christmas, holidays, yadda yadda yadda . . .

dec 26 @ 8:22pm

ok, so we've lived through the holidays . . . well, we still have new years, but that's not here nor there for right now (i don't really call that a holiday, honestly . . . mainly just a reason for some people to get together and drink - which is pretty awesome i guess, but i'm getting a little too old to go out and drink all night . . . this parenthetical statement has gone on too long), this is mainly about what i've noticed over the christmas holiday season. so, being in marketing and advertising, we have noticed a little bit of a shift in the practices of a lot of the bigger companies out there - they have started to try and be funny in all their ads. which i think is great, i know that there are a ton of great companies out there that have some great minds in their think tanks that can come up with great new, funny ads. but the thing that stuck out the most was all of the ads that were trying and failing miserably. when did it happen that people are too focused on the bottom line to not have a sense of humor? don't want to mention any specifically, but there are large companies out there that have the bank-roll to run an add that is pretty funny and if it flops, oh well. but it seems like they are trying to be too careful to not really push the limits and put out some really funny pieces. we all remember the 'shipped my pants' ad from k-mart . . . that was pretty hilarious, and it pushed the envelope on what was currently being shown. so what don't more people do that?

going to have to talk about ourselves for a moment . . . sorry. when we have a client that wants to put out a commercial, the first thing we tell them is that we are going to is come up with a treatment that will probably make them feel a little uncomfortable at first because we aren't really going to focus on any products they sell, talk about the company at length, etc. we develop something that is kind of out of left field but is going to leave some sort of reaction or feeling with the viewer. if you look at how many auto shops, car detailers, local restaurants, etc that are around; if one were to make a traditional commercial, that channel is getting changed quickly. prime example are car dealerships. can there be one dealership commercial without a man standing in a car lot yelling? please? let's start to think outside the box guys.

all i'm trying to say is that there are many more options out there than sticking to what has been done already. cut your own path . . . push the limits . . . some other saying that's been over used. the 'shipped my pants' campaign along with the at&t campaign with the dude and little kids did something awesome . . . they didn't focus on one thing about the company, it brought the viewers attention in and then made them laugh, then gave the sales pitch. simple . . . isn't it? so if you're a company out there that is wanting to do a commercial, don't try and come up with a treatment or script yourself, work with somebody that you think is 'a little out there' . . . it will pay off, trust me.

out havikmarketing.com