Here's what a once-great agency looks like when it turns its message over to jargon-monkeys.
This agency used to awe us with wonderful ideas. Now it can only bore us with the same dreadful drivel we've heard a thousand times before.
It's a very sad thing.
a) "Need state"? "Need state"? My need state is that I need to never hear any of their voices ever again.
ReplyDeleteb) Thank you, oh 20-something Yoda-Douche for explaining to us that "humans are complex". We are in awe of your intellect.
c) "I'm with my friends on the beach and we're really enjoying this product" said no person ever in the history of mankind.
I want water.
ReplyDeleteI experienced brainweep, the sensation that your brain is bleeding out through your ears because of the stupidity of the things you are listening to.
ReplyDeleteI think it's a sign of my good mental health that I couldn't bear to go past 2 minutes. A bus, a beach and a bunch of yahoos. 4:48 with any of Ogilvy's books would be time better spent.
ReplyDeleteTake away the jargon and some of the thoughts are interesting and relevant. How do you maintain the semblance of a one-on-one relationship with 7 million people? It may not be possible in practice but in principle we have always tried to talk to the person watching or reading our ads - rather than a theoretical 'target audience'. Danielle Strle makes the same point Bob Hoffman did in his London talk - it's still about ideas and how they are expressed. Doing it digitally will mean a shift in executional thinking - just as TV stopped being radio with pictures as the medium matured.
ReplyDeleteAlso - jargon has always been a part of advertising (or any specialised craft) - when I started out I got sent to the art supply company my agency used to get an emergency supply of 'squeakers' - I just hoped they'd know what I was talking about and that I wasn't being hazed - my predecessor got caught out when she went to the litho company to collect a bag of halftone dots.
I'm HAVING A MOMENT. Of heartburn.
ReplyDeleteI'm not thirsty now.
ReplyDelete"I'm with my friends on the beach and we're enjoying this product." I wonder if he forgot to take his meds before the shoot.
ReplyDeleteMe need state is to cry at the banality of this
ReplyDeleteSome people, like that guy in the middle, need a high-five. In the face. With a chair.
ReplyDeleteIt must be sad sad people who have nothing better to do than engage in deep conversations with their favorite washing powder brand on Facebook.
ReplyDeleteAnother possibility is, that they are not having emotional conversations, are just passing time or are trolls. What a waste.
So let me get this right I only want water sometimes not all the time. That must be where I was going wrong. So i want different things at different times, oh okay, sounds interesting. Go on. Tell me more
ReplyDeleteHang on people have different opinions about stuff, really, okay go on, tell me more it's like the scales are falling from my eyes.
"How are people talking about me on different platforms?: Err how do I break it to you dude, its not all good I'm afraid, sorry to say that but hey we all have differing opinions right?
So how many different uses are there for a pair of Adidas trainers? I'm almost embarrassed to say this but I have just thought of another one but I am not sure that was their intended purpose.
And I am not convinced they'd want to showcase it either in their content. Maybe there should be a warning label on the trainers, 'Not to be used for choking hipsters on the beach.' Dear Adidas, I am on the beach really enjoying your product, pictures attached. I may need a few more pairs.
Nice job, Jim!
ReplyDeleteProbably the most meaningless discussion I have ever seen.
ReplyDeleteChips all your comments satisfied my need-state.
ReplyDeleteI got through the whole thing by reading the comments while it was playing.
ReplyDeleteCould have been lifted from this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjY0784vHN8
ReplyDeleteUs humans are so complex with our need states. Sometimes we want to want water but not all the time do we want to want water. Chea brah, like totally.
ReplyDeleteAd people and microphones. A bad combination.
ReplyDeleteHow can a brand facilitate someone expressing their identity? Oh, I don't know - maybe by cutting your price. No, wait, a clever meme. that's what people are yearning for. More clever memes that express brand identity and allow me to develop a relationship with them. After all, brands are people, too! Every single stinkin' morning i wake up looking for more brands to have a relationship with. While that may be illegal - or, at least disgusting - it IS what I want! So, please, Land O Lakes butter and Sharpie - I want to be your friend!!
ReplyDeleteI applaud The Onion for this great piece of 'content'. It is from The Onion, right?
ReplyDeleteA hit of brand acid is a psychedelic need state
ReplyDeleteWell, my mindstate is for tequila. Definitely tequila, not
ReplyDeletewater.
The water is for my shower – it’s emotionally relevant.
Where is a good suicide bomber when you need one?
ReplyDeleteThese nitwits couldn't sell a glass of ice water to a guy dying of thirst in the Sahara. My need state for the brands they represent can now be represented with one word. Zero.
ReplyDelete