New media marketing that annoys me. December 17, 2008

It seems that marketers continually try to outdo each other. Every commercial has to be bigger, better, funnier, more creative than the last – bigger, better, funnier, and more creative than the competition’s. Maybe it’s just me, but it seems that the very commercials I’m talking about are the ones advertising new media-related products aimed at a younger crowd.

 

Here’s an example of a funny commercial for Boost Mobile that definitely got a lot of attention:

 

This commercial is ridiculous, and it even touts that it is trying to reach a young crowd. It pokes fun at youth culture. It’s creative and memorable and kids definitely “get it.”

 

And here is a commercial that I can’t seem to warm up to:

 

There are already hate forums against these commercials. Clearly, Sprint is attempting to reach a young crowd by updating the traditional view of Santa Claus. They’re trying to make him into a hip guy who wouldn’t go anywhere without his Centro. I wonder though, if marketers are going too far. In my opinion, this version of Santa Claus is pretty creepy.

 

Despite my disdain for the “Claus” commercials, I have to applaud Sprint for their efforts. Do these commercials intend to annoy viewers? My guess would be yes. People are going to remember a really great commercial or a really crappy commercial. Mediocrity is rarely remembered. Even if the “Claus” commercials suck, they’re memorable. There’s probably some sort of word of mouth element happening here-”Hey have you seen the new commercial with the weirdo Santa Claus?” With YouTube around, it’s easy for people to share commercials. Viral marketing is a company’s dream – they distribute and interested (or disinterested) viewers do the rest.

 

Some sort of marketing research effort is put forth before designing an advertising campaign. So, the question I am left with is this: are kids demanding a creepy, updated Santa Claus?!

 

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Currently listening to: “Two Ways Out” by Darker My Love (2, 2008)