Advertising and Marketing blog with musings on TV commercials that attract interest for both good and bad reasons and other pieces related to the industry.
While I was home the other weekend, my mom and I saw this commercial on TV for the new BMW 3 Series that reads your email aloud:
The car itself looks nice and the email feature sounds great, but honestly this commercial is just too funny. Almost every man and woman could relate to this situation and it has just enough humor to keep you interested. The lack of noise and emotion on the husband's part, the placement of the car and his wedding band, and the car horn used to censor what we assume to be a curse word are perfectly timed and paint just the right picture without over executing the idea. It also showcases the car and the new feature nicely with a simple commercial focused on maybe 4 things, tops. Your attention is not split in too many directions which helps the comedy aspect.
However, in order to find the ad, I had to look up the commercial idea, which then led me to the BMW 3 Series. The point is that even if it's a good commercial, I didn't really pay attention to the car. I sometimes wonder if someone a bit older or currently shopping for a car would be more likely to seek out this purchase than I am, because this ad is purely entertainment for me. It is more appealing than a lot of car ads though.
Many of you have probably seen this commercial for Guinness about "Wheelchair Basketball" and hopefully it still rouses some emotion for you. Here it is again:
First of all, the music is spot on, it builds and swells with our emotions and the realization that only one of the men actually needs his wheelchair, but his friends alter their game in order to accommodate him. Guinness' slogan is "Made of more" and this ad represents that. These men went out of their way to learn a new method of playing a beloved sport, just so that their friend could still enjoy it and be included.
There isn't much of their product in this ad, but it also doesn't need it. Everyone can relate to a pick-up game with friends or grabbing a cold beer together, but there is a deeper level that brings out our humanity here.
The voice-over for the commercial says "Dedication. Loyalty. Friendship. The choices we make reveal the true nature of our character." This statement is strong and lends just enough to the commercial without overwhelming it. The story line needs very little commentary because it can stand on its own. Guinness positions itself as an elite beer with character; they go the extra mile to create a great product and this ad is aligned with their brand perfectly.
So I actually stumbled across a blog on tumblr today that mentioned the site honestslogans.com. They have a long list of pictures with logos and altered slogans or completely new phrases that are often very accurate and usually what the consumer is thinking. Some of them are a bit random or not very funny, but I laughed out loud at a lot of them! I respect and buy most of these brands, but sometimes we have to poke a little fun at those larger companies.
Alright guys, today I'm going to address a few tv ads that I cannot stand... 1) Milk vs Omelette OR 1) Milk vs OJ
First of all, I love milk, but these ads in no way make me want to drink more milk. The first ad with OJ is uncomfortable and the voices make me cringe. They evoke some weird thoughts that do not make me thirsty and the lips on the bowl are creepy looking. The second ad with an Omelette is just gross. There is absolutely no reason to try and shove an omelette into a small cup and it is extremely unappetizing. Plus, milk and omelettes are not nearly the same type of breakfast or nutrition.
2) Skittles "Smile"
This ad is so messed up. That poor kid probably gets bullied for never smiling and he probably never gets the girl. So of course, Skittles has to have a girl try to tease him and when she sees his Skittle teeth she decides to kiss him. First of all, Skittles teeth? Who thinks of this? Second, why would you steal someone's teeth? Now he has only one tooth! Plus when she crunches down on them I just cringe, something about the noise freaks me out. Not to mention that they came from his mouth...
The old ad about Skittles Pox was bad enough, but this is gross. I'm also kind of curious why they always pick dorky loners as their characters, it feels like they're insulting their consumer base a bit.
3) Starburst Orchard and Dragon
Sometimes I enjoy Starburst ads, but recently they have been really annoying me. The Orchard and the Juicy Dragon are some ridiculous ways to describe how juicy Starburst are, but why must they try so hard? Honestly, just a few images of Starburst being unwrapped and enjoyed would be enough to make me want one. Those commercials don't even feature the product, so all I do is change the channel.
4) Orbit Gum
And last, but not least, almost any orbit gum commercial. Particularly the latest ones that feature people dressed up in disgusting food costumes "lingering" around and driving everyone nuts. These commercials are grating and gross, plus Orbit wouldn't even be able to help you if you actually had food particles and not just the bad breath.
Most of the time I prefer to focus on ads I love, but I thought I'd make a few bad comments in one bigger post so I don't drag it out too much. Thanks for reading!
