Is there a fundamental advertising shift afoot? While Pepsi is snubbing the Superbowl, other advertisers will use their precious television seconds to point you to their social media efforts.
A post from Forrester Research :
And this is where the interesting shift in the recognition of Social Media marketing is evident: Last year, brands used Social Media marketing mostly to develop content for and promote their Super Bowl ads, but this year Super Bowl ads are being dedicated to the support of larger Social Media marketing strategies. The servant has become the master.Admin, Who is the MVP of the Marketing Bowl: Social Media or Super Bowl Ads?, Feb 2010
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Alfred Hitchcock knew this: You don't need a lot of special effects to get your audience's attention, and sometimes, it's the simplest thing that works.
In leaning on these two conventions, the US Postal Service has gotten its take on the evil clown commercial just right. They've stuck to an often forgotten advertising formula:
You've got yourself a problem? We have the solution. Your solution. And we'll give it to you in a language you can easily understand. But just in case you're not paying attention, we're going to use a jarring but familiar attention-grabber right in the middle of our story so we can suck you back in to the message.
It doesn't get much clearer than that.
This 2009 ad features a huddling family stranded on their front porch, too afraid to enter their own home. It's because they've received a package containing a small but frightening clown with the eerie ability to move through the house on its own power. To make matters worse, they've ordered the thing through the internet, essentially bringing the problem on themselves.
Enter the USPS to the rescue. As Mom, Dad and kids cower outside their own front door, a friendly postal worker confidently approaches and inquires as to what the issue might be. The next phase of the commercial begins a transition ushered in with a 3-frame but effective static edit straight out of Hitchcock's Psycho, complete with music. It's convincing, but you can almost hear the hero's anthem cue in the background as the USPS worker shrugs off the clown to deliver a very succinct script containing all the information the family needs to easily rid themselves of the invader.
"Perfect" says Dad on hearing the solution.
But it's the very next shot that seals the deal, placing us, and the postman, firmly on the side of the frightened family. For the first time in the commercial, the point of view is shown from deeper inside the house, pulling back a bit to neatly frame both family and the USPS. And conveniently, the shot includes our postal worker holding a box of perfect size to contain and rid the home of the horrible little clown.
Contrast this with the Walmart Evil Clown commercial, where the harlequin is shot from a low angle as he creeps into the room. My interpretation of this take? The retailer unintentionally presents itself as a blue-haired giant that lumbers into rooms (communities) to crush unicorns (mom and pop stores) under its feet while roaring at children (protesters). And in this particular scenario, what's interesting is that its only the moms (target market) that remains unfazed.
There was a time I would have found myself invited to birthday parties where I'd hope to be entertained by funny men with brillo hair and brightly painted faces. It was also a time my parents may have turned aside as I played with minature horses crowned with extremely sharp edges. But when I want proof that era is far gone, I tune in to watch Walmart's new screaming clown commercial. In one short sequence, the magical silver unicorns of my childhood are rebranded as ugly weapons, and the normally mute and smiling funny men that used to give me giggles can now clear entire rooms with their tortured screeching.
This transformation from kiddie to horror show is the center of the 30-second piece introduced this week. Within the world of the commercial, the show is witnessed by a woman whose main concern seems to be sharing shopping tips while her husband's honest effort to entertain and charm their child is met with complete and utter failure. Though this commercial doesn't represent the worst offense, it fits a genre I call disheartening. I'm bored with the long-standing advertsing trend featuring scenarios where women wear smug smiles as they snark at their well-meaning but bumbling partners. Yes, it's obvious that Walmart, and other retailers like it, knows its target audience consists of women, specifically moms. But to appeal to women by insulting their husbands is a quick and easy strategy that does nothing but get a cheap laugh.
Of course, looking down my nose at this commercial could just be because I've developed a real fear of painted men in pom-pommed jumpsuits.
Walmart has been removing the commercial from YouTube, but for now, you can view it here.
This transformation from kiddie to horror show is the center of the 30-second piece introduced this week. Within the world of the commercial, the show is witnessed by a woman whose main concern seems to be sharing shopping tips while her husband's honest effort to entertain and charm their child is met with complete and utter failure. Though this commercial doesn't represent the worst offense, it fits a genre I call disheartening. I'm bored with the long-standing advertsing trend featuring scenarios where women wear smug smiles as they snark at their well-meaning but bumbling partners. Yes, it's obvious that Walmart, and other retailers like it, knows its target audience consists of women, specifically moms. But to appeal to women by insulting their husbands is a quick and easy strategy that does nothing but get a cheap laugh.
