Get Little Billy To Shoot It!
Written: Mar 22 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Good idea
Cons: Poor production values
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| rjrome's Full Review: iMac |
As Jay stated in his Epinions clarification, the purpose in advertising is to "turn heads", or pique the interest of potential customers. True. The objective is to attract attention, though, not repel it. I personally find this commercial objectionable ... not for the content, but for its production values.
I find the concept of a guy shooting up a computer somewhat humorous and mildly entertaining (what computer user hasn't at one time or another fantasized about completely destroying their computer?). As someone who works in the television industry, and holds a Master's Degree in Film and Television Production, I would say the ad concept has the potential to be a great ad, if done right. But this offering was NOT done right.
Believe me, I understand the concept of reality advertising (the "home movie" look), and it can be very effective when directed, shot, and edited in a skillful way. I also understand the appeal of using a real person as opposed to an actor as your spokesperson, especially for the "everyman" type of site that Epinions.com exemplifies. This does not mean, however, that you must actually hand your favorite nephew, little Billy, a camera and ask him to shoot a TV commercial.
Commercials convey not only a message, but also an image. An ad tells the viewer something about the product as well as the company behind the product. Generally, the company will want to support their chosen reputation through their advertising efforts.
Epinions.com is a great "real people, real opinions" type of company. However, the production values in this iMac commercial just make Epinions.com look like a second-rate player, with a second-rate site, that cares little about quality, or about attracting more attention.
Recommended:
No
Would visit Shopping.com? No
Increase or decrease trust in Shopping.com? Decrease
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Epinions.com ID:
rjrome
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Reviews written: 1
Trusted by: 0 members
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