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What The Hell Were They Thinking? It's been about a month since the Super Bowl and I've had a chance to see many of the commercials that debuted over and over. Having had this time to absorb what they're selling, a couple of the ads lead me back to the same question every time: "What the hell were they thinking?" The ones that stick out most prominently are one for Levis Jeans and one for a pick-up truck (I'm not even sure whose it is, the ad is so disturbing). The Levis ad is probably one of the worst examples I've seen in a while of an art director given too big a budget and too high a concept. The ad starts out panning across what appears to be a fully functional city after the Neutron Bomb. All of the lights are on, but the roads are empty and there's not a soul in sight: just a deep rumbling from somewhere in the distance. Next we see a young couple, apparently representing some sort of post apocalyptic Adam and Eve. This unwashed, nouveau Heroin-chic couple look as if they haven't eaten in days, but apparently are coming fresh from looting their local department store of the latest in denim fashion. As they wander aimlessly through the deserted city the rumble gets louder and you get a glimpse of a herd of running Bison that apparently the Neutron bomb didn't have any effect on other than to piss them off and send them on a rampaging stampede through the deserted city. The couple, seeing the stampede heading straight for them, joins hands, closes their eyes, and gently, almost serenely, lean their heads back. As the herd approaches at full speed, the animals suddenly do everything possible to avoid trampling them including tripping over each other to get out of the way. I initially attributed this to the stench of the unwashed human survivors of the Neutron bomb attack, but in the end I guess it was because the beautiful people were wearing Levis latest jeans with Buffalo Repellant. It's obvious that this ad cost a fortune to make, it's beautifully shot, idyllically portrays the coveted 18-24 year old demographic and has a hint of back to nature in it with the stampeding bison. Why this would ever lead me to buy Levis' clothes is a mystery. Admittedly, I'm slightly outside of this age group, though only barely, but this ad does nothing to appeal to me as a consumer. Now that Levis spent a fortune to produce this monstrosity, they feel compelled to show it on every show and network I watch. Enough already. The other ad, which I've been seeing more lately, is for a pick-up truck (I believe it's a Dodge RAM) that features a couple of construction workers. One gets in the truck eating beef jerky and starts razzing the driver about his diet and its success or lack thereof. Within seconds, however, the jerky eating moron (yes, the actor does a convincing job of portraying a moron) starts choking on a piece of dried beef and begging the driver for help. He should have let him die rather than subject us to what happens next. With a wry smile, the fat driver stomps the gas pedal, apparently trying to show off the massive testosterone releasing power that this truck possesses. As the truck accelerates, the choking victim continues to suffer while the driver just smiles, however, just as jerky boy is about to pass out smiling fat guy hits the breaks and the truck stops, bam! Now here's the part I don't need to see: The force of the stopping truck apparently causes the seat belt of moron jerky boy to perform an automotive Heimlich and we, the viewers, are subjected to the site of an aspirated piece of beef jerky along with accompanying phlegm hit the inside of the windshield. Disgusting! Utterly disgusting! This is the reason why I have no idea what the brand of the truck is, having just seen this display of a supposedly impromptu medical miracle, my mind shuts down and doesn't want to see any more. I guess the creative director was trying to find a creative and humorous (?) way to demonstrate the acceleration and braking capabilities of the truck, but I'd rather see it demonstrated some other way. Ok, any other way. Unfortunately, these are not the only ads these days that lack any real selling or marketing insight in my mind. I'm sure they'll win some kind of award from some insular advertising organization for creativity and lighting, but I wonder how much these companies realize they're paying for high concept without getting any marketing capital. Sure artfully directed and shot ads are some of the most effective brand building tools, but the good ones have a very clear product message. And humor is one of the most effective advertising tools, but generally not when it involves a life or death situation, in this case I thin I'd have preferred death. So it all leads back to the question: What the Hell were they thinking? On many levels you see: the corporate ad managers who actually approved the concepts, the agency executives who thought this crap up and the creative and art directors who actually thought that what they were creating was going to be effective. Where's SportsCenter when you need it? Now those guys know how to do it right. 
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 If you have any comments about this column, or have a question you'd like answered, you can write to Andrew Hayden. |
