Tag Archives: advertising

Weather In the Raw

Posted on August 19, 2009 by Rob| 12 Comments

Former local anchorman Ed Dague once decried my work as “dreck.”  Truth be told I felt the same way about his stuff but I understand where he was coming from.

TV news promotion is not the highest form of art in the ad world.  Mostly it’s bombastic, cliché-ridden, and overwrought —as if you can annoy people into watching your show. Thanks to the consultants who dictate the look and feel of local TV news in America it’s the same in every market.

And woe to the producer who breaks the mold.

Back in July I did some weather ads that spoofed the tried and true genre of man on the street spots. The premise: who needs an accurate forecast more than nudists? I cast a bunch of local actors to play members of the fictional “Henry Hudson Nudist Camp” and here’s what we came up with:

Henry Hudson Weather from Rob M on Vimeo.

This spot and two others aired for about twelve hours before they were yanked off the air.

The way it was explained to me was that “80% of our audience will get the joke and the other 20% will be offended.” In other words, 20% of the people out there are not smart enough to understand what they’re watching.

I always tried to do my job as if 100% of the viewers were smart. My bad.

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Posted in media, Work

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This Week In the World of Advertising

Posted on July 17, 2009 by Rob| 2 Comments

You know, a commercial that shows a dog urinating would never get on the air —and neither would spots that have nudists talking about your weatherman.

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Posted in Work

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Zombie Car Commercial

Posted on June 8, 2009 by Rob| 1 Comment

The new campaign for the Lexus IS C shows folks mixed up in all sorts of cinematic action —but the best one of the series by far is the zombie commercial.

In this one the protagonist is dashing down the street barefoot from a crowd of what could only be zombies. And these are fast zombies like those in the 2004 re-make of Dawn of the Dead —not clumsy, slow, lurching Night of the Living Dead zombies.

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The internet is full of discusions about what vehicle would be best during a zombie apocalypse but I don’t think the Lexus IS C will be on anyone’s list. I’d say you want 4-wheel drive and then it’s a matter of preference: SUV or pickup? Gas or diesel? Maybe the Hummer H3T? There are pros and cons all around.

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Posted in Modern Living

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Splinter Group

Posted on April 16, 2009 by Rob| 5 Comments

Cub Scout Pinewood Derby has figured large in my life. Between my two sons, I have built many advised on the construction of many Pinewood Derby cars, worked on numerous Pinewood events, and spent countless hours at the races. That’s why this Subaru commercial sort of moved me. Mostly.

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As you can see, the young lad who takes first place built his own car —unlike his rival whose car was obviously made by dad. It’s unfortunate when these events become a contest between the fathers instead of one between the boys —but what’s more unfortunate is that the scouts in this commercial are wearing Brownie vests.

Yes, Brownie vests. If you are unfamiliar with what Brownie vests look like, please click this link. Then look at the commercial again. And look at the link again. I rest my case. Brownie vests.

Is this someone’s idea of a joke, portraying the industrious boys in this commercial wearing girl uniforms? An underhand shot at the Boy Scouts of America, maybe? Call me a nut, but the truth is that scouting has been under assault for years.

Sure, I understand that maybe you couldn’t get permission to use a Cub Scout uniform —but it doesn’t take much imagination to come up with a knock-off. Putting the boys in Brownie vests? With all due respect to the Brownies, that’s just wrong.

UPDATE: Watch South Park’s take on Pinewood. It’s spot on!

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Posted in Kids

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Pretty Good Friday

Posted on April 10, 2009 by Rob| 2 Comments

SHOPPING LIST
My fire department pager went off and the dispatcher transmitted that it was an alarm at Hannaford. As I was running out the door, Ann shouts to me, “Could you get me some of that granola I like while you’re there?”

NUMBER CRUNCHING
According to the CDC, more than 86,500 Americans visit emergency rooms every year due to falls caused by pets and pet related objects. Dogs are overwhelmingly the culprits, accounting for an average of 71,452 injuries —30% of those are caused by tripping or falling over the dog(s). On average, 27 of the incidents annually involve both a cat and a dog. Watch your step.

