[fov]

Originally Posted by RLacey

I believe that Pringles had an advert fairly recently about a group of friends getting together and having a fun time together after they started eating pringles. The element of fun on its own doesn't mean that it has to be a games console; if the whole point is about having fun with other people, then sharing those Pringles is just as valid.

Not to mention that throwing water balloons around outdoors with a whole group of other people is pretty much the antithesis of sitting inside on your ass playing video games alone.

It's a great metaphor, yes. But it does what most good advertisements do -- it evokes an emotion in the viewer, and then makes the viewer, in his or her mind, link that emotion to the product being sold.

Diamonds are Forever commercials make me cry every time. My boyfriend and I were watching TV last night and the one came on where the guy says he wants to marry his wife all over again, and then she looks over and sees her mom and dad sitting on the steps, and realizes she knows everyone who's sitting there, and they all stand up and applaud, and the husband slips a ring on her finger and says "Will you marry me... again?" I tried to crack a joke to Geoff but got all choked up and couldn't. Christ, I'm getting all teary-eyed just typing this up.

But that commerical would make me cry no matter what. Doesn't matter that it's a diamond ad. It could be an ad for United Airlines (who flew all those people out to see them get "remarried") or Visa (which they used to pay for their airline tickets) or Isotoner gloves (which they're all wearing as they sit on the steps waiting for the couple to get "remarried"). It's the emotion that the ad provokes that I respond to... and it's smart of the advertisers to make the link between that emotion and their product, but it doesn't necessarily make the ad (or the emotion it's calling up) unique to that product, and only that product.

[Intrepid Homoludens]

Exactly. Thanks, fov. I've ordered you a custom designed Xbox 360 encrusted with diamonds.

To carry on the point, here are some recent commercials from United Airlines featuring short animated 'stories' by award winning artists (I think one of these artists received an Academy Award). The 'Rose' one is particularly charming. It shows a young man making a business trip (flying on United, natch ) and all along he's lovingly carrying a single rose for someone at his destination. In the course of his trip people he comes into contact with (mostly United employees) see the rose and are smitten with the knowledge that he's taking extra good care of it enroute so to give to someone very special. At the end, once he's arrived, taken care of the business meeting, and finally hops into a cab to the front door of a townhome, we finally see who that special someone is and they end up eating Pringles chips while playing an Xbox 360 game together. So very charming when I first saw it and it still is for me.

[Jake]

Goddamn embedded WMV. Worst.

[SakSquash]

What do you need? Quicktime?

[fov]

I love those United commercials. I'm not actually sure if I've seen the others, but the interview one is on a lot. It's actually right up there with the diamond ads for getting an emotional reaction out of me.

[Marek]

Originally Posted by RLacey

Let me clarify. I could use that same ad to sell anything from cars to Pringles. It's a reasonably fun advert, but it doesn't make me think of an Xbox when I see it, and it doesn't make me want to rush out and buy one either.

Well, did you consider the point of this advertising is not to make you rush out and buy an Xbox? This ad is just establishing Xbox as a brand. People who were never interested in a game console might become interested in it, and people who already knew about Xbox will see a nice romanticized metaphor of people playing games online.

There are other channels through which Microsoft will actually try to sell you an Xbox and tell you what's supposed to be so great about it.

[Lucien21]

Originally Posted by Jake

Goddamn embedded WMV. Worst.

Go to GameTrailers.com and get the Quicktime version.

[RLacey]

Originally Posted by Marek

Well, did you consider the point of this advertising is not to make you rush out and buy an Xbox? This ad is just establishing Xbox as a brand. People who were never interested in a game console might become interested in it, and people who already knew about Xbox will see a nice romanticized metaphor of people playing games online.

There are other channels through which Microsoft will actually try to sell you an Xbox and tell you what's supposed to be so great about it.

I'm not saying that people aren't entitled to like the advert - I've never said that I disliked the water balloon fight - and I'm not saying that you can't read a metaphor into it. But I could have established the Xbox brand by flashing the Xbox logo up on screen for a minute.

Anyway, now that everyone is simply telling me that my beliefs are 100 per cent wrong, I'll simply shut up on the matter. Personally, though, I don't consider this to be a great advert.

[Marek]

My only point was that it's okay if the ad doesn't make you want to run to the store and buy an Xbox 360.

Also, yes, you are wrong and it's a great ad. The internet has decided this for you.

[RLacey]

Originally Posted by Marek

Also, yes, you are wrong and it's a great ad. The internet has decided this for you.

[fov]

Originally Posted by RLacey

Anyway, now that everyone is simply telling me that my beliefs are 100 per cent wrong, I'll simply shut up on the matter.

Hey! I agreed with you.

Robert

[Intrepid Homoludens]

Originally Posted by RLacey

I'm not saying that people aren't entitled to like the advert - I've never said that I disliked the water balloon fight - and I'm not saying that you can't read a metaphor into it. But I could have established the Xbox brand by flashing the Xbox logo up on screen for a minute.

The logo did flash briefly. At the end of the commercial.

Also, did the fact that you think this concept wasn't effective for you have something to do with your being a hardcore gamer, thus possibly having a preconceived idea of what would influence you based on your gaming experience and culture? Do you think there should be specific ways to make a game console advertisement? If so who is the target by using those specific ways and why do you think they'd respond to it (i.e., go out and buy an Xbox 360 or at least investigate it)?

What would a more valid, effective ad campaign be, do you think? One that doesn't focus on emotions and the concept of play as a fundamentally human trait (like this one did)?

Anyway, now that everyone is simply telling me that my beliefs are 100 per cent wrong, I'll simply shut up on the matter. Personally, though, I don't consider this to be a great advert.

No one ever told you what your beliefs were. I certainly never did; I simply tried to explain the ideas behind the commercial and why it was conceived as such because I thought you may not have understood it. Sorry if I was off, then.

But why, then, don't you think this ad isn't great? You touched on the generic pandering to people's emotions (that in the very same commercial Xbox could be replaced with Pringles chips or another brand), but many of the best ad campaigns in the past have done precisely that - Coca Cola, Apple, Calvin Klein, Infiniti cars, and United Airlines, to name a few. What would be a great Xbox ad to you that could be conceived only for Xbox?

[RLacey]

Originally Posted by Intrepid Homoludens

What would a more valid, effective ad campaign be, do you think? One that doesn't focus on emotions and the concept of play as a fundamentally human trait (like this one did)?

You know the cradle-to-grave advert for the original Xbox? I loved that one, for some reason (though they banned it in the UK ).

I'll reply to your other questions soon, when I'm less tired and can express myself coherently...

What? An add that actually makes me want to buy the product? Unheard of!

Why can't commercials be creative like this?

[Intrepid Homoludens]

Originally Posted by SamNMax

Why can't commercials be creative like this?

Because Robsie said they're not supposed to be.

<runs>

Oh.

[SakSquash]

Whured To Big Burd! Heeeeyeahhhhh!

I love you.

[SakSquash]

Originally Posted by SamNMax

I love you.

You best. And you best be wearing that du rag. YOU'RE WELCOME BTW!

Yeah, thanks by the way. That was funny.