The Advertising (d)Evolution? Part I

This is the first of a two part article that kind of sums up my thoughts on current TV advertising and what direction it should go in order to stay relevant. This part will mainly focus on the 2009 Creative Arts Emmys nominees for Best Commercial.

OK – so, I had never heard of the Creative Arts Emmys before I found out that one of the most obnoxious people on the face of the planet, none other than Kathy Griffin, is hosting this event come September. However, I think it’s kind of important to note what commercials were picked from the past year as this is really the only showcase for best TV advertising that I know of.

Heist – Coca Cola

I don’t mind this ad – it’s pretty cool actually. I probably wouldn’t switch the channel if I saw it on TV. It’s doing the same thing that Coke has been doing for years, but I think it actually works, because Coke ads are supposed to espouse classic, refreshing desire. I’d much rather see this than Britney Spears gyrating around trying to sell Pepsi (okay, maybe that was a bit of a dated comment).

Circus – Anheuser-Busch (Budweiser)

This ad is horse shit, pun intended. The clydesdales might be classic Budweiser imagery, but this is ridiculous, lest I point out the irony of the “Great American Lager” being owned by a Belgian company.

Magazine Buyer – Anheuser-Busch (Bud Light)

So let me get this straight – a guy walks into a convenience store and buys a sixer of Bud Light, and then throws some porn in there for good measure. (Hasn’t he ever heard of the Internet?) THEN he gets completely embarassed by a confused asian (racial slurs, hurrah!) and outed on national news as a porn magazine buyer. Is this supposed to make me want to buy Bud Light?

Bottled Courage - Nike

This is alright, but it’s not like I haven’t seen a sports montage before. I like the athletes going through history bit – it definitely espouses a sense of national pride. I think this was on during the Olympics, so bonus points for that. The only thing really awesome about this ad is the title, which would probably be more appropriate for a Gatorade ad.

Airport Lounge – American Express

Two things I find hard to believe. Martin Scorsese in an AmEx ad (are you looking for a paycheck, buddy? come on). And the agent not knowing Tina Fey. TV celebrity or not, she’s pretty famous. This ad certainly isn’t one to write home about – I wouldn’t show this to any one and after seeing it once in all of its star power exploitative glory, I’d definitely fast farward through it.

Wedding – Sprint Nextel

I like this ad. Maybe because of my obsession with movies, but it’s creative and demonstrates the benefits of the product over the competition.

Alec in Huluwood – Hulu

This is creative. Alec Baldwin is well-cast for this, the commercial itself is produced well, and although I wouldn’t necessarily send the youtube video to a friend, I’d probably point it out on TV.

Tips - Career Builder

This ad sucks. I can’t really sum it up any better, because watching this more than once would make me irate. But they do get points for punching a koala in the face – that was the only redeeming quality of the ad.

Wrap up

Four of these ads (circus, magazine buyer, airport lounge, tips) were pretty stupid and would make me want to hit something repeatedly if I saw them on TV. One of them was merely okay (bottled courage). The final three actually had some redeeming value that made them watchable on a repeat basis (heist, wedding, alec in huluwood). Unfortunately — none of these ads really were anything I haven’t seen before, other than perhaps the Hulu one. I think we can do better than that — see Part II toward the end of the week.