Ever Wonder Why Local Commercials Suck?

"Bman76 (no it doesn't need a WS6 hood) M. Arch" (bman76)
05/17/2016 at 19:25 • Filed to: None

Because people don’t understand art, apparently. RANT INBOUND!

As some of you may know, I took a class called “Drones in the Media” this semester. The final portion of the class related to using drones in advertising. We were teamed up into groups of two and asked to storyboard a 60 second commercial. I came up with what I thought was a beautifully simple and expressive ad with a little bit of comedy. I spent some time in Illustrator and turned it into a nice presentation, we even had music cued to go with me talking. We pitched the ad in class and everyone loved it, literally no negative feedback. everyone (including the professors) were amazed at our well executed visuals and strong presentation skills.

Fast forward to yesterday, I get a notification that the grade is up.

We got a 69/90 or a 76%

I email the prof. to find out what’s up, and her reply is that “upon second review” we had virtually no copy (yeah, neither does Honda’s “ !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! ”, Volkswagen’s “ !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! ”, or Chipotle’s “ !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! ” and “ !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! ”) and that we didn’t provide info on where the business is located (it’s on campus, we provided establishing shots, and it’s 2016, people can look it up).

I’m pissed not only because ours was good, but because one of my classmates ( !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! ) scored significantly higher by reading a monotonous wall of clunky exposition which couldn’t have possibly fit into 60 seconds with stick figure drawings.

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

She got an 87/90 or 96%

I’m not saying that I’m a damned Kubrick or anything, but I went creative and nailed it. Commercials are about first impressions, and making memorable visuals. Yeah, I didn’t list out the entire menu of the place, but I shouldn’t have to. It’s no wonder local commercials are so terrible when I see what these yahoos come up with.

I’m debating sending back an email pointing out the flaws in the grading logic, with the previously stated commercials for reference.

Either way, it doesn’t really matter. !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , I got my degree, it was a class outside my major, etc... But I can’t help but feel like I was punished for thinking outside the box and putting a bunch of Mass Comm majors to shame.

DISCUSSION (16)

d15b > Bman76 (no it doesn't need a WS6 hood) M. Arch
05/17/2016 at 19:35

I’ve worked at advertising agencies, so here is my hot-take.

You didn’t deliver what the client wanted. There were specific requirements.

Brilliant ideas get trashed regularly if it doesn’t fit what the client wants.

Oh, to be young again...what would have I done, oh what would I have done?

Flyboy is FAA certified insane > Bman76 (no it doesn't need a WS6 hood) M. Arch
05/17/2016 at 19:36

That sucks dude. “Drones in the Media” sounds more like a day-long seminar than an entire class.

I’m an Aeronautical Science (Pilot) degree minoring in UAS, so I study these quite a bit, but we don’t really have a class like this.

Bman76 (no it doesn't need a WS6 hood) M. Arch > d15b
05/17/2016 at 19:45

I’ve worked in marketing/advertising a bit too. Having extensive copy was not a stated requirement. In my experience, I’d rather lead with a the best idea, hope they like it, then work with them if they don’t like it. Non-creative types don’t know what they could have unless you show it to them, it’s our job to bring them out of the box.

Bman76 (no it doesn't need a WS6 hood) M. Arch > Flyboy is FAA certified insane
05/17/2016 at 19:46

Yeah, not much content beyond the 333 exemption stuff at the beginning.

jariten1781 > d15b
05/17/2016 at 19:50

Direct quote from one of my clients years ago (not advertising, but same dif):

“I don’t pay you to do what you want no matter how bright you think you are; you’re here to help me get what I want by bringing resources I don’t have in house.”

d15b > Bman76 (no it doesn't need a WS6 hood) M. Arch
05/17/2016 at 19:54

It sounds like you did not have enough copy to satisfy the minimum requirement, nor did you have a call-to-action.

You need to remember, advertising is the execution of a business communication message to a potential customer . Yeah, a commercial may have been interesting, it may have gone viral, but it doesn’t matter if the client doesn’t see any type of ROI. Otherwise, the client is sponsoring art, not advertising.

If you want to be “creative”, do not get into advertising.

d15b > jariten1781
05/17/2016 at 19:55

Exactly.

“You might have built me the prettiest bridge, with a gazebo at both ends, but what I really needed was a bridge..”

Bman76 (no it doesn't need a WS6 hood) M. Arch > d15b
05/17/2016 at 20:11

Hence why I’m not, I’m an Architecture graduate.

Our call to action was implied, through the use of audio cues. And again, there was no minimum copy requirement. We received absolutely minimal instruction, and as such I went for it. A lack of foresight on the instructors part should not damn the student. I understand your point, and in many situations I agree with it. My prior work experience was for a Swiss company, and the ads were very informative and to the point, which made sense for that client. However, in this situation the fictional clients needs were very poorly defined. When I see loopholes I exploit them, it’s where the best ideas come from.

d15b > Bman76 (no it doesn't need a WS6 hood) M. Arch
05/17/2016 at 20:19

So it is subject to the whims of the “client”. Here is the skinny..

Who is the target audience and would they have gotten the subtle audio cues?

If you can argue that, your :60 spot could have “worked”.

RallyWrench > Bman76 (no it doesn't need a WS6 hood) M. Arch
05/17/2016 at 20:27

Because the people that produce them can’t write scripts for shit. Our local Charter office does ours, and it’s just a bunch of boilerplate BS in a horribly cheesy hold-message voice. They come in and shoot a little, and ask us to do really stupid things, like set the diagnostic laptop on the engine, and hold a big wrench under the car.

I once rewrote their whole script and sent it back to them with exploding helicopters, smoke machines, 80's music, drifting M5s, and lots of other great stuff that would have made an all-time local ad, and they thought I was serious at first.

Berang > Bman76 (no it doesn't need a WS6 hood) M. Arch
05/17/2016 at 20:32

VW, Honda, et al. are brands, so there’s no real need to list the address of the local dealer in those commercials (or really much of anything at all). All they have to do is make people think about the brand. A commercial for a local business is going to need to be done differently.

Bman76 (no it doesn't need a WS6 hood) M. Arch > RallyWrench
05/17/2016 at 20:48

Yeah, that’s the thing though, nobody remembers boilerplate ads.

Bman76 (no it doesn't need a WS6 hood) M. Arch > jariten1781
05/17/2016 at 20:52

Which is fine, if you know the client is of that mindset, you do that. However, a theoretical exercise in which the client’s needs are not defined is a different situation.

shop-teacher > Bman76 (no it doesn't need a WS6 hood) M. Arch
05/17/2016 at 22:31

Don’t waste your time. The prof is clearly a dipshit.

Eggplant > Bman76 (no it doesn't need a WS6 hood) M. Arch
05/18/2016 at 03:19

Should have submitted something along the lines of the “real fake doors” commercial from Rick and Morty just to see what would happen.

IanZ - limited-slip indifferential > Bman76 (no it doesn't need a WS6 hood) M. Arch
05/18/2016 at 11:22

That really sucks man, sorry to hear it. What I hate the most about local commercials (bad acting, grainy footage, terrible songs) is the graphic design. Your graphics shouldn’t look like a particularly unintelligent toddler designed them in MS Paint in 1999.