Bas Böttcher: Poesie als Eigenwerbung

Abstract

Since its advent, advertising has had an uncomfortable, yet symbiotic relationship with the literary arts. While the advertising world soon recognised the advantages of harnessing the powerful rhetorical potential of poetry in its service, many poets have recognised equally the commercial advantages of applying their literary talents to the art of advertising. So long an integral part of society, it is hard to imagine a world without advertising. Therefore, when German spoken-word poet Bas Böttcher uses his poetry to reflect the world he lives in, the result is a literature strongly influenced by advertising. Immediately obvious is the influence of brand names, or similes based on advertising slogans. Perhaps less obvious is, for example, the formal influence of a McDonald’s advertising campaign that inspired one of his best-known poems. At a deeper level, however, Böttcher recognises that poetry itself is like any other consumer product. It not only needs to satisfy customer demand for a quality product, but also, in today’s saturated market, to be launched with its own integrated advertising campaign designed to attract public attention and create market interest.