It's good to be the king...

When you're the king, you don't have to worry about the competition and go negative. When you're the king, you can talk about experience not features.

When you're the king, you can make ads like this one from Apple:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zr1s_B0zqX0

I find the ad a little too on the nose for me (it's giving me  a little too much 4 instead of 2+2, especially in the open). This is one of those odd ads that's both on-message and on-emotion, but still somehow misses the mark for me. I love that they don't talk about features or innovations, I love that they don't throw a bunch of numbers, I love the scene with the couple on the bridge laughing and taking a picture. A good brand is about the experience of the person using it, all those other things either add to the experience or don't, Apple totally gets that.

So why don't I particularly like this ad or rather, why do I think this ad isn't working as well as the sum of its parts?

Back to my first point they're giving us 4, when they should be giving us 2+2. as my friend said, the ad is trying a little too hard. I love the concept and feel of the ad, but I think the copy isn't as good as they think it is. Because the copy is framing all those other elements, the ad can't quite rise above it. I find the ad interesting, but not sure it's good, somehow it doesn't add up to the sum of it's parts.

So it's been a while

Yes it has. Sorry for the long absence, as usual with the absences this one was due to not really having anything to write about. That's not the same as not seeing a lot of ads, there have been some, including the Rick Perry ad that looks like the Tim Pawlenty ads, that looks like "Armageddon." No, I just felt like I didn't have anything new to say. Today, I'm not sure if I'm adding to the conversation or not, but it's time to get back on the wagon with this ad from the League of Conservation voters: [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WE0S5CWHHcY&feature=player_embedded]

Why did I chose this ad? I actually think it's clever in the way it takes on Scott Brown's hometown boy done good image, inverting everything from his barn jacket to his pickup truck.  I especially like the first scene where the barn jacket comes off and he's wearing the power suit underneath that's a nice touch.

I also like the oil smear graphics, even though I think they're prettied than they are effective. Frankly, the only CG that sunk in the first time I watched it was the last one, that he got a 0% from the League on his voting record. It makes me wonder if they even needed the first two CG's at all.

Here's what's interesting about this ad, and who I wanted to write about it: while I like the elements of it, I'm not sure how effective an ad it is overall. Somehow the pieces don't all add up, not sure whether it's the tone or the execution, but it feels political rather than organic -- like somehow you can see the puppet master, instead of watching the puppets.

Still, I think this is the right approach to take with Brown, go after his man of the people persona, try to take out his strength, and put him on the defensive. If the public sees him as another politician or a Republican (though Massachusetts isn't as liberal as most people believe), then it takes out the rationale for his candidacy.

It's a tough position, to be running against Washington, when you're in Washington. More about that tomorrow.