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Friday, February 11, 2011

Brilliance in Advertising

Or the lack of it. Driving in to work this morning, I saw a billboard. But not just any billboard, no, this one has got to represent the end of somebody's marketing career. I present to you in all its glory, the worst marketing phrase I can think of:


So evidently in the land of teenage vampires, they now not only sparkle, but take a few runs down a Slip n Slide coated in baby oil before lounging around in front of a rampant gang of renegade airbrush artists.

But what really calls attention is the brilliance of the tagline here. "Catch VD." Or, to translate to real-people language from marketingspeak, "Please tune in to our show which we have just compared to the thing you should most avoid lest your genitalia rot. We promise it's not as bad as Herpes, nor as disgusting as the clap, and far less lethal than HIV. It is, however, every bit as entertaining as any of these."

Can you imagine the presentation for this? "Johnson, you're up. Make it good this time, Johnson. You're still on thin ice after the "TSA: friendlier than your grandmother" debacle. Well, get a move on, man!"

"Er, umm...yes sir. Well, we have vampires, right? And they write these diaries...so I was thinking that we could do something that really pops! You know, like a zit! Teenieboppers can relate to zits, even though vampires never get them, even though they roll around in oil all the time."

"Johnson, get to the point."

"Uh, ok, uhm...well, the initals for the show are VD, right? So we'll try something simple...Watch VD!"

"Johnson, that sucks. Make it catchier, or you're fired!"

(Incidentally, I picture Johnson's boss like Cosmo Spacely, of Spacely's Sprockets)
Of course, Johnson goes back to his desk, stewing for hours on how to make it "Catchier."
EUREKA!!! CATCH VD!!!, he surely thought.

In my imagination, that's why Johnson will be collecting unemployment next week.

8 comments:

  1. On the flip side, this campaign could be called a stroke of genius, because it's getting A LOT of attention. A simple phrase that catches your attention, causing you to read the billboard more closely, and then discuss the campaign (and in turn, the show) with friends and on blogs. I've even seen a reference to this campaign on a website for a mainstream news source (whose name eludes me for the moment). They're getting a metric buttload of free advertising from these billboards. I'm thinking the person who thought it up may get a bonus.

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  2. @HavenNyx Sometimes, that's all you can say.

    @jester Whereas your point is both valid and likely accurate, it ruins my imaginary narrative that I completely made up this morning. Therefore, I deny your reality and substitute my own. ;)

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  3. Surely this presentation went to a group of men and the woman was nude on the original spread.. er, billboard type sign. Right? Good grief!

    TalkativeTaurus.com

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  4. Wow is right. And I prefer your imaginary narrative to the alternative. ;)

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  5. While I agree with Jester that any ad remembered is some level of success...VD? Do those young whippersnappers even call it that anymore?

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  6. Okay. I gotta say. I don't watch Vampire Diaries although I have, and that is one heck of a GREAT ad. LOL.

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  7. I chose you for a blog award, right over here:

    http://alotoflayers.blogspot.com/2011/02/im-glowing.html

    How do I enjoy thee ramblings, let me count the ways....

    ReplyDelete

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