Monday, April 19, 2010
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Do Geico Commercial Try too Hard to be Funny?
Blogger is still acting up and refusing to show my banner or blog titles for some reason unbeknownst to me, but I'll get it sorted out eventually.
If you can see the title for this post, it's clearly a rhetorical question. Just like Geico has decided would be funny to use for their TV spots. For example, the commercial asking, "Do the Walton's take too long to say goodnight?"
The problem with a commercial like this, aside from it being a sad attempt to be funny that pushes viewers away, is that it references a television show that ended 30 years ago. Now clearly it's been shown since in syndication, but still...it's a reference point that not many people care about. What if someone doesn't like the show? What if someone, like me, has never seen it, nor has any intention or desire to ever see it? You're banking on the popularity of an incredibly outdated show. They may be aiming to an older demographic, but I don't see how a reference to an ancient family drama has any effect over whether or not they'd want Geico's insurance. Clearly comedy isn't your thing, Geico, how about you stick to telling customers about your insurance being cheaper...at least that way you don't ruin your respectability with embarrassingly bad commercials.
-- Steve Creswick
Ad Doctor
If you can see the title for this post, it's clearly a rhetorical question. Just like Geico has decided would be funny to use for their TV spots. For example, the commercial asking, "Do the Walton's take too long to say goodnight?"
The problem with a commercial like this, aside from it being a sad attempt to be funny that pushes viewers away, is that it references a television show that ended 30 years ago. Now clearly it's been shown since in syndication, but still...it's a reference point that not many people care about. What if someone doesn't like the show? What if someone, like me, has never seen it, nor has any intention or desire to ever see it? You're banking on the popularity of an incredibly outdated show. They may be aiming to an older demographic, but I don't see how a reference to an ancient family drama has any effect over whether or not they'd want Geico's insurance. Clearly comedy isn't your thing, Geico, how about you stick to telling customers about your insurance being cheaper...at least that way you don't ruin your respectability with embarrassingly bad commercials.
-- Steve Creswick
Ad Doctor
Monday, April 5, 2010
iAd
When I decided to write about Apple introducing a new advertising platform for mobile devices, I came up with the witty title of iAd to play off their newly released gizmo the iPad, but apparently that's actually what they're going to call their new service anyway. How creative of them...
This will allow Apple (and developers) to make money off advertisements appearing in various Apps. This benefits the owners of iPhones because it means that more content will be free, because developers will be able to make money off advertisements rather than charging a fee to download the App. This benefits the developers because more people are apt to download something for free rather than something they have to pay even a meager sum for. And it benefits Apple because according to the article linked above, it could mean $400 million a year in revenue.
So it's all a win-win-win, right?
Well, not so fast. What about the advertisers? How will this benefit them?
It allows them to reach individuals easily on their cell-phones. It also allows them to use Apple's customer data to create effective mobile ads targeted at specific demographics.
But are people really going to take kindly to advertisements on their cell-phones? I've had a few Apps with prevalent ads, and they're just as easy to ignore as banner ads on websites. They're just another nuisance to be tolerated while opening an app for a brief moment. So it's great that Apple is finding another source of income for their developers. But the only way this will work is if the advertisements actually generate awareness and sales, something that isn't guaranteed.
This will allow Apple (and developers) to make money off advertisements appearing in various Apps. This benefits the owners of iPhones because it means that more content will be free, because developers will be able to make money off advertisements rather than charging a fee to download the App. This benefits the developers because more people are apt to download something for free rather than something they have to pay even a meager sum for. And it benefits Apple because according to the article linked above, it could mean $400 million a year in revenue.
So it's all a win-win-win, right?
Well, not so fast. What about the advertisers? How will this benefit them?
It allows them to reach individuals easily on their cell-phones. It also allows them to use Apple's customer data to create effective mobile ads targeted at specific demographics.
But are people really going to take kindly to advertisements on their cell-phones? I've had a few Apps with prevalent ads, and they're just as easy to ignore as banner ads on websites. They're just another nuisance to be tolerated while opening an app for a brief moment. So it's great that Apple is finding another source of income for their developers. But the only way this will work is if the advertisements actually generate awareness and sales, something that isn't guaranteed.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Friday, March 26, 2010
What to Expect with the Unexpected?
