Robin: The reel from Adweek had 80 spots on it.
Ron: With the cost of a TV commercial at about $250,000 . . .
Robin: We watched about $20 million worth.
Ron: That's a lot of dough.
Robin: You'd think you'd remember them a day later.
Ron: Or that we'd say, 'Gee, I wish I'd done that spot' a lot.
Robin and Ron, in unison: No!
(So after watching the spots only once, they parted for the weekend to see which ones they remembered later.)
Robin: See ya on Monday, Ron!
Ron: Hey, aren't you coming in on Sunday?
(Cut to Monday morning.)
Robin: Day 1, I remembered 20 of the 80 spots.
Ron: Nineteen here. Five of them because they were so bad. Day 2, I recalled only 12 spots.
Robin: I had 13. But with one, I only recalled the advertiser because I'd like to have their account.
Ron: Day 3, I'm down to 10.
Robin: Six for me. Let's compare notes.
Ron: The Snickers ad with the dog grabbing the surfer's shorts is right there with me. And whether you agree with the 'going to be somewhere for a while' strategy, at least they're creating stories that rival the programming they interrupt.
Robin: That spot is tops on my list, too--'God Bless America.' I love the Diet Coke spot with Aunt Rosalina. A simple idea. Great film. Great casting. The product as hero. These people know what they're doing. Can we hire them, Ron?
Ron: It's that excellent storytelling we love so much. I also like the Zima spot (above, left). Who hasn't stuck to the car seat on a hot day? I left half a pound of flesh in Dallas once. This ad takes you into the cool, dark bar for 'the product as hero' finish. Is there a pattern here?
Robin: You know, after three days, and actually trying to forget the Michael Jordan spot, I couldn't. This is yet another fresh execution with a sports hero we could easily tire of.
Ron: Nike has done a great job of getting in the head of the athlete while reinventing themselves to keep ahead of us all. On a completely different note, Volkswagen's 'Sunday Afternoon' (above, right) is on my list. Forget the hippie minivan; they've done a great job of presenting themselves to the younger market.
Robin: I guess neither of us wins if we mention how much we liked the penile enlargement spot (for KGO Radio), huh? OK. So, in all, we seem to remember basically the same spots.
Ron: Well-executed, conceptual ones that don't ignore the product or sell it short. And it's amazing how fast the ones that didn't work fell off the radar.
Robin: We recommend you do try this at home.
Ron: Definitely. And, uh, we won't talk about that big beverage brand that seems to be flushing its brand identity.
Robin: No, maybe Adweek will invite us back to do that for them.
Ron: Good night, Robin.
Robin: Good night, Ron.
Robin Konieczny is chief creative officer and Ron Randle is associate creative director at Price/McNabb in Charlotte. Their accounts include Weyerhaeuser, Centura Bank, Square D, Biltmore Estate and Starbucks.
Copyright ASM Communications, Inc. (1997) ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
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