You hit the nail on the head, especially when it comes to that totally irritating Karz for Kids” commercial! I understand from a friend that the commercial has actually been airing since the 1980’s! That means those annoying little tykes may very well now be grandparents!
Your post today brought me back to my days at Ogilvy & Mather. David Ogilvy loved long-copy print ads that communicated real and important information about the products he was advertising — Mercedes Benz, the “Man in the Hathaway Shirt,” etc. However, while I certainly wouldn’t speak for David Ovilvy, I suspect there may have come a time when even he was a bit embarrassed by some of the TV commercials being produced by his agency. Vivian Vance, holding a tray of percolating coffee cups to promote “fresh-brewed” Maxwell House instant coffee scored well, but was probably not one of Ogilvy & Mather’s finest moments!😀 I worked on the Stolichnaya vodka account — “The Only Vodka Imported from Russia!” The fake ice jacket used in print and billboard advertising for Stolichnaya cost over $2000 to make. It actually sat on a credenza in my office, eventually collecting dust! But fond memories of those days.
I will say, Richie, he was someone you could listen to for hours and never be bored. Candidly, I hardly knew him. At the time I joined Ogilvy, he was already pulling back from the day-to-day running of the agency, and was spending more time at his château in Scotland. But his influence was still very much felt at the agency, and influenced me personally! I often quote one of his most famous axioms…”Don’t read what people write about you, just count the number of lines!” He was also the master of short sentences…never a wasted or unnecessary word in his communications. You would have liked him, and I have no doubt he would have liked you!
How about auto slogans? How many actually remind you of the car? Only ones I can think of are, "The Ultimate Driving Machine," (That one's good) and maybe, "Farfegnügen." "Have you driven a Ford lately?" is sort of cheating. But, the rest? Pretty useless. "Zoom, zoom?" "Like a Rock?"
Oh - Jardiance with everyone about to take a drug singing and dancing and smiling takes the cake for me. But rather than throwing something at the TV, it just makes me laugh. And BTW, how can you throw something at the TV with those cute kids from the 50s singing out of tune. You are curmudg 😜.
As a former Men's Wearhouse employee, I was disturbed with a recent MW TV ad featuring a middle-aged man driving to a MW and walking into the store clad only in his underwear. Apparently, the advertising director who created, or approved, this ad, is 12 years old. Adding to the absurdity, the man walks out of the store wearing an outfit that was clearly too small for him (the shirt was stretched snuggly across his ample girth) and was something he could have easily picked up at WalMart. In the next scene he is greeted by his sister who mentions how good he looks. Really? I guess he usually dresses in just his underwear and this ill-fitting, WalMart look was indeed an improvement. The ad was juvenile with no apparent clue as to who their customer is...unless their marketing strategy is to pre-sell to 12 year old future business professionals.
Agree….I think another thing it proves is that humor can’t replace quality. If you are an advertiser selling apparel, the people in the spot sure better look good….
LIBERTY MUTUAL is hateful
Ya….isn’t that the “Only pay for what you need?”
Dunno butt the jingle is awful and now it’s stuck in my head even tho I have zero plans to review our insurance…
Rich,
You hit the nail on the head, especially when it comes to that totally irritating Karz for Kids” commercial! I understand from a friend that the commercial has actually been airing since the 1980’s! That means those annoying little tykes may very well now be grandparents!
Your post today brought me back to my days at Ogilvy & Mather. David Ogilvy loved long-copy print ads that communicated real and important information about the products he was advertising — Mercedes Benz, the “Man in the Hathaway Shirt,” etc. However, while I certainly wouldn’t speak for David Ovilvy, I suspect there may have come a time when even he was a bit embarrassed by some of the TV commercials being produced by his agency. Vivian Vance, holding a tray of percolating coffee cups to promote “fresh-brewed” Maxwell House instant coffee scored well, but was probably not one of Ogilvy & Mather’s finest moments!😀 I worked on the Stolichnaya vodka account — “The Only Vodka Imported from Russia!” The fake ice jacket used in print and billboard advertising for Stolichnaya cost over $2000 to make. It actually sat on a credenza in my office, eventually collecting dust! But fond memories of those days.
Wish I had gotten to meet David Ogilvy. His book "Ogilvy on Advertising" is one I look at often and have given as a gift to many friends...
I will say, Richie, he was someone you could listen to for hours and never be bored. Candidly, I hardly knew him. At the time I joined Ogilvy, he was already pulling back from the day-to-day running of the agency, and was spending more time at his château in Scotland. But his influence was still very much felt at the agency, and influenced me personally! I often quote one of his most famous axioms…”Don’t read what people write about you, just count the number of lines!” He was also the master of short sentences…never a wasted or unnecessary word in his communications. You would have liked him, and I have no doubt he would have liked you!
How about auto slogans? How many actually remind you of the car? Only ones I can think of are, "The Ultimate Driving Machine," (That one's good) and maybe, "Farfegnügen." "Have you driven a Ford lately?" is sort of cheating. But, the rest? Pretty useless. "Zoom, zoom?" "Like a Rock?"
Glad you’re reading…thanks!!
Does anyone remember the Folger's commercial where the brother and sister were.... very friendly? lol
Nah….I’m not old enough to remember….. :)
Oh - Jardiance with everyone about to take a drug singing and dancing and smiling takes the cake for me. But rather than throwing something at the TV, it just makes me laugh. And BTW, how can you throw something at the TV with those cute kids from the 50s singing out of tune. You are curmudg 😜.
Those kids are probably big enough to kick the crap out of me
As a former Men's Wearhouse employee, I was disturbed with a recent MW TV ad featuring a middle-aged man driving to a MW and walking into the store clad only in his underwear. Apparently, the advertising director who created, or approved, this ad, is 12 years old. Adding to the absurdity, the man walks out of the store wearing an outfit that was clearly too small for him (the shirt was stretched snuggly across his ample girth) and was something he could have easily picked up at WalMart. In the next scene he is greeted by his sister who mentions how good he looks. Really? I guess he usually dresses in just his underwear and this ill-fitting, WalMart look was indeed an improvement. The ad was juvenile with no apparent clue as to who their customer is...unless their marketing strategy is to pre-sell to 12 year old future business professionals.
Agree….I think another thing it proves is that humor can’t replace quality. If you are an advertiser selling apparel, the people in the spot sure better look good….