Commercials try a bunch of different tactics to make viewers laugh. Because one of the most effective ways to cut through the clutter is proper use of humor. Make a funny commercial, and people will talk about it for a good while. And if they're talking about your commercial it means they're at least aware of your product--a feat not so easy to achieve when you're exposed to anywhere from 150-3,000 advertisements a day (quite a wide range.)
Now, humor advertising can be risky, because many people have terrible senses of humor (as evidenced by Jay Leno's good ratings), and if someone doesn't get the joke, it's the waste of an advertisement. Or if it's the slightest bit offensive, overly-sensitive people could get turned off. Now to counter that, if it's a boring attempt at being funny, people with a good sense of humor could cringe (like I do every time Flo the irritating Progressive Insurance girl comes on the screen, or any Geico Caveman.)
But one of the greatest ways to produce humor is for the unexpected to happen. Not only does it grab the attention of anyone who was half-watching, but it also generates some laughs and spurs the viewer to watch the commercial again for anything they might have missed.
A perfect example of an excellent use of the unexpected for humor is this Old Spice commercial everyone loves so much. I've seen it plenty of times and it still hasn't gotten old. Then again, some people don't understand it at all--but I'd like to think these people aren't part of Old Spice's target demographic anyway. Nothing about it is funny in particular at first (except for the man's excellent delivery of the lines). It looks to be just a typical man talking about a shower gel, but then random unexpected stuff happens and it turns into hilarity.
Anytime a major celebrity invites an actor from a commercial onto their show, you know you made a good spot. Isaiah Mustafa, the actor from the commercial, was on Ellen DeGeneres' show explaining that the entire commercial was one long take that took over 80 tries to get right--giving me even more respect for the ad.
The moral of the story is that Old Spice took a chance on a commercial that some people might not understand, incorporating heavy use of the unexpected, and it has been a huge success. Does this mean that anytime something ridiculous happens in a commercial it will generate laughter? No. As with every advertisement, it must be well-made. But perhaps instead of focusing on corny jokes that are safe and forgettable, more advertisers should incorporate the unexpected. If done right, it makes for a far more effective spot.
Here's another excellent commercial that relies a bit on the surprise factor to create laughs. If you're a sports fan you'll get...if not, well, it's not targeted toward you anyway, so don't feel left out.
-- Steve Creswick
Ad Doctor
Now, humor advertising can be risky, because many people have terrible senses of humor (as evidenced by Jay Leno's good ratings), and if someone doesn't get the joke, it's the waste of an advertisement. Or if it's the slightest bit offensive, overly-sensitive people could get turned off. Now to counter that, if it's a boring attempt at being funny, people with a good sense of humor could cringe (like I do every time Flo the irritating Progressive Insurance girl comes on the screen, or any Geico Caveman.)
But one of the greatest ways to produce humor is for the unexpected to happen. Not only does it grab the attention of anyone who was half-watching, but it also generates some laughs and spurs the viewer to watch the commercial again for anything they might have missed.
A perfect example of an excellent use of the unexpected for humor is this Old Spice commercial everyone loves so much. I've seen it plenty of times and it still hasn't gotten old. Then again, some people don't understand it at all--but I'd like to think these people aren't part of Old Spice's target demographic anyway. Nothing about it is funny in particular at first (except for the man's excellent delivery of the lines). It looks to be just a typical man talking about a shower gel, but then random unexpected stuff happens and it turns into hilarity.
Anytime a major celebrity invites an actor from a commercial onto their show, you know you made a good spot. Isaiah Mustafa, the actor from the commercial, was on Ellen DeGeneres' show explaining that the entire commercial was one long take that took over 80 tries to get right--giving me even more respect for the ad.
The moral of the story is that Old Spice took a chance on a commercial that some people might not understand, incorporating heavy use of the unexpected, and it has been a huge success. Does this mean that anytime something ridiculous happens in a commercial it will generate laughter? No. As with every advertisement, it must be well-made. But perhaps instead of focusing on corny jokes that are safe and forgettable, more advertisers should incorporate the unexpected. If done right, it makes for a far more effective spot.
Here's another excellent commercial that relies a bit on the surprise factor to create laughs. If you're a sports fan you'll get...if not, well, it's not targeted toward you anyway, so don't feel left out.
