Pardoxical Irony

There were many wonderful ironies during last week’s buildup to the NFL game in London on Sunday. How great was it that the “Patriots” were playing on British soil? There was the actual football game in the land of another kind of Manchester United, where that sport is also called football. Yet, there was a striking contrast that was likely missed by most.

To discover this obscure contrast, one had to have looked just past Tom Brady at his press conference. Tom Terrific stood on a podium, in front of cameras, reporters and the like, as he has done hundreds of times. Behind him, there was a large Dunkin Donuts advertisement. This is the same Dunkin Donuts, founded in Massachusetts that is currently conquering the world with its delicious coffee.

The Dunkin Donuts sign was placed over a plaque memorializing some Brits who lost their lives in World War I. Many other companies leverage mass marketing and branding as a way to rule the world, such as Starbucks, McDonalds, and so on. We are fairly immune to this, except when it comes to the desecration of famed stadiums and ballparks. But in World War I (and World War II) the path to world domination was war. Yet in London this weekend, the power of modern day media trumped yesterday’s British power of valor and sacrifice.

Had it not been for the British and the United States in World War I, Dunkin Donuts and other companies would not be conquering world palettes. It is plausible that today they would go by different names and peddle fine schnitzel and warm beer.

In World War I, many British paid the ultimate sacrifice to defend their homeland and in a trickle down process have allowed the West to flourish. That is how Tom Brady was able to have his press conference on Saturday and how Dunkin Donuts can continue serving coffee in other countries, even Colombia.

Dunkin Donuts of course has a contract with the Patriots that cost the company millions of dollars for advertising rights. So, one the one hand, legally, they did nothing wrong. Since we are immune to mass marketing, except for the Super Bowl, we surely were oblivious to this contrast. But, the question must be posed: why couldn’t Dunkin Donuts skip one press conference? For one second, imagine the significance. It would have been nice to have Dunkin Donuts sacrifice those ten minutes in the spotlight by not arrogantly displaying its logo over a remembrance of those that died battling tyranny. Or, maybe they could have just found another angle or venue.

I remember when 9-11 happened, People magazine came out with an issue dedicated solely to that tragic event. On one page there would be a photo of someone jumping from a tower. The opposite facing page would have an advertisement of a smiling woman and her wonderful shampoo. Imagine for a second if Dunkin Donuts had not hung its logo that one time, out of respect for those British that gave their lives in World War I. The final irony is that companies would gain greater respect and customers by once in a while skipping the advertising.