Monday, February 4, 2013

The Decline of Western Civilization, Part 3*


Every year I want to turn to the non-advertising-industry people at my Super Bowl party (which is all of them) and say something like this:

“I’m sorry. On behalf of my profession, I’m sorry. Here it is, the one day of the year when you’re actually leaning forward to watch the commercials, can’t wait to watch them, and we give you old people making out, talking babies, men in leather bustiers, and the fantasies of 40-year-old white men who drive Hyundais.  I’m sorry.” 

I don’t say that, because they’d say “shut up, I’m trying to watch the commercials”, but still.

Why do we do it? Does America want this? Have ad people forgotten how to make commercials? Has Facebook and Buzzfeed destroyed the creative process?  

But one spot redeemed my profession.  It’s so hard to do emotional storytelling well.  There are a million ways this could have been ridiculous.  But it wasn’t.  Perfect music, great shooting, spot-on casting.  Bravo to Budweiser’s “Clydesdale Brotherhood.”  This is how you do it. 

And guess what, ad people? It was #1 on USA Today’s Ad Meter! America wants this stuff! Give it to them! Appeal to their better angels! You can do it! 

*”The Decline of Western Civilization, Part 2: The Metal Years” is an excellent hair-metal documentary. I’d suggest you check it out.  

12 comments:

Ron said...

Great post. Thought you and your readers might like the background story of the trainer who helped with the filming: http://www.tampabay.com/opinion/columns/brooksville-trainer-was-key-to-super-bowl-clydesdale-commercial/1273739

I hope your next blog entry will address why it is "The" Cramer-Krasselt? Is it a joke, like "the" internet(s)?

G.D. said...

At this point, the whole urban-legend mythos around the 'The' in 'The Cramer Krasselt' has grown so large and epic, that I'd hate to pop the balloon with something so pedestrian as the truth. I think a lot of people would really be let down.

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Clark said...

Nice spot. I didn't watch much because we had a party going. Also saw one after the fact about God Made A Farmer, which was good.

Now, how about a comment about Chris Dorner. I remember you indicting Sarah Palin for the Gabby Giffords shooting, a comment with zero intelligence but 100% of what pisses normal people off about media people. Now, this Dorner guy is becoming a major celebrity piling up corpses of what were policemen. But this killing is OK, because he has a grievance. I am looking for you to put you Madison Avenue, cool guy mind to the task of making people believe that Sarah Palin is to blame, or maybe George Bush, or maybe the new evil one, Dr. Benjamin Carson, who spoke in front of your hero at the National Prayer Day breakfast and had the temerity to discuss politics, education, America and health care in front of our Leader, and in a way that challenged our Leader. I think you can work on a narrative or tag line or a concept to demolish this Carson guy, black neurosurgeon, Uncle Tom. We don't need people riling up the plantation dwellers. So help your man, Gary and do it.

Or maybe, if you have had a change of thinking about the idea of putting the country in the hands of a man who hates the country, then you might post something to that effect. I like horses. Use to ride them. Like farms too. But the country's fate is a lot more important and until those who thing it is bright to put a corrupt Chicago thug in charge of the whole country are educated in truth, we will continue the slide into the financial, moral and political abyss. Remember, you loved the little political drive by shots at Palin. Lets see some shots at the current poseur.

Anonymous said...

From Forbes -Detroit Tops List of Most Miserable US Cities How can this be? Remember the 2012 Super Bowl Ad with Clint telling us Detroit was back, and the ad was celebrated by some Marketing gurus. Of course it was all lies, but so was the entire Obama campaign. (Closing Gitmo, ending all Mideast wars, cutting the deficit in half, no tax increases on anyone making less than $250k, ending the Patriot Act, ending Wall Street bailouts, most transparent administration ever, no federal subisdized abortions in ObamaCare, etc., etc., etc.). You Marketing people love lies. I guess lies are the tool of your trade.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/kurtbadenhausen/2013/02/21/detroit-tops-2013-list-of-americas-most-miserable-cities/

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