-- Steve Creswick
Ad Doctor
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Coors Not Quite
The Coldest Tasting Beer...this was Coors Light's Marketing stance for a long time, I guess before they realized that being Cold has nothing to do with taste...it is a temperature. If I have a refrigerated Bud Light and a luke-warm Coors Light that's been sitting on the counter...both taste like crap, but the Bud Light feels colder on my tongue, regardless of Coors Light being "frost-brewed."You know your product is in dire straights when its most marketable aspect is that it gets cold when refrigerated. That's like me starting a soup company and claiming I have the warmest soup cause it's cooked over a flame. "Flame-Boiled" if you will.
Oh, and about your whole "the label turns blue when it's cold" selling point, know how else someone knows when it's cold? By touching the bottle or can.
Now, Coors Light has changed their commercials to say it's "the most refreshing beer," which is far better than "coldest tasting," but you're still banking on an attribute that is controlled by refrigeration! Everyone knows your beer doesn't taste good. And I commend you for not trying to make that claim (as Miller Lite seems content to do now). But why don't you follow Budweiser's and Dos Equiis' lead and stick to commercials that make people laugh?
-- Steve Creswick
Ad Doctor
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
For Whom the Bell Tolls...
Today, we'll be tackling Taco Bell's commercial for their new Pacific Shrimp Taco. But first, here's a list of things I'd do before eating shrimp from a Taco Bell.
1. Roll around naked o'er the mountains of a garbage dump.
2. Walk barefoot on a beach coated in medical waste.
3. Swim in the Ganges River.
Now that you know where I stand on their product. Let's talk about the commercial.
Obviously, I'm not the only one with reservations about buying the seafood at my local Taco Bell, otherwise they wouldn't dedicate their advertisement to alleviating fears by claiming the shrimp is of high quality. But is a cartoonishly ridiculous man, a "shrimp blogger," really the best way to get people to consider buying your product. Everyone in the world knows it's not good shrimp. Regardless of the opinion of this man who dedicates his life to writing short posts about the world's prawn population (a completely reasonable profession if you ask me.) Though I find it hard to believe he could afford to travel so much on what must be a meager salary. I mean, making money from blogging is hard enough...but when your topic is shrimp...whew...good luck.
My point is...everyone knows it comes frozen in a big plastic bag. Everyone knows, while probably safe, it's not worth the chance. Even if it won't get me sick, I'd assume they're the size of a quarter and not nearly enough to fill a 5-year-old. So instead of making grandiose claims about the quality of your food that nobody will ever believe, why not instead address the reservations that would stop someone from purchasing your new offering. Show a commercial with someone making it...or someone eating it...or someone enjoying it. Don't show me a man with a ridiculous made-up profession in ecstasy over a meal at Taco Bell.
And next time you decide to offer a seafood product, put it out at the beginning of Lent when McDonald's starts serving their Filet-of-Fish, not at the end, when Catholics are on the cusp of being able to eat meat again.
-- Steve Creswick
Ad Doctor
1. Roll around naked o'er the mountains of a garbage dump.
2. Walk barefoot on a beach coated in medical waste.
3. Swim in the Ganges River.
Now that you know where I stand on their product. Let's talk about the commercial.
Obviously, I'm not the only one with reservations about buying the seafood at my local Taco Bell, otherwise they wouldn't dedicate their advertisement to alleviating fears by claiming the shrimp is of high quality. But is a cartoonishly ridiculous man, a "shrimp blogger," really the best way to get people to consider buying your product. Everyone in the world knows it's not good shrimp. Regardless of the opinion of this man who dedicates his life to writing short posts about the world's prawn population (a completely reasonable profession if you ask me.) Though I find it hard to believe he could afford to travel so much on what must be a meager salary. I mean, making money from blogging is hard enough...but when your topic is shrimp...whew...good luck.
My point is...everyone knows it comes frozen in a big plastic bag. Everyone knows, while probably safe, it's not worth the chance. Even if it won't get me sick, I'd assume they're the size of a quarter and not nearly enough to fill a 5-year-old. So instead of making grandiose claims about the quality of your food that nobody will ever believe, why not instead address the reservations that would stop someone from purchasing your new offering. Show a commercial with someone making it...or someone eating it...or someone enjoying it. Don't show me a man with a ridiculous made-up profession in ecstasy over a meal at Taco Bell.
And next time you decide to offer a seafood product, put it out at the beginning of Lent when McDonald's starts serving their Filet-of-Fish, not at the end, when Catholics are on the cusp of being able to eat meat again.
-- Steve Creswick
Ad Doctor
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