tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32687773.post4194749645305144712..comments2023-10-26T01:34:49.324-07:00Comments on LitDept: Is this the right way to market the arts? Not for me, but at least it's a start. I guess.Malachy Walshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17729185865764121986noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32687773.post-49002345381474849932007-06-18T15:10:00.000-07:002007-06-18T15:10:00.000-07:00IMHO these ads commit cardinal sin #1. They refer ...IMHO these ads commit cardinal sin #1. They refer to "people" in the headline in all three cases. That's not what they mean. Who are these "people"?<BR/><BR/>These ads should say "YOUR kids will be fucking stupid if they don't get the right education." Not literally of course - make it entertaining by all means.<BR/><BR/>It's too late for the parents themselves - they already left school. So a campaign like this can only be aimed at those parents who want their kids to be smarter and more broadly educated. I could even add to that 'than they were'. And here's my other problem with these ads: They are elitist in the extreme. Anyone clever enough to get what they are talking about is already smart enough to know their kids need the arts!<BR/><BR/>Education is needed across all social levels. These ads don't say that. <BR/><BR/>If the arts help kids be "more tolerant" we are talking about kids who are intolerant. If the arts let kids "express themselves" we are talking about kids who lack outlets for self expression. If the arts can help "troubled youth" we are talking about<BR/>troubled youths.<BR/><BR/>These ads address none of this. They simply put the reader down for lack of linguistic skills! Sorry, no, they put down these mysteriously anonymous "people".<BR/><BR/>All I can say is that of I had been the creative director and these ads were put in front of me I would have rejected them.<BR/><BR/>I agree Malachy - sad to see $118 million of ad space wasted on this crap. Funny or not. And what a wasted opportunity not to create ads tailored specifically to the particular donated medium in which they would appear. Instead, the tonality and elitist flavor is constant throughout the campaign.<BR/><BR/>And what a waste not to have some ads aimed at the kids themselves! Making kids aware of what they may be missing is the quickest route to change - even faster than talking to parents.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32687773.post-17732235039404650172007-06-18T10:11:00.000-07:002007-06-18T10:11:00.000-07:00My ad would take the 9/11 Panel's money quote, "A ...My ad would take the 9/11 Panel's money quote, "A Failure of Imagination". No matter what line of work we enter after school, creative thinking is the best advantage and maybe even life-saving. Growing up to be an actor or artist is beside the point - it happens to only the smallest percentage of us - but a better world only gets closer when more folks can imagine it first. The Arts as a national security issue.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32687773.post-65902910507129211602007-06-18T09:47:00.000-07:002007-06-18T09:47:00.000-07:00I SO agree with you. The hardest thing I faced in ...I SO agree with you. The hardest thing I faced in advertisinng was watching all the time, effort, money and ego that got put into 'clever' ads that under real world experiences no client would ever pay for. Further, these ads are, in my opinion, stupid. The first one is maybe the teensiest bit clever, albeit in an irrelevant way, whereas the second two are plainfully desperate attempts to tell the some joke two more times. I have NEVER heard anyone utter a 'bless you' after hearing the word Tchaikovsky. Further, the big T is mentioned in a rock song so I figure most people have some idea who he is. As for the Martha ad, I mean, it's just pure shit. Not funy in the least, or clever at all. Actually, ditto for the first one. People don't really think Louis Armstrong walked on the moon; sure, they might mix up his name with Neil's, but that's the extent of it. Most important, as you poinnt out, the reasons in the copy as to why the arts matter are what the ads should be about. But some egotistical creative couldn't think of anything 'clever' and 'relevant' and so here we are, 3 lousy ads, a crapload of moey wasted and smugness all around at GSD&M. If ads like this ever end up in my book, shoot me.Jeff Shattuckhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12434755135113757619noreply@blogger.com