LOOSELY RELATED
A Nebraska woman was killed last week when a Taco Bell sign fell 75 feet and crushed the pickup truck she was sitting in. According to police, the woman and her husband were parked waiting for a Wyoming couple who were to purchase two of their dogs. From the North Platte Bulletin:

Officials said the couples agreed to meet in North Platte about 1 p.m., “right underneath the big Taco Bell sign.”

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Posted in Modern Living

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Fisher of Men

Posted on March 13, 2009 by Rob| 12 Comments

You’ve all probably see the McDonald’s Filet-O-Fish commercial. The delightfully weird jingle in the spot is on everyone’s lips —but what’s really interesting are the commercial’s obvious religious overtones. At a time when corporate America shys away from religious imagery McDonald’s is doing just the opposite.

The fish has been used to represent Christianity since the earliest days of the faith —and in the commercial the mechanical fish, like Jesus, is delivering a message. That the fish is mounted on wood -in the way Jesus is depicted on a crucifix- may be heavy-handed but is a reference to the most ubiquitous and powerful image in Christendom.

And those men in the commercial? The burly guy bopping his head is clearly a stand in for the apostle Peter, who was the among the first to encounter Jesus after his resurrection (Luke 24:34). Peter is thought to be the most impulsive and expressive of the apostles, so his behavior in the the scene is true to form. The guy with the drill? Look at the incredulous expression of disbelief on his face. He could be none other than Thomas who doubted that Jesus had risen from the tomb (John 20:25).

From a marketing standpoint, it’s no mistake that this commercial is running during Lent, a time that many Catholics abstain from eating meat on Fridays. What’s surprising is that McDonald’s would employ such a clear Christian allegory in its advertising —especially during the most significant season on the liturgical calender. Discuss among yourselves.

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Posted in Religion

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Selling You On Social Networking

Posted on March 6, 2009 by Rob| 8 Comments

I signed up for a Twitter account in November 07.  It took me  a year to figure out what to do with it —which is post links to things I find interesting and to make the occasional wiseass remark.

That may sound like a waste of time, but compared to the “I just woke up/I’m now eating breakfast/I took a shower” crap that some people put on Twitter, my feed reads like the Wall Street Journal.

But you know what? It’s not the people who have nothing to say that don’t belong on Twitter, it’s the people who have something to sell.

Marketers have latched onto social networking the way those leeches in African Queen latched on to Humphrey Bogart. The difference is that Humphrey Bogart could get rid of his leeches.  For an example, let’s turn to America’s least trusted business: car dealers. They’re are all over Twitter and Facebook like a cheap suit, which is ironic isn’t it? They use it as a place to “connect with their customers” and “build their brand” and other marketing catch-phrase talk.

So here’s my question: do you really want to follow a car dealer’s Twitter feed or become a fan of them on Facebook? So they can pitch you on buying a car? All the time?

At its best Twitter provides useful information.  A news story, an interesting web site, a curious thought. Facebook? It’s a bridge that spans the space and time of friendship.

If you want to sell cars, go buy an ad.

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Posted in The Internets

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Best Super Bowl Spot. Period.

Posted on February 2, 2009 by Rob| 5 Comments

I wish I’d seen this before writing about online content and how it’s a problem for TV. This explains everything.

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Posted in News, Work

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In Observance of Sunday’s National Holiday

Posted on January 30, 2009 by Rob| Leave a comment
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Posted in General

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Turn On, Tune In, Drop Out

Posted on January 29, 2009 by Rob| Leave a comment

I’ve seen every episode of 30 Rock. That may not sound like much of an accomplishment, but at 47 years old you need to hang your hat on something. But this isn’t about what I watch on TV, this is about what I don’t watch on TV: and what I don’t watch on TV is 30 Rock.  That’s because I watch it on my computer.

That’s right, I’ve never actually sat on the couch on Thursday night and seen my favorite current TV show. And why should I? Between NBC’s website and Hulu there’s no need. Hell, there’s not even a need to record the show. 

Add this to the growing list of things that are killing changing local television. The network said that offering full episodes for free online would build audience. It has. It’s built audience for their website. And in terms of selling advertising, online viewing is a valuable little gem with an attractive demo. 

What’s happening to local TV is not an earthquake where everything slides suddenly into the ocean. Think of it more like a beach where the audience is going away one grain of sand at a time. A little bit here and a little bit there and before you know it you’re standing in the water. And the water’s getting higher.

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Posted in Modern Living, The Internets, Work

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