i just saw a :30 tv spot for a local dairy/ice cream chain that featured the chairman dressing in various holiday-specific costumes. Easter, Independence Day, Mother’s Day, etc. I think the point was to get viewers to serve more of their ice cream to celebrate these holidays. But it made me wonder how the agency got stuck having to feature the chairman in their spot, instead of a more creative solution.

You see it a lot in spots for local car dealerships. Almost every one of them features the owner (or worse, the owner’s offspring) singing, shouting, or aggressively promoting their amazing deals. I guess what bothers me is the assumption that we, the viewers, will find them compelling simply because their name is on the door. None of them can act. Most of them can barely read the script. And NONE of them are good-looking. One of the keys for driving interest in TV is a provocative/memorable/attractive point of view. It’s a real stretch to assume that the owner of any business is also a funny/interesting/attractive spokesmodel.

There’s a men’swear radio spot that airs in Chicago featuring the owner’s daughters (grown women, by the way) singing the ad copy to the tune of b-i-n-g-o. I’m trying to find statistics highlighting the number of traffic accidents caused by listeners stabbing themselves in the ears to avoid having to hear the girls’ wretched shreaking again.

Putting an amateur, even if it’s the client, as the focus of the advertising makes the message more confusing, causing the viewer to stare at the indulgent, look-at-me owner rather than hearing what the offer is. Where I come from that’s called bad advertising.

i can only think of a few cases where it works: the brewmaster guy from Sam Adams has great radio reads; Orville Redenbacher, back in the day (and certainly not the recent “i’ve risen from the dead” incarnation); and Dave, the Wendy’s hamburger guy, who set the bar for humility and credibility.

All the other stuff is based on either the owner’s arrogance or the agency’s inability to push back. Believe me, I know how hard that can be. A couple of years ago my agency was asked to develop the name and identity for a new professional hockey team. Thirteen rounds of creative later we wound up with a golden retriever as the team logo. The OWNER’S golden retriever. Lousy logo. Happy client.

i just saw a :30 tv spot for a local dairy/ice cream chain that featured the chairman dressing in various holiday-specific costumes. Easter, Independence Day, Mother’s Day, etc. I think the point was to get viewers to serve more of their ice cream to celebrate these holidays. But it made me wonder how the agency got stuck having to feature the chairman in their spot, instead of a more creative solution.

You see it a lot in spots for local car dealerships. Almost every one of them features the owner (or worse, the owner’s offspring) singing, shouting, or aggressively promoting their amazing deals. I guess what bothers me is the assumption that we, the viewers, will find them compelling simply because their name is on the door. None of them can act. Most of them can barely read the script. And NONE of them are good-looking. One of the keys for driving interest in TV is a provocative/memorable/attractive point of view. It’s a real stretch to assume that the owner of any business is also a funny/interesting/attractive spokesmodel.

There’s a men’swear radio spot that airs in Chicago featuring the owner’s daughters (grown women, by the way) singing the ad copy to the tune of b-i-n-g-o. I’m trying to find statistics highlighting the number of traffic accidents caused by listeners stabbing themselves in the ears to avoid having to hear the girls’ wretched shreaking again.

Putting an amateur, even if it’s the client, as the focus of the advertising makes the message more confusing, causing the viewer to stare at the indulgent, look-at-me owner rather than hearing what the offer is. Where I come from that’s called bad advertising.

i can only think of a few cases where it works: the brewmaster guy from Sam Adams has great radio reads; Orville Redenbacher, back in the day (and certainly not the recent “i’ve risen from the dead” incarnation); and Dave, the Wendy’s hamburger guy, who set the bar for humility and credibility.

All the other stuff is based on either the owner’s arrogance or the agency’s inability to push back. Believe me, I know how hard that can be. A couple of years ago my agency was asked to develop the name and identity for a new professional hockey team. Thirteen rounds of creative later we wound up with a golden retriever as the team logo. The OWNER’S golden retriever. Lousy logo. Happy client.