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The Super Bowl is over, let the Oscars begin...The Super Bowl is over, let the Oscars begin. These annual Telly-centric fests are billed by agencies and their clients as “Event TV.” Which, because both are the crown jewels of network TV’s winter schedule, means lots and lots of commercials. Which used to be OK, because in-between watching men the size of a semi-detached house in Putney crash into each other, then stagger off the field to suck on Oxygen masks before going back out on the plastic turf to do it all over again, you could guarantee that a fair proportion of the spots being aired were actually a lot more entertaining than the game itself. Sadly, those days are over. Because ninety percent of the spots aired were not only predictable, me-too and boring… They truly sucked. Oh yes, thanks to the wonders of CGI and Pytka-esque budgets, all had production values going through the roof. But as dear old Gertrude Stein once said in reference to Oakland… “There’s no there, there.” Every car commercial, and there were lots, was of the “Your Logo Goes Here,” variety. There were no less than NINE spots for Bud, The King of Beers, which happens to be made from rice (doesn’t that make it Sake?) and was declared by the German hosts of last years World Cup as being fit only for washing cars. But the thing that really gets up my nose is when the Madison Avenue mob claims that when you run a spot on the Super Bowl, it becomes an “Event.” Unfortunately, the problem with these people is that they do not understand the meaning of "Event TV" when it comes to commercials. The worst example was the insurance company spot using the unbelievably grotesque Kevin Federline where Britney's ex wakes up from his dream of MTV glory and is working in a fast food joint. It would have been funny as a "disclose" if the first time you saw it was during the Super Bowl. But as everyone had seen it for weeks before over the internet and on the client’s web site... There was no "disclose." What there was, was a yawn. This is what is counter-productive when we convince clients they can amortize their investment over everything from TV to airline barf bags. The only Event TV commercial ever, was Apple's 1984 spot. It was hyped before the event without giving a hint as to its content. It ran ONCE... And never ran again! Do you know a single client who would have the balls to make what was then the world's most expensive commercial AND ONLY RUN IT ONCE? Yet, it still continues to generate hype and recognition for Apple. That's what I call "Event TV!" If you ask me... Clients and their boot licking agencies don't have the balls, let alone the brains, to really do Event TV!
Published Feb 18 2007, 04:49 AM by George Parker
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MadScam

An ex-pat Brit's "Take-no-Prisoners" look at the current American ad scene in all its horror and desperation!
 

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George Parker

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MadScam

Member since: 03 Jun 2008

Last login: 17 Nov 2009

Total Posts: 831

 
 
 
 

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