Filed under: Crap Campaigns In History

This is what happens when [marketing] people forget that to stand any chance of making people give the teeniest shit about you, you don’t communicate what you want people to know, you communicate what they want to know.
That said, I bet the person behind this was some media planner who told them:
“People riding the underground don’t want to make eye-contact with other passengers so they look around for things to occupy their attention, like long-copy ads. This is the perfect opportunity for us to run an ad that fully explains the symptoms of ADHD to a highly captive and engaged audience”.
I’m telling you, I can literally hear that being said.
Maybe it could have worked if the ad wasn’t addressing people in the first person.
Maybe it would be less bloody ridiculous if it started with the words, ‘Do you know someone who …’, but it didn’t, instead they used long-copy to try and connect with people who have an inability to focus on anything for more than a few seconds.
Shame on the media planner for only focusing on the medium not the audience.
Shame on the client for only focusing on what they want to say, not how they should communicate it.
Shame on the underground sales team for only focusing on their sales targets, not effectiveness.
And to anyone who say’s, “but you’re writing about it, so that proves its successful” … may I suggest you visit here, because you’ll find a place that appears to value disruption more than it does meaningful resonance.
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I can hear a planner saying exactly that Robert. Embarrassing and ridiculous.
Comment by George October 14, 2014 @ 6:23 amThat’s because a planner did say it. Or wrote it. Were you behind this Rob?
Comment by DH October 14, 2014 @ 8:22 amlooks like the fucking planner suffered from adhd with choices like that. and the fucking copywriter was struck down with twatism.
Comment by andy@cynic October 14, 2014 @ 6:30 amA bad case of twatism by the looks of it.
Comment by Rob October 14, 2014 @ 7:56 amdisrupt this. disrupt that. its all fucking shit. you want to be fucking distinctive not fucking disruptive. when will you stupid fuckers learn?
Comment by andy@cynic October 14, 2014 @ 6:31 amAnd in a few words you dismantle the core premise of the TBWA network and consign it to the scrap heap. Fantastic point, well said.
Comment by George October 14, 2014 @ 6:40 amand youre surprised for what fucking reason exactly? twat.
Comment by andy@cynic October 14, 2014 @ 6:46 amYour industry needs you.
Comment by John October 14, 2014 @ 6:55 amI agree with George and John. You’ve just brilliantly and wisely destroyed a core tenet of the advertising biz.
Comment by Pete October 14, 2014 @ 7:00 amnot my fucking industry doddsy. im much fucking better than that. i only did it for the free fucking pencils but im mr fucking technology these days.
Comment by andy@cynic October 14, 2014 @ 7:03 amThe Nerd King rises.
Comment by John October 14, 2014 @ 7:08 amI’ll inform Saint Ive about your availability Andy.
Comment by Bazza October 14, 2014 @ 7:17 amYou’re showing your smarts again Andy. How many times have we said you shouldn’t be doing that on this blog!!! [But I’ll be stealing it]
Comment by Rob October 14, 2014 @ 7:57 amStill haven’t got the hang of capital letters though.
Comment by DH October 14, 2014 @ 8:24 amI’m still uncomfortable when Mr. Andy makes sense.
Comment by Miguel October 14, 2014 @ 8:01 amJudging by how long all your posts are Rob, you suffer from the opposite of ADHD.
Comment by Bazza October 14, 2014 @ 6:36 amnice insulting bazza. did siri tell you what to fucking say?
Comment by andy@cynic October 14, 2014 @ 7:05 amMy sides. Oh my sides …
Comment by Rob October 14, 2014 @ 7:58 amBazza goes bad. Good work.
Comment by DH October 14, 2014 @ 8:23 amWhat terrible thinking and execution. What makes it even worse is that it appears it’s for a charitable organisation and they won’t have the resources to spend on bad communication.
Comment by Pete October 14, 2014 @ 6:57 amits no fucking als campaign thats for fucking sure.
Comment by andy@cynic October 14, 2014 @ 7:05 amYes … but let’s be honest, no one can really afford to spend money on bad communication.
Comment by Rob October 14, 2014 @ 7:58 amI obviously support this post
Comment by Northern October 14, 2014 @ 2:32 pmWhy are you up so early???
Comment by Rob October 14, 2014 @ 2:55 pmEarly? I rise at 6 every day, on the bike 7.10.
Comment by Northern October 14, 2014 @ 4:42 pmOn the rare mornings Evie doesn’t wake up at 5am.
Oh yes, work is one thing, offspring is quite another .
I did try convince Juliette we needed an au pair, but not a positive response
So much for your powers of persuasion.
Comment by Rob October 14, 2014 @ 5:35 pmI should have used Media Arts
Comment by Northern October 14, 2014 @ 6:00 pmYeah … that would have worked. Bore her into submission.
Comment by Rob October 14, 2014 @ 7:14 pm