So, those of you who saw the Super Bowl might have had the thrill of seeing Tide’s latest campaign – a talking stain. Ok, the ad itself wasn’t horrible but their idea of how to extend the campaign online…super bad.
First, at the end of their TV ad they tell you to go to MyTalkingStain.com. I’ll let it slide that “MyTalkingStain” has got to be one of the most unappealing URL’s every conceived. Once you get there you are asked to upload a photo of yourself.
You then superimpose your photo onto, yup, a stain. Your face is now a stain! Sweet. But you’re not done yet. Not close.
Next, you are asked to call an 800 number. Yeah, I played along in the interest of science. On the phone you enter another number and then you actually record your own voice to replace the voice of the stain in the ad.
Finally, they bring it all together in your very own version of their ad. They provide an embed code (the only thing they do right) but the code seems to be invalid. So, I posted it to YouTube
Now, I realize that OfficeMax had amazing success with their ElfYourself campaign, but being an elf and being a stain just aren’t the same thing. This is one of the worst web campaigns I’ve seen in while.
There has been a TV ad running lately for Cisco in which a kid in a skate park uses his cellphone to take a picture of a skateboard he’s designed and sends it to a skateboard design company which instantly turns it into a consumer product.
The ad is supposed to show how Cisco helps transmit images and ideas quickly. It is also intended to make Cisco look “hip.” Why would a company like Cisco want to appeal to skateboarders? I have no idea.
Not only does it demonstrate just how quickly youth culture is being snapped up by mass-producers but they’ve pissed off the skateboarder’s too.
From WoodenCotton:
“A friend led me to this nice little commercial done by Cisco Systems. I guess their trying to appear “cool and hip,” but as a skater you notice a lot of messed up things in the commercial, just come take a look.”
From SubLimited:
“Once again, some ad agency shows the skateboarding world they don’t have a clue when it comes to portraying skateboarders accurately in an ad campaign for Cisco. Then again, are skateboarders really their target audience? Probably not, but why not get it right? I actually am a consumer of Cisco products since I’m a business owner, and if I didn’t understand the advertising world I’d totally be turned off on Cisco. And as usual, the sad part is that it wouldn’t have taken all that much effort to get it right.”
Nice work, Cisco!
The latest “viral” campaign video to make the rounds is worth considering less for its content then for some of the underlying meaning that can be gained from the response to the video.
It is a pro-Clinton music video that was written, shot and distributed completely independently of the Clinton campaign. Thus, it is legitimately viral.
Aside from the various critics, both pro and con, of the video (I’ve posted it below so you can judge for yourselves), there have been some other fascinating rumblings. My favorite was reported by the NYT:
“Some conspiracy theorists have even posited that the video must have been secretly created and planted by Obama supporters intent on damaging his competitor through song.”
What I find most compelling here is that while special interest groups have always been free to raise money to by ad-time in big media, the lone voice has never had such immense potential to reach and affect millions of people.
I’m actually surprised there isn’t a whole lot more independent political video making the rounds, considering how cheap and effective it can be. Maybe things will pick up once the primaries are over.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FvyGydc8no&rel=1]
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February 23, 2008 2:46 pm | 
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