Filed under: Advertising, Attitude & Aptitude, Business, Crap Campaigns In History, Crap Marketing Ideas From History!, Creativity, Culture, ECommerce, Emotion, Empathy, Insight, Marketing, Marketing Fail, Relevance, Resonance
As you read this, I’ll be on a plane to America – again.
Given I’m not back till Friday – and then there’s a long-weekend in the UK for Easter – that means there won’t be any posts till Tuesday. Hopefully I will have digested all the chocolate I intend to eat by then. Not to mention have got over the excitement of having my new car – which, is exactly the same as my old car – but that’s a post for another day.
Till then, I leave you with this …
So I recently saw this ad for a viagra type product on the tube …
How horrifying is that eh?
OK, it’s not quite as bad as the Eddie viagra ad I wrote about a while back … but it’s close.
From the terrible ‘When Harry Met Sally’ reference to the racially questionable ‘erect dreadlocks’, it’s the sort of rubbish you’d expect to see in a first year ad students book.
And I’m probably being unfair to first year ad students.
But even worse than that is that it comes from a company called manual.
Maybe it’s just me, but the words ‘manual’ and ‘viagra’ seem to be polar opposites.
I don’t know why, but when I see the word manual – in the context of intercourse – I think more of masturbation than copulation … and yet that is what they decided to call their company.
Weird.
At one point I was going to say that even that wasn’t as weird as ending the body copy of the ad with the words ‘Good News, Man’ … because I initially thought it another racist slur towards the guy with the dreadlocks … however having seen a few more of their executions, I see they say this in ALL their ads, even when it features a man without long hair.
Though I note none of them show their hairstyles pointing up.
Everything about this campaign smacks of a company that doesn’t know what erectile disfunction means.
From their ads communicating the effect of the product rather than the emotional benefit for the user, through to the fact the opening line on their website is, Hard Isn’t Always Easy.
I appreciate its an ad on the tube.
I appreciate most ads on the tube are even worse.
But this overly simplistic approach to communication is not building long term business, just a short-term transaction.
Maybe that’s fine for the founders … maybe they’re in it for a good time rather than a long time … but if you think how a strong brand can command a price premium and disproportionate audience loyalty, it blows my mind how few companies seem to care about this.
Oh they will claim they will.
They’ll say all the right things about thinking for the long term.
But the reality is to do that, you have to plant seeds [excuse the pun] for the future and many of these new companies are simply in continuous harvest mode.
Maybe they’re adopting the old saying of ‘make hay while the shines’ … I just hope they realize the other side of that is ‘prepare for your demise, because it’s coming’.
Happy Easter everyone …
20 Comments so far
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Just wanted to leave the first comment for once.
Comment by Rob April 17, 2019 @ 6:22 amThere won’t be any more. Not purely because we are about to take off, but because I’m so knackered I intend to sleep for 8 hours.
Maybe Trump needs to build his wall in the air.
Comment by Bazza April 17, 2019 @ 6:37 amill fucking contribute to it.
Comment by andy@cynic April 17, 2019 @ 1:05 pmYou can look back on today and know you achieved something.
Comment by George April 17, 2019 @ 7:34 amyou think youre being sarcastic auntie g, youre wrong.
Comment by andy@cynic April 17, 2019 @ 1:06 pmI like the bitchiness of this post. But it could be the relief of not having anymore for almost a week.
Comment by Bazza April 17, 2019 @ 6:38 amBit of both?
Comment by Pete April 17, 2019 @ 7:09 amThat looks like a 1st year ad student campaign.
I can’t believe you’re heading back to America. You must have more points now than Clooney had in Up In The Air.
I’ll talk to you about your car choice another day. ; )
Safe travels and happy easter.
Comment by Pete April 17, 2019 @ 7:08 ama 1st year ad student who fucking failed.
sort of person who would buy a fucking audi.
Comment by andy@cynic April 17, 2019 @ 1:08 pmIt’s not that someone made this work.
Comment by George April 17, 2019 @ 7:39 amIt’s that someone approved it and paid for it because I am confused what they are trying to emphasise. Is it the effect viagra has on men or is it that this company makes it easier for men to access it?
If the former, they are wasting their money. If the latter, they are wasting their money.
It appears they are communicating a viagra alternative rather than a new method of accessibility. That doesn’t take away from it being a terrible piece of generic communication.
Comment by Lee Hill April 17, 2019 @ 3:34 pmIronic, given their long term business is predicated on an infinite amount of short-term transactions.
Comment by John April 17, 2019 @ 9:59 amthe shit idea of this ad would fail because all planners are bald fucks.
Comment by andy@cynic April 17, 2019 @ 1:11 pmif you want to be a massive dick, be a fucking planner.
Comment by andy@cynic April 17, 2019 @ 1:09 pmI would just like to take a moment to recognize Andy’s contribution to this post. FTW.
Comment by DH April 17, 2019 @ 2:27 pmgive me your fucking money not your fucking compliments.
Comment by andy@cynic April 17, 2019 @ 2:53 pmWise thoughts on short term thinking hidden in first class bitchiness
Comment by Northern April 17, 2019 @ 3:40 pmI’ve often wondered if someone would do well to get into the truth of why viagra in the UK is now available without prescription, less about dealing with a traumatic problem to, erm, being able to maximise ‘performance’ (I imagine)
Wouldn’t it be nice if someone got women (or even same sex partners) to talk about what they really want
Anyway
They say people are shagging less (not me, I’m a love machine) so the viagra business model is more fucked than the kids are. I’ve just talked about business. Kill me.
Comment by Billy Whizz April 17, 2019 @ 6:02 pmself love machine. twat.
Comment by andy@cynic April 18, 2019 @ 12:48 pmReblogged this on Pro Pharma.
Comment by propharmacystore July 7, 2019 @ 5:41 pm