As originally posted on Adfreak, for some reason which escapes me, TBWA\Chiat\Day in LA found it necessary to rip off a Lugz footwear campaign from 2001.
Now, after all the talk has done its rounds, it's time for walk...in the form of a cease 'n desist (the new unfortunate currency of advertising in today's times) from Lugz with love.
Here are some of my thoughts to add to the existing chatter:
1. Chiat\Day got caught with their hands in the cookie jar of borrowing from the past. We've all done it. If I'm Steve Jobs, I'll send everyone at Lugz a new Video iPod and perhaps even create a designer Lugz edition - in the same colors as the ad. Hey, they did it for U2?
2. If I'm Lugz (wonder how soon after Apple broke their campaign, they made sure the colors on their website reinforced their impending outrage), I'm laughing all the way to the bank right now. There's no way they're serious about the C+D (actually, they probably are), but I'm looking at the glass half-full and hoping they've realized the upside of the oodles of free media and publicity. My prediction is that the two sides settle amicably, but that's way too idealistic...
3. ...because the reality here is that there are a lot of ego's in play. Looking at Jobs parading around the stage, waxing about the awesome ad and watching it again, because it's THAT GOOD made me sick. If ever you needed an insight into why companies continue to drink from the swill of 30-second spots (and in Apple's case, they don't need to be advertising iPods...and at least not the way they currently are) this is it.
4. What should happen here? TBWA\Chiat\Day should get a minor tap on the knuckles...perhaps a finger wag or two for trying to pull a fast one. They can blame David Ogilvy who noted that big ideas are like sightings of the dodo (I'm paraphrasing EXTREMELY liberally) Lugz should be flattered and Apple should use the C 'n D to stop bombarding us with their reminder advertising which is more likely to induce an epileptic fit than it is to convince us we need an 8th iPod.
Final thought. What if this was all planned? Whip out your Grand Prix's, ladies and Neil French...
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