Let’s face it, not every Commercial is Grade A+ material, so this section of the Closet is dedicated to pointing out all the stupid, bad and controversial commercials about Fashion. In general, most of them either lacked creativity, were bad implementations, or were awful ideas. Others either produced a lot of "buzz" and went viral or were banned. In any case, it's a critical part of our Mission to point out these Foul Commercials so marketers can learn from their Mistakes!!!
*COMMERCIAL FACTS*
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Television is currently the main medium to advertise by everyone from cell-phone companies and restaurants, to local businesses, and small businesses, and is considered the most effective mass-market advertising format as of today. This is reflected by the high prices TV networks charge for airtime during popular TV events. For example, . That amount pales in comparison to the Super Bowl. During the Super Bowl, the average cost of a single 30-second TV spot during this game is 2.5 to $3 million dollars. (That's ALOT of Money!!!)
In general, advertisers target viewers between the ages of 18 through 49. The number of viewers within the target demographic is more important to ad revenues than total viewers. In recent years, shows that targeted young women were more profitable for advertisements than shows targeted to younger men, because younger men watch TV less than younger women. (Ladies, Watch Out!!!)
Many television advertisements feature catchy jingles or catch-phrases that generate sustained ideas, which may remain in the minds of viewers long after the span of the advertising campaign. Some of these ad jingles or catch-phrases may take on lives of their own, spawning gags that appear in films, television shows, magazines, comics, or literature. For example, First airing on January 10, 1984, the commercial featured three elderly ladies examining an exaggeratedly large hamburger bun topped with a minuscule hamburger patty. Two ladies poked at it and exchanged confused glances before being interrupted by Clara Peller's outraged question “Where’s the Beef?” Since it first aired on television, it has become an all-purpose catch phrase to the substance of an idea, event, product, or dispute between people even to this day.If an advertisement has entertainment value beyond the basic message, then viewers tend to stay with the advertisement and often look forward to viewing it again. Because a single television advertisement can be broadcast repeatedly over the course of weeks, months, or even years, television advertisement production studios often spend lots of money producing single thirty-second television spots. This vast expenditure has resulted in a number of high-quality advertisements with high production values, the latest in special effects technology, the most popular personalities, and the best music.
Despite the popularity of some advertisements, many people find them annoying. One reason is that a typical viewer has seen enough advertisements to anticipate that most advertisements will be bothersome, prompting the viewer to change the channel. Another one is that the advertisement's offer is not of interest at that moment, or the presentation is unclear. Other reasons might be that the sound volume of advertisements tends to be higher than that of regular programming. Finally, advertisements often cut into certain parts in the regular programming that are either climaxes of the plot or a major turning point in the show, which many people find exciting or entertaining to watch.
*BLAST FROM THE PAST*
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Let’s see if you can find the “Beef”. Click the play button below to Watch Wendy’s 1984 commercial featuring Clara Peller saying, “Where’s the Beef?”
The commercial was directed by Joe Sedelmaier as part of a campaign by the advertising agency Dancer Fitzgerald Sample. It was written by Cliff Freeman. The public relations and promotion campaign were created by Alan Hilburg and the Burson-Marsteller team under the direction of Denny Lynch, the vice president of corporate communications at Wendy's.
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"Did you know that commercial breaks have become longer. In the 1960s, the average hour-long television show would run for roughly 51 minutes excluding advertisements; today, a similar show would run for 42 minutes long. Similarly, a 30-minute show is now 22 minutes with nearly 8 minutes of advertising as opposed to 25 minutes with 5 minutes of commercials. Shockingly some networks even use a 18 minutes of show/12 minutes of advertising split."
