July 20, 2007

Someone take a jump, please

It may seem churlish to lay into Trident again after the trauma of its supposedly racist launch ad, especially as the brand has done so well. "In spite of the ASA ban, the launch was a huge success and Cadbury Trebor Bassett managed to grab 15% of the UK's £240m chewing gum market overnight", according to Brand Republic.
But because I'm a pedantic, easily irritated and cantankerous old bastard I'm going to have a good moan anyway and run the risk of some planners telling me off for ignoring a fabulous strategy or some creatives lambasting me for not appreciating the obvious craft involved in its execution.
The latest ad has a pair of wankers jumping out of a plane and shouting some shit about the gum, I assume. There's probably a shit-hot script in there somewhere but I'm not paying attention if its being shouted at me. It's instant frontal-lobe switch off because twats jumping out of planes aren't funny and aren't original either.
In the last few years the following brands have advertised on the telly using the same parachuting scenario: Wrigleys (yes, another fucking gum but it had the virtue of being short), Toucan Telecom (who? they happened to saturate TV for a whole month back in 2005), Motorola, Cadbury Creme Eggs and Nissan. And that's just in the last 5 years.
One of Scamp's nicely packaged lessons advised against using stock situations, and I'd say skydiving is right out of the cliche top drawer. Maybe it'd be relevant for a brand associated with extreme sports, insurance or suicide, but this viewer can't see the connection (can't be arsed, frankly) with the brand and has had enough. As one who doesn't often switch over during the ads, I make an exception with this unimaginative tosh.
The sweet irony is that I quite like the product and occasionally buy it.
Oh, I've had enough. Here's the ad.

Agency: JWT

2 comments:

Rob Mortimer (aka Famous Rob) said...

Wow.
There'll be no "what planning insight" comments from me, I just thought it was a bit crap, trying to hard, and lacking the cult appeal that at least gave the banned ads some appeal to a segment of viewers (mainly kids).

Charles Edward Frith said...

Right out of the cliche top drawer. Splendid. I want one of those in my next office to make a point :)

p.s. i didn't even watch the ad because it struck me as a skydiving cillit bang.