Confessor Fred Garvin, Man About Town, emailed me some thoughts on some themes regular Confessors will find familiar. I know not everyone is anxious to read more about Ticket advertising on this site, and most of these ads have been dissected here before, but I am very thankful, in this season for being thankful, for contributions from readers. And Fred has some interesting takes, not all of which I share, but, hey, that's why they make vanilla and Cherry Garcia.
But I do like the "sci-fi collectibles" line and the Jimmy John's ads featuring Ed.
Okay, okay, I'll try to give advertising commentary a break for awhile, although I may not be able to resist a new post on not-known-as-The-Bulldog Kelly McClure sometime soon.
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I’ve got a few random thoughts on Ticket advertising.
First, do no harm:
There are two Ticket sponsors whose advertisements make me want to spend
lavishly...on their competitors. First is Meador Dodge Chrysler, etc. (“We
simply do it better, at Meador.”) This is the satirical one: Unethical sales
guy sticks the customer with exotic, needless up-charges, while the customer
complains futilely, sounding vaguely like one of the grown-ups in the Charlie
Brown cartoons.
ANNOYING. Not funny. Over-the-top in a way that would make
Jim Carrey blush. And played way, way too often.
The second one is Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steak House. The
guy isn’t the problem. Gina Cook is the problem. (Don’t throw shoes. I know that
some people like her, but she’s nails on the chalkboard for me.) And the
problem is her barely contained giddiness at how funny she thinks she’s being. Each
commercial, she’s on the verge of “breaking,” as they say in show biz. Breaking
is normally fun for the audience, because we’re laughing, and we get a kick out
of watching the talent try not to laugh, too. But it’s less fun when we’re not
laughing, and instead are wondering, “Why does Gina think this is so funny?” (Side
note: Gina doesn’t have the vocal timbre to say, “Crab claws...yeah!” at 75% of
her maximum volume. My recommendation: Let the dude say it, or drop the line
altogether.)
Now please don’t get me wrong: I love humor in advertising.
I’ve found the Jimmy John’s spots (fast delivery, fast talking) amusing. And
there’s the one ad with the line, “Please don’t handle the sci-fi
collectibles.” But those ads are smart and know their audience. The Meador and
Del Frisco ads are pedestrian and tone-deaf. Revise and resubmit, please.
Bart Reagor, are you
okay? We haven’t heard from this guy in a while, and it’s got me wondering
if he decided to take a mental health break in the country. ‘Cuz
those ads he was doing a while back were getting downright
weird. There was this bit: “You like the Internet? Remember when we didn’t have
that? Remember when we would just stare at our computer screens and wish the
Internet would be invented? And then it got invented, and we all liked it? Do
you remember that?” And how about the stuff where he sounds like he’s trying to
talk his girlfriend out of dumping him: “I’m one of the best guys you’ll ever
meet. Give me a chance. Don’t be a hater...” I sometimes wonder how many of
these spots are cut with Bart speaking directly into the mirror.
Learning from your
mistakes. Occasionally, I wake up in the middle of the night, screaming,
thinking about that first Kelly McClure “bulldog” spot. Wow, was that bad. I
did the math once, and she said the word “aggressive” 2.4 times per second in that
thing. She also invited you to check out her pics online (which of course I
did, purely for medicinal purposes, and while she’s lovely, the “hire me b/c
I’m hot” pitch is kind of insulting). The whole campaign was in your face like whipped
cream at a pie-eating contest. It also reinforced a lot of ugly stereotypes
about lawyers.
Thankfully, Ms. McClure has toned things way down. I like
the softer Kelly.
All I can say is, well done. Good things happen when you’re
not too proud to learn.
