The Musings Of An Opinionated Sod [Help Me Grow!]


Anti Ads …
March 31, 2009, 6:30 am
Filed under: Comment

I always thought advertising was supposed to motivate people to buy – or at the very least – take a positive interest, however there seems to be a real trend at the moment of doing ads that seem to want to keep people away from the brand/product being sold.

That would be an absolutely brilliant strategy if it was a competitor making and paying for the spots, but it would seem that’s not the case.

The worst offenders are Government departments … I mean, who can forget this cringe-worthy bollocks …

But in the ever competitive region of Asia, someone has beaten it and not only is it the country I now [sometimes] a resident in, it features my [once] beloved Queen.

What on earth were they thinking???

And that question goes out to both the HK Government and Queen for licensing the track.

It is unmitigated shit.

Actually that’s being kind … it’s a car crash of old white farts, wannbe business entrepreneurs and hot Asian babes prancing about while a bunch of the most boring business reasons you’ve ever heard, run across the screen.

FREE ECONOMY

FREE FLOW INFORMATION
[I know it’s not as limited as China, but free flow? You can’t even get Oliver Stone’s “W” movie – though that could be because it’s total shit]

RULE OF LAW

GATEWAY TO CHINA

SKILLED WORKFORCE
[featuring some bloke doing a bloody cartwheel, which might be skilled, but doesn’t mean he can do the fucking accounts!]

And it didn’t escape my notice that all the local people seem to be positioned a level lower than the white guys. Jesus, with a government like that, who needs enemies?

I know I’ve not been out here very long but I’ve not had many days where the sky has been as blue as it appears in the clip … hell, I’ve not had many days where I’ve seen the sky fullstop!!

And the dancing. Oh the dancing.

It’s bad enough when you see your Uncle pissed as a fart at Christmas trying to throw a few moves to the soundtrack of Slade, but seeing a bunch of supposed celebrity businesspeople pretending to be happy versions of John Travolta [yet failing because they uniformly are out of time with the music, which – let’s be honest – is bloody hard when that tune is We Will Rock You, a song made up of THREE BLOODY NOTES], is sicker than a snuff video.

I guess the only thing that isn’t surprising is that in a country where fakes can be bought on every corner, the soundtrack of the ad is a ‘copy’ of the original …

Freddie Mercury must be turning in his grave … and anyone associated with this monstrosity should be put in one.

Terrible … terrible, terrible, terrible.


15 Comments so far
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now I know why you’ve been slagging off the hk ad scene. what a pile of festering wank.

even if the creatives were being held at gun point they should never let shit like this fucking happen. makes for a good blog post though eh campbell?

youre like the fucking government wanting to stop smoking but not too much because they like the revenue. you want to stop bad ads but not too fucking much because you like slagging them off. twisted fuck

Comment by andy@cynic

How does this happen?

Comment by John

i was just lmao during the whole singapore thing. four and a half minutes. i feel bad about it now, because i m inclined to think that was not what they wanted. i don t think i can ever forget the video. i m sorry for the hk spot too. i m sure they would have something else to show but making themselves look silly. because again, that can t be what they wanted. or so i hope. but then… the world is nuts, apparently.

Comment by peggy

Car crash adverising. Absolutely and totally horrific.

Comment by Pete

Pete, it’s not a car crash, it’s armaggedon advertising.

oh!my!god!

Comment by Age

I know you like the challenge of improving creativity, but this might be too much to ask.

Dreadful in every single way.

Comment by Lee Hill

Tomorrow’s post should answer your question John … and Lee, well that all depends on whether there is the desire to change, though so far I’ve met more than enough people who think what they’re doing is good … which is possibly the even scarier thing.

Comment by Rob

I won’t even dignify this with a slag off.

(Shaking head.)

Comment by fredrik sarnblad

But I want you to dignify it with a slag off …

Comment by Rob

maybe it is going straight to DVD as a snuff film. and are you sure baz luhrmann isn’t involved?

Comment by lauren

I LOVE the fact the movie ‘Australia’ tanked.

The movie the Australian Tourism Commission and DDB claimed would revolutionise their foreign visitation despite painting Ozland with more cliches than a 30″ ad featuring Paul Hogan and a koala.

And I particualary LOVE that fucking bitch Nicole Kidman and Baz ‘ego’ Luhrmann had a flop because maybe they’ll stop looking so fucking smug.

Can you tell I hate Nicole and Baz?

Comment by Rob

Calm, sensible and mature response there Robert. 🙂

Any attention those ads get is too much, just know I agree with every single word of your post.

Comment by Bazza

Clearly that’s about as rock as you will find in most of HK. Have you ever heard Canto pop? My advice is don’t.

As for the ads, I saw a couple of great ones and lots of crap ones in my two weeks there.

Comment by Rob Mortimer

fuck i thought it was a nightmare but that bollocks actually fucking exists

Comment by andy@cynic

I’m coming to HK. Booking the flight right now. Give me some of that hot dance action.

Comment by simon




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