So I saw this TV spot from Verizon about LG's new Dare phone. As soon as I saw it I thought, "That wasn't very good." Being a former intern on the AT&T account, I still have this innate sense to check out wireless phone advertising and size it up against whatever AT&T is doing. I can't help it. Usually I'm pretty entertained by Verizon's stuff but this one was weird.
Made by McCann Erickson, New York (Verizon's agency), this commercial shows a guy jumping a fence to retrieve his phone guarded by pitbulls. It isn't very realistic. No one I know would risk their well-being for their phone.... (well I take that back.... if my iPhone was being guarded by dogs I might try to put up a fight.) I'm not sure why they thought this positioning would work. Did they think a name like "Dare" and this type of advertising would make every dare devil, x-game enthusiast flock to their local Verizon retailer? Doesn't make much sense. Not very edgy or cool.
Now, a couple weeks after seeing the spot, I see this article on Ad Age: "Verizon Pit-Bull Ad Unleashes Flurry of Complaints." Apparently not only do I not care for it, but PETA, the ASPCA and dozens of pet-related websites, have posted petitions and message boards on the Web protesting the ad with slogans like "Can They Hear Us Now?" Clever.
These pet-friendly organizations are mad becasue these commercials depict that it is ok to chain dogs and to have guard dogs. "Pit bulls are not guard dogs and they were never meant to be guard dogs," Mary Harwelik, founder of The Real Pit Bull (an advocacy organization). Then the article gets into Michael Vick's dog-fighting debacle.
To check out the full article on Ad Age click here.
Even though they are gettiing criticism, Verizon isn't going to pull the spot. Apparently these ads were "designed to be over-the-top, to break through the clutter and get the message across." Whatever that message is, I don't get it.
Also related with animal cruelty, check out CREATIVITY'S TOP 5 Episode 24. If you thought Sarah McLaughlin's Humane Society commercials were bad, check out #4. These commercials kill me! Im a huge animal lover. It will make you get out of your seat and race to a shelter. Or at least you'll want to.
Still waiting to hear a definite thumbs up from Atlanta. They did tell me I'm one of the top two candidates though! I'll know by the end of the week. The suspense is killing me! Agh.
Jfran
Made by McCann Erickson, New York (Verizon's agency), this commercial shows a guy jumping a fence to retrieve his phone guarded by pitbulls. It isn't very realistic. No one I know would risk their well-being for their phone.... (well I take that back.... if my iPhone was being guarded by dogs I might try to put up a fight.) I'm not sure why they thought this positioning would work. Did they think a name like "Dare" and this type of advertising would make every dare devil, x-game enthusiast flock to their local Verizon retailer? Doesn't make much sense. Not very edgy or cool.
Now, a couple weeks after seeing the spot, I see this article on Ad Age: "Verizon Pit-Bull Ad Unleashes Flurry of Complaints." Apparently not only do I not care for it, but PETA, the ASPCA and dozens of pet-related websites, have posted petitions and message boards on the Web protesting the ad with slogans like "Can They Hear Us Now?" Clever.
These pet-friendly organizations are mad becasue these commercials depict that it is ok to chain dogs and to have guard dogs. "Pit bulls are not guard dogs and they were never meant to be guard dogs," Mary Harwelik, founder of The Real Pit Bull (an advocacy organization). Then the article gets into Michael Vick's dog-fighting debacle.
To check out the full article on Ad Age click here.
Even though they are gettiing criticism, Verizon isn't going to pull the spot. Apparently these ads were "designed to be over-the-top, to break through the clutter and get the message across." Whatever that message is, I don't get it.
Also related with animal cruelty, check out CREATIVITY'S TOP 5 Episode 24. If you thought Sarah McLaughlin's Humane Society commercials were bad, check out #4. These commercials kill me! Im a huge animal lover. It will make you get out of your seat and race to a shelter. Or at least you'll want to.
Still waiting to hear a definite thumbs up from Atlanta. They did tell me I'm one of the top two candidates though! I'll know by the end of the week. The suspense is killing me! Agh.
Jfran
2 comments:
Yep, saw that on my Ad Age this morning. Seems like recently there's been a ton of ads offending different groups lately. (UK Mayo ad offends homophobic parents, Snickers ad with Mr. T offends gays and especially Bob Garfield by being homophobic) I'm sure you guys have read about it.
If not-- http://www.thecriticalcondition.com/2008/07/16/ad-tastic-snickers-hates-the-gays/
http://adage.com/garfield/post?article_id=129767
Anyway good luck, Jess! Keep us updated.
Update: Nike pulled their Dunk ads this week, too.
http://adage.com/columns/article?article_id=129903
Here's a funny article about how ads will always offend someone. =)
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