Fantastic Commercials, That Totally Suck!

Advertising and marketing has always fascinated me.  I even love watching that AMC show about advertising called, The Pitch.  Oh, and that Mad Men show is not all that bad either.

For decades, I've been criticizing advertisements and other media exposure;

Can you tell me what is wrong with this commercial, which has recently gone viral;

After seeing it, most viewers do not recall that this commercial is for Kmart.  I am not Don Draper, but that is a problem.

An interactive ad that I created for a local TV show!

I have done some successful marketing projects, but it is my failures that I am most proud of...Mostly because, I wasn't trying to make them work.  I was making them as absurd as possible.

I was shooting blanks when I created this parody ad.

That was my attempt at being goofy.  Even so, I still understood the importance of getting the brand out there.   However, I often see ads that miss that main goal.

In the '70's, there was commercial with a gorilla beating up Samsonite suitcase.  It was a great ad, which ran on TV during for 15 years.  I clearly remembered it, or I thought that I did until I discovered that the brand was actually American Tourister.  Oops!

Ironically, in 1993, American Tourister was acquired by the makers of Samsonite luggage.  OK, besides that, I remembered the commercial, but I didn't recall the brand.  That is my point about fantastic commercials, that totally suck!  Make a memorable ad, where the brand is totally forgotten.

In the early aughts, there was a pretty well remembered ad with Chuck Woolery, Sally Jessie Raphiel, Little Richard, and Pat Morita all making dinner together.  Again, most people, including myself, could not recall what brand was this spot promoting.  It was Lipton's Sizzle & Stir dinners;

I am unsure how spots can go so badly, but my guess would be that the creative team with the ad agency was sidetracked by the clients with misguided goals.

The easy solution is, understand your product, audience and how to get your message to them.  As a viewer, what works for me, is not only being entertained, but knowing what the message is.

Kinda like this;

Also, if you can include a raccoon, that is always a plus!

Tony Lossano, Broadcast Producer (TV & Radio, Chicago), amateur bicyclist, a fantastic dog walker, and has never been married to Alyssa Milano.