Comments on: Ads that live, ads that die

By: Rick Liebling

Rick Liebling — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 10:39:05 +0000

Grant, Dead on, I've been thinking the same thing about both ads. The eyebrow raise is absolutely the key to that ad. And the mom, who I normally love, does turn in her weakest performance - she was extremely strong in other iterations.

Great insight from Alan as well, thank you.

Grant, you've been extremely hot this week, great stuff.

By: Mary Schmidt

Mary Schmidt — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 15:15:36 +0000

"Urgent anthropology" - I'll have to remember that one! It takes more than shiny objects to get and keep customers' attention these days. I'm with you on the yard sale ad...but I can't for the life of me see anything racist about it.

(P.S. You've got some comment spam up there.)

By: griche

griche — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 15:05:29 +0000

For me the key to this wonderful AT&T spot is the humor when the lady raises her eyebrow. And that, it seems to me, is just plain old good acting. It's difficult to imagine the director asking her to do raise her eyebrow. Maybe the director asked her to look at the kid, but I'd bet the detail of the moment was hers. It made her a fuller person — she's curious and skeptical and wishes to connect with a stranger. That's a lot to communicate in her few seconds on screen. I suppose some credit goes to the director, too, for creating the mood of the shoot where she could actually act…. I think the weak link in the spot is the mother, who, despite her great hair, is the least believable character. She is, of course, the character who delivers the key point of the spot, and perhaps that responsibility got in the way of her acting…. Thanks for pointing out this spot. I saw it the other night and enjoyed it…. P.S. to Alan: thanks for the very thoughtful analysis.

By: Scott Ellington

Scott Ellington — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 15:00:51 +0000

The rollover-minutes video has been removed from YouTube, possibly because of controversial racist overtones.

By: Alan

Alan — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 13:10:09 +0000

Okay, Grant, I'll bite at your bait. Of course, if anthropology is to be in service to marketing then it must be called on to distinguish between commercials like the two you have posted. Hmmmmmm … Could it be that the AT&T commercial is rich in reality, replete with real life? Even the editing draws us into this episode, as if we, the viewer, looks on over the shoulder of the "lady." The viewer is, in essence, the neighborhood kid before he enters the scene. Watch that simple progression from wide shot of the yard sale to medium shot to close-up over "What are these?" And then the commercial just takes off. The viewer as bystander gets to watch over and over and smile with recognition of characters we all know: the eager son, not just selling his Mom's antiques but pocketing the change; the haggard Mom (perfect hair, by the way) who is so much in charge of every detail of the yard sale; the curious customers picking over the merchandise. It is rich in the kind of reality that spawns story-telling. As a bystander, it is the very kind of episode we would re-tell to friends, in small talk, etc. Few of us would tell the story as effectively as this commercial tells it. Finally, the AT&T spot is contained, not only in its setting, and therefore within its slice of reality, but in its acting, camera work and editing. By contrast the Blackberry spot over-tells its skit or sketch. It is over-invented. It has touches added like the kid in the locker. Even the camera angles selected (the angled shot from below the supervisor) lend to the fussiness of the commercial. And the cut-aways to gymnasium, delivery driver, street, etc. are just plot devices. We never get to get to know the kid who is walking down the street. I would like to know where he would rather be. The Blackberry spot lacks the richness of reality that the AT&T spot shines with. So who needs reality right now when so much news is so, so, so bad? We all do. Because it is the inter-personal richness of our lives (dare I write anthropological richness?) that lets us life in the face of necessity or cry. It is purely coincidental, but a lot of people can identify with the frugal necessity of holding yard sales these days. So how's that? Nice choice of spots, Grant. Thanks for the fun!

By: dl

dl — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 12:49:26 +0000

It is the core of what we are doing at my "federation" so to speak. It's what is at the core of monetization for all the "transmedia story architecture" stuff we are looking at. Advertising has to be entertainment…interaction has to be entertainment… not just to market…but to click and purchase.

This is a very very fun subject. Not to let the product lead you so much into creating content… but let the original content help you pick product which leads you to create content interactivity based on that product placement…..and maybe content based on ENTERTAINING through that interactivity (which in our model always attempts to lead to purchase activation) Ya' know?

By: Miriam

Miriam — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 12:41:03 +0000

I recently came across your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I don't know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog. I will keep visiting this blog very often.

Miriam

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