The Bottle that isn't there and the Duck that can't be Heard: The “Subjective Correlative” in Commercial Messages

Contemporary advertising is notable for its use of the techniques described in T.S. Eliot's concept of the “objective correlative.” Specifically, it links products and services to desirable states, traits, and emotions. With the recent series of ads for Absolut Vodka, this linkage has become more attenuated and, at times, literally absent in the traditional sense. The logical development of this tendency is seen in the television commercials for AFLAC supplemental insurance, featuring the “AFLAC duck,” where the overt connection is completely severed and a new relationship and communication technique replaces the objective correlative - which is here termed the “subjective correlative.”