Killer Creative - and other, utter nonsense.
The message boards were buzzing about this last week and I just couldn't bring myself to write about it. Then again, it's been a while since I've been able to bring myself to write about much of anything, but it's the new year, so what the hey.
Have you seen this circumspect ad for the VW Polo? The slogan says "Small but tough" and the creative "execution" (if that's what you want to call it) provides a very crude and insensitive demonstration of that fact. For those of you who haven't seen it and don't have the patience to load the streaming video that comes with the link, the spot shows a young man (who looks like he's of Arab descent) hopping into his new VW Polo and scooting off to park near a European, outdoor bistro.
It's at this point in the commercial when we realize the young man has explosives strapped to his body and, after a brief moment of reflection/prayer, he pushes the button and sets off the explosives. To our amazement and, no doubt, the terrorist's disappointment, the explosion remains contained inside the Polo with nobody sitting on the nearby sidewalk the wiser.
Our first reaction in my office was laughter. That nervous kind of laughter when you see something really unexpected and really inappropriate. A few of my co-workers wanted to see the spot again and a couple even walked away saying "That's great." But a day or two later, nearly everyone agreed the spot was not only a bad idea that would never see the light of day but that even as a viral campaign, it may have crossed a line.
Volkswagen claims they didn't authorize the ad and that they, of course, are "outraged". According to the trade pub, MediaGuardian.co.uk, things aren't quite so cut and dried. It's been revealed that the spot was shot on 35mm film and cost around 40,000 Pounds (Sterling), approximately $60 - 70,000. According to Agenda, Inc.'s Live Feed, the producers of the spot insist the commercial was produced to show "people in the industry" what they could do.
No matter what you may think about the ad or the guys who created it (Lee And Dan of the United Kingdom), you have to wonder just how far is far enough in the quest to make great spots that get noticed.
It seems appropriate to bring this up the week before the Super Bowl. That event is the biggest show on earth ... and I'm not talking about circus acts or even football. I'm talking advertising. Ever since Chiat/Day and Ridley Scott produced a killer ad to introduce the Macintosh computer, the Super Bowl has been holy ground for ad agencies and the creatives who work there.
Of course, not all spots are 1984. Remember the cannon shooting rodents for eTrade (that was it, wasn't it)? Or sock puppets or clowns drinking beer through their butts?
Yeah, they're not all winners. In fact, the harder we try to make great ads that stand out, the more likely we are to have it blow up in our faces. And now, thanks to the Internet, streaming media, bigger pipes offering more bandwidth and the viral nature of many campaigns, good taste may have seen its final days.
All I can ask is that you try not to be part of the problem but rather a part of the solution. Make ads that mean something and appeal to regions above the belt - ideally above the shoulder. Keep the concepts simple and uncluttered.
And, by all means, don't produce things that look great in the book and don't do squat for the client. Remember, without the client, you'd be creating art ... and starving.
And please, don't chop the heads off of any more cats with sunroofs, blow up terrorists, rip off other peoples' music or use Michael Moore. He's a crank, he's fat and he's not funny.
Later.
VW's Exploding Terrorist Ad
Have you seen this circumspect ad for the VW Polo? The slogan says "Small but tough" and the creative "execution" (if that's what you want to call it) provides a very crude and insensitive demonstration of that fact. For those of you who haven't seen it and don't have the patience to load the streaming video that comes with the link, the spot shows a young man (who looks like he's of Arab descent) hopping into his new VW Polo and scooting off to park near a European, outdoor bistro.
It's at this point in the commercial when we realize the young man has explosives strapped to his body and, after a brief moment of reflection/prayer, he pushes the button and sets off the explosives. To our amazement and, no doubt, the terrorist's disappointment, the explosion remains contained inside the Polo with nobody sitting on the nearby sidewalk the wiser.
Our first reaction in my office was laughter. That nervous kind of laughter when you see something really unexpected and really inappropriate. A few of my co-workers wanted to see the spot again and a couple even walked away saying "That's great." But a day or two later, nearly everyone agreed the spot was not only a bad idea that would never see the light of day but that even as a viral campaign, it may have crossed a line.
Volkswagen claims they didn't authorize the ad and that they, of course, are "outraged". According to the trade pub, MediaGuardian.co.uk, things aren't quite so cut and dried. It's been revealed that the spot was shot on 35mm film and cost around 40,000 Pounds (Sterling), approximately $60 - 70,000. According to Agenda, Inc.'s Live Feed, the producers of the spot insist the commercial was produced to show "people in the industry" what they could do.
No matter what you may think about the ad or the guys who created it (Lee And Dan of the United Kingdom), you have to wonder just how far is far enough in the quest to make great spots that get noticed.
It seems appropriate to bring this up the week before the Super Bowl. That event is the biggest show on earth ... and I'm not talking about circus acts or even football. I'm talking advertising. Ever since Chiat/Day and Ridley Scott produced a killer ad to introduce the Macintosh computer, the Super Bowl has been holy ground for ad agencies and the creatives who work there.
Of course, not all spots are 1984. Remember the cannon shooting rodents for eTrade (that was it, wasn't it)? Or sock puppets or clowns drinking beer through their butts?
Yeah, they're not all winners. In fact, the harder we try to make great ads that stand out, the more likely we are to have it blow up in our faces. And now, thanks to the Internet, streaming media, bigger pipes offering more bandwidth and the viral nature of many campaigns, good taste may have seen its final days.
All I can ask is that you try not to be part of the problem but rather a part of the solution. Make ads that mean something and appeal to regions above the belt - ideally above the shoulder. Keep the concepts simple and uncluttered.
And, by all means, don't produce things that look great in the book and don't do squat for the client. Remember, without the client, you'd be creating art ... and starving.
And please, don't chop the heads off of any more cats with sunroofs, blow up terrorists, rip off other peoples' music or use Michael Moore. He's a crank, he's fat and he's not funny.
Later.
VW's Exploding Terrorist Ad
posted by Mike Bawden at 1/31/2005 11:07:00 PM
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