif the comnmercials, you will not really be sure what is being sold anîd how ,vou would go about buying it. Ads are cbangin' zlb I CONSTRUCToN0F BR OOKLNMOI MA EÀ EEB ,14 This picture shows the framework of the original Brooklin Arena, erected with volunteer labour and Parts fimm buildings used during World War II at Ajax. Dr. John McKinney headed the comniittoe wbich built the arena as a memorial to Brooklin's war veterans. The arena was opened in January 1949, and was demolished in 1972 when it did flot meet new Provincial safety standards. The Luther Vipond Arena was built on the same site In 1972-73. Wbltby Archive photo 10 YEARS AGO from the Wednesday, December 3, 1986 edition of the W[TBRY FREE PBESS 0 Bull Little was named Business Person of the Year by the Whitby Chamber of Commerce for bis Pearson Lanes development on Mary Street. 9 Fourteen-year.oîd Chris Camipbell won a silver medal at an international Judo champion- ship meet held near Vancouver, B.C. * The Anne Ottenbrite Pool at Iroquois Park is undergoing repairs. *Widening of Victoria Street in preparation for the new (GO Transit station is proposed for next year. 35 YEARS AGO from the Thursday, November 30, 1961 edition of the WfflTY WEEKLMY NEWS Croven Limited will double the size of its plant on Beech Street. *Two drunk drivers were sentenoed to 15 days in jail by Whitby Police Court. * The Public Utilities Commission às planning underground wiring in new subdivisions. *Dr. T.A. Sweet B£Maiorie Bafley, Robert Smith, O. Lengerdale, George Newton and EarI Hrann are new members of the Ontario Hospital Quarter Centuiy Club. 100 YEARS AGO from the Friday, December 4,,1896 edition of the