I have exercised particular restraint at avoiding best/worst lists, as well as making predictions for 2006. Apparently, Jeff Jarvis agrees with me.
But 2 days before the end of 2005, I have caved and given in to temptation.
This is Brandweek's best and worst list (thanks, Erno) and here are some of their picks: (their verbatim words, in the form of either a BEST/thumbs up or WORST/thumbs down, are followed by my commentary in italics)
1. BEST: Use of shameless sex in advertising - Paris Hilton/Carl's Jr. - great impact and buzz, except for the fact it didn't sell chicken burgers; Carl's Jr's parent company was downgraded; Brandweek puts "Paris Hilton" in the credit list (need I say more) Look, if we're talking about brand benefit to PH, then yes, you deserve your number 1 (thumbs up) status; for all reasons, this deserves 2 thumbs WAAAAAY down.
6. BEST: Pitch to "real" women - TIE - Dove campaign for real beauty and curvation initimate apparel. At the end of the day, real people buy real products for real reasons and maybe...just maybe...will identify with other real people in the process. That's not an insight; it's common sense.
21. BEST: Trend for creative advertising - Broadband Video Technology.
- The 30-second TV spot may be dead, as industry watchers never tire of saying, but what about the 88-second spot or the 127-second spot?
Actually, I say the 300- or 3000-second spot in my book, but thanks for the plug. Video is alive and kicking and living large on the Web. All we need now is for creatives to realize that there is no difference between video that appears on TV and video that appears on the Web (or iPod, PSP etc for that matter) Good luck with that effort.
22. WORST: Trend for Creative Advertising - TiVo Search - Brandweek chides this move as (I paraphrase) too little too late AKA it's not Google AKA why would car buyers want to see a series of 30-second spot oversimplified drivel. OK, so they're right about the crap creative and maybe even right about the implications of this service (should it be successful) i.e. a massive shift to more infomercial type messages, but at the same time I see this as the first step in the realization of "Advertising on Demand." Fundamentally if you believe advertising isn't going away...and/or if it does, what the implications would be, then surely the ability to meet "Right message to right person in right place at right time" as indicated by THEIR express permission can only be a good thing???
23. WORST: Blogs - overhyping of a marketing trend. In short, I'm sure no one at Brandweek is reading this post as it is on a blog (Adfreak, your thoughts please!) To quote them:
- Blogs provide almost no new information
- They're frequently inaccurate
- And they're often written by people who can't, you know, write.
Rules are made to be broken...and lists are created to be critiqued. I like to do both.
