Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Advertising, Attitude & Aptitude, Brand Suicide, Crap Campaigns In History, Creativity, Insight, Marketing, Marketing Fail, Relevance, Resonance
So as you read this, I’ll be on a plane to Portland …
While this is good news for you as I’ll be away the whole of the week, it’s terrible news for my friends at NIKE and Wieden+Kennedy as I’ll be poking my head in their lives and business for the next 5 days.
To help everyone either celebrate or commiserate over this news, let me leave you with a very short post.
I saw the above ad on the underground recently …
What. The. Fuck?
I get it’s a nice looking razor … I get some people may even want to buy it because it’s a nice looking razor … but what the hell is the point of that copy?
Seriously, what are they trying to achieve with it?
In advertising, there is a phrase called ‘see say’ … where the copy, or voice over, explains what’s being shown, despite the fact that in the main, the person looking at the communication can see perfectly well what it is.
I’ve never understood why it continues to happen – just like I’ve never understood why people do presentations then read exactly what’s on the screen – but this ad is taking things to a whole new level, or should I say depth.
What pains me more is that Boots originally were a Nottingham company so I feel some sort of responsibility to their actions and behaviours … even though they’re no longer English and quite frankly, my attitude is more mental than sentimental.
What next, fruit ads that have copy explaining the fruit you’re looking at what its colour is?
If our industry is about helping brands resonate with culture, our work seems to suggest we’re either saying people are stupid or brand managers are.
Good job I’m going to hippyville so I can calm down before I explode.
See you in a week … where it will only be 2 days till my birthday.
[Hint Hint]