I must admit, I am not a fan of commercial advertising. I get frustrated when Benson and Stabler have stumbled upon a new lead only to be interrupted by 2-3 minutes of advertisements telling me how great something is and how I should go out and buy it (Law & Order: SVU junkies, I know you feel my pain). For one, don’t tell me to go out and buy something that claims to cure, eliminate or improve me or my “condition(s).” The only prescription I need comes from my own physician. If he doesn’t give it to me, chances are I don’t need it. Two, don’t tell me to go out and buy something just because “Celebrity X” uses it. Unless “Celebrity X” is cutting me a check, I am not interested. I guess I am one of those individuals that claims to be unmoved by those savvy media tactics. However, on the rare occasion that I am moved to buy a product or even consider a purchase, I don’t want the flowery details—I want the cold hard facts. I want complete honesty. I want to feel as though I am capable of forming my own decision and acting on my own will.
Occasionally a commercial comes along for skeptics like me. For example, in the 90’s Michael Jordan was at the height of his game. Jordan led the Chicago Bulls to six NBA Championships while winning the hearts of many with his prolific scoring and slam dunks that were out of this world. Every kid wanted to be “like Mike” and every adult was in awe of this man’s somewhat supernatural abilities.
The commercial is great for the skeptical audience. Although Michael Jordan is “Celebrity X” in this case, Nike decided to use the persona of an average guy (Spike Lee as Mars Blackmon) to ask “His Airness” how he has the ability to do those incredible things on the court. Rather than give complete credit to Nike and their shoes for his phenomenal talent, Michael Jordan is honest and direct in the commercial, leaving the average guy to make his own assumption and coin a phrase that many remember to this day: “It’s gotta be the shoes!” What the average guy does with this new information is completely up to him and ultimately, the decision is completely up to the audience.
Skeptics know that it is NOT the shoes, but the man IN the shoes. We skeptics are pretty hard to crack, but it is admirable that Nike managed to deliver a message that was fairly open for interpretation. To this day I have never owned a pair of Air Jordans (I prefer my Chuck Taylors), but this commercial made me consider making the purchase, which is a success in my opinion. Just because the audience may not rush out and buy the product does not mean its media efforts have been completely overlooked. I enjoy the fact that the media acknowledges that I do have a brain that seems to function on its own!
Occasionally a commercial comes along for skeptics like me. For example, in the 90’s Michael Jordan was at the height of his game. Jordan led the Chicago Bulls to six NBA Championships while winning the hearts of many with his prolific scoring and slam dunks that were out of this world. Every kid wanted to be “like Mike” and every adult was in awe of this man’s somewhat supernatural abilities.
The commercial is great for the skeptical audience. Although Michael Jordan is “Celebrity X” in this case, Nike decided to use the persona of an average guy (Spike Lee as Mars Blackmon) to ask “His Airness” how he has the ability to do those incredible things on the court. Rather than give complete credit to Nike and their shoes for his phenomenal talent, Michael Jordan is honest and direct in the commercial, leaving the average guy to make his own assumption and coin a phrase that many remember to this day: “It’s gotta be the shoes!” What the average guy does with this new information is completely up to him and ultimately, the decision is completely up to the audience.
Skeptics know that it is NOT the shoes, but the man IN the shoes. We skeptics are pretty hard to crack, but it is admirable that Nike managed to deliver a message that was fairly open for interpretation. To this day I have never owned a pair of Air Jordans (I prefer my Chuck Taylors), but this commercial made me consider making the purchase, which is a success in my opinion. Just because the audience may not rush out and buy the product does not mean its media efforts have been completely overlooked. I enjoy the fact that the media acknowledges that I do have a brain that seems to function on its own!
I'm not also a big fan of commercial ads. Most spots on TV comes across as either insincere or just down right boring. Both don't cut it with me, and I'll bet, too many audience members to mention.
ReplyDeleteI do prefer creativity over simple statement. For example, the Geico commericals catch my fancy for one compelling reason.
The rhetorical question, "Can switching to Geico save you 15% or more on car insurance?" is affirmed by another rheotircal question premised on someone's humorous attempt at doing something. This commands far more attention than a pitch based on simple (and often too self-serving) narration.
It's a pain for the engaging pace of Law and Order to be interuptted by ads. But I bet you wouldn't mind seeing a commercial done by Sam Waterson. Any endorsement from him would be the real McCoy.
There is only other thing I could recommend to deter L & O commercial interruptions. Have Sabrina Southerland question each advertiser and make every one justify their spot. That will break the back of the L & O commerical break syndicates!