This is conceived as an informal and spontaneous annex to my more extensive blog, Grand Strategy: The View from Oregon

15th January 2012

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Spectacularly Epic Advertising Fail Some time ago in a post titled The Persistence of Broadcasting I mentioned how we are seeing a gradual transition of traditional broadcast advertising techniques to the medium of the internet. Some futurists had forecast the coming of “narrowcasting” to replace broadcasting, and by now we’ve all heard of the “long tail,” but I haven’t seen any evidence of it yet. Today I was watching Danzig’s classic “Mother” on Youtube, which throws up the Vevo frame, which latter included advertisements both for Rihanna and for Emirates Air. Now, anyone who knows anything knows that people who listen to Danzig aren’t going to be listening to Rihanna, and they probably won’t be flying Emirates Air. These advertisers should demand their money back, since their advertisements are not only misdirected, they are very probably counter-productive. After Danzig I watched some White Zombie videos, and these were also framed by the absurd Rihanna advertisement (absurd in this context). It’s not fucking rocket science, people. I have actually seen documentaries about how advertising companies hire high-priced consultants to tell them how to flog their goods to the right target market. These people ought to demand their money back also, because they are obviously getting ripped off. It’s not that people who watch Danzig and White Zombie videos don’t spend their money on consumer goods — they do. Everyone does. But they don’t likely spend it on Rihanna or Emirates Air. And the consumers themselves know that they are being shit on. One of the great things about Youtube is that video watchers can leave comments, and if you actually take the time to read these comments you will often find the viewers complaining about inappropriate advertising. Consumers and businesses and advertisers could all be better served by even the most elementary research into advertising practices, but it seems that people in the industry are dedicated to a business model that easily alienates as many as it influences.

Spectacularly Epic Advertising Fail

Some time ago in a post titled The Persistence of Broadcasting I mentioned how we are seeing a gradual transition of traditional broadcast advertising techniques to the medium of the internet. Some futurists had forecast the coming of “narrowcasting” to replace broadcasting, and by now we’ve all heard of the “long tail,” but I haven’t seen any evidence of it yet.

Today I was watching Danzig’s classic “Mother” on Youtube, which throws up the Vevo frame, which latter included advertisements both for Rihanna and for Emirates Air. Now, anyone who knows anything knows that people who listen to Danzig aren’t going to be listening to Rihanna, and they probably won’t be flying Emirates Air. These advertisers should demand their money back, since their advertisements are not only misdirected, they are very probably counter-productive.

After Danzig I watched some White Zombie videos, and these were also framed by the absurd Rihanna advertisement (absurd in this context). It’s not fucking rocket science, people. I have actually seen documentaries about how advertising companies hire high-priced consultants to tell them how to flog their goods to the right target market. These people ought to demand their money back also, because they are obviously getting ripped off.

It’s not that people who watch Danzig and White Zombie videos don’t spend their money on consumer goods — they do. Everyone does. But they don’t likely spend it on Rihanna or Emirates Air. And the consumers themselves know that they are being shit on. One of the great things about Youtube is that video watchers can leave comments, and if you actually take the time to read these comments you will often find the viewers complaining about inappropriate advertising.

Consumers and businesses and advertisers could all be better served by even the most elementary research into advertising practices, but it seems that people in the industry are dedicated to a business model that easily alienates as many as it influences.

Tagged: DanzigadvertisingnarrowcastingWhite Zombielong tailYoutubevideosfailepic fail

  1. geopolicraticus posted this