They Live: Quantitative Thinking

With a recent lecture held last week, we discussed - entertainingly - quantitative thinking, and marginally explored the advertising; the impact of this and how simple words advertised well, or poorly, can individually challenge our minds.
Six separate words where used for this classroom test, with each promoting it's own marketing, based around the word. For example, the word 'disruption' was shown as an image of itself - the exact piece I couldn't find, but looked similar in approach to this:

With these seemingly simple prepositions, we individually established the image's impact; with 'low', 'medium' and 'high' being the qualifying answers.
One word that stood out for me was one that many of the class had either voted as 'medium' or 'low', which was then briefly discussed as an example of it's impact, or lack there of, after the test.

The image shown was 'advertisiNg'.

What stood out, blatantly to me was the capital 'N' used in the lower-case word. Our lecturer projected that even though rated poorly within the class as an impacting image, the image - just for the 'N' had married with the word, and overall concept of good advertisement. With the 'N' glaring the viewer in the face, this in fact stood out, and was hinted as a metaphor for successful advertising - to stand out.

This whole exercise in quantitative thinking, in particular the example above, had me jotting down notes in my notepad, specifically aimed at advertising within the mainstream world, and the emotional impact and connections it can often have on it's audience.
I reminded myself during this note-taking of the film They Live, by director John Carpenter. Released in 1988, the film's plot is essentially based on subliminal advertising throughout mass media outlets by an alien species that conceal their appearance, blend into society and manage social human affairs through mixed signals in television and billboard adverts.
This is discovered through the character Nada who finds a box filled with sunglasses that, when worn, reveal billboards, magazines and even money as their blatant and bold intention.

A billboard's true intention/message is revealed when wearing the sunglasses. The bold, black and white adds to the message's blatant intent towards the viewer, as it's subliminally advertised within the 'come to the.... CARIBBEAN' image.

The film itself is an absurd, off-the-wall sci-fi comedy/action flick that's plot is in the realization of an alien species and the ways of solving this politically charged dilemma - gun fights and catchphrases.
Still, as ridiculous as the premise sounds, the film's exploration of the satirical agenda of media-based advertising and it's abolishment, there of, of free thinking is an unlocked door into the potential exploration of this kind of practice throughout a video game.

"I have come here to chew bubblegum and kick ass... and I'm all out of bubblegum."