14 Comments

I agree with you, it would have worked 1000% better if it was actually an adbusters spoof.
lewis dodson
2009-06-04 13:04:03

I find the "Under the influence..." ads hard to understand. What are they trying to say? Is there some sort of american irony at work here? No advertiser wants (well, almost noone) to engulf people in ads and make them buy unnecesary stuff?
Peter
2009-06-04 13:13:16

Totally agree. This is scary, and I don't think it's those of us embroiled in media & marketing who will be sensitive to this. But I wonder where it'll be aired? It's for media buyers isn't it? Surely it's not going to be shown to the public at large??
Craig Thomas
2009-06-04 14:13:55

@ Craig
It was on Comedy Central last night during the American Office. Seen it on other channels too
 PatrickBurgoyne
2009-06-04 14:16:26

all of the slogans used are at least 10 years old, although these slogans may stay with the audience for a lifetime, this ad doesn't convey how today's television advertising has such staying power.
Vic
2009-06-05 10:32:19

I agree its somewhat disconcerting... Goes a bit beyond ads are memorable... into ads are unescapable....
Ashley Pollak
2009-06-05 11:01:15

I agree it made me feel slightly uneasy, although I think that many people who don't have that kind of cynicism brought about by working in the media industry will just see the funny side. Then again Thinkbox should be trying to target us cynical media types.
Benjy
2009-06-05 11:18:33

It entirely depends who the advert was intended to reach! If it's target are companies looking for the best place to advertise then it's genius actually. Cynical maybe, but definitely effective... and, let's be honest, true.

The average person watches 2hrs TV a day. Conservatively, let's say of those 2 hours (and for most people it will be much more), that equates to 4 - 5 minutes of advertising in commerical breaks. Times that by 365 and you're watching over 30 hours of solid adverts a year telling you to buy this, don't buy that, your life isn't complete until you've got this... Add to this billboards, adverts in mags / newspapers, shopfronts etc... and we are being constantly bombarded.

If you're upset about it, the only thing you can do as a consumer is abstain! We don't have a TV anymore and I haven't bought a mag for over 5 years. I miss the good programmes, sure! But that's what iPlayer etc. is for - you're in control. I certainly don't miss the ads, and I don't miss being told we're not good enough being content with what we have.
Ruth Spiller`
2009-06-05 11:23:06

this advert is brilliant, and i think you all need to relax abit. Good advertising whether you like it or not has an effect on the subconcious....the strapline 'funny how 30 seconds can last a lifetime' is genius and encapsulates the proposition completely....what advertiser wouldnt want to be remembered after 10 years!!!
dv8design
2009-06-05 11:27:47

Re: the Thinkbox TV ad, personally it made me stop and watch it when I saw it on the box. I don't normally watch adverts. And I laughed out loud when he burst into the 'Bodyform' song. Brilliant.

Is it actually any worse advert than all the rubbish that is presently on TV? It uses adverts that people remembered (and parodied) and talked about. And it says something that ordinary no-ad execs people remember them. And arguably they'll remember them more than a bloody gorilla playing drums. Which seems to be held up as 'good' advertising for some reason that escapes me... :-)

In short, ad makers ought to go back to making memorable ads that the general public actually remember (along with the products they are promoting). So I would say that Thinkbox's advert is on the right tracks.
Simon Watson
2009-06-05 11:31:30

I think it's spot on - how many times do conversations in pubs or late at night turn to either the children's TV of your youth or old TV ads! This taps straight into that nostalgia feeling and points out that a great TV advert can have impact long after it's come off air, maintaining the brand as part of people's psyche.

It may not be the best from what it says about us as consumers but it's certainly what you want to achieve as an advertiser!
Ian ODonnell
2009-06-05 13:19:42

Totally disagree with PB's article. It's genius! Love the slow ticking clock sound in the background too.
Franco
2009-06-05 13:28:43

Brilliant ad - forget the aspirational, this is how advertisers see consumers ...
Simon Pini
2009-06-05 19:26:00

I agree with Vic, the Ad is basically saying, "Weren't TV Ads in the days before Multi-Channel broadcasting (4 terrestrial channels, just 2 commercial ones, those were the days eh?) and the Internet memorable?"

Which is a great message to get across if it weren't for Multi-Channel broadcasting and the Internet.
Bentos
2009-06-08 09:25:09

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