This week, "Guys backflip into jeans" - a 1:47 tour de farce from Levi's - turned one year old. This YouTube phenom also passed 5 million hits (to be said with pinkie placed on corner of mouth). That's pretty good considering it's not a music video and doesn't feature a laughing baby.
It's shot as you would expect via handheld cam, but with smooth enough editing and a bouncy soundtrack to keep it moving. And the talent featured are seasoned breakdancers with, as they say, mad skills. The only real trickery was that the guys wore silk boxers, and the pants were starched silly.
So what can we learn from one of the most viewed "commercials" on YouTube. The same thing we learn from the most viewed one. Find a gimmick and run with it.
28,597,169 hits with a little help from world sports icon Ronaldinho.
Whether semi-scripted, staged or CGI'ed, people want to be surprised by the whirling dervish du jour. So spin your plates and strike up the calliope, just don't think you're making a TV spot. Approach it more like you're capturing a moment in time that answers the questions: Wouldn't it be cool if someone did X with our product or because of our brand? Or what is a credibly over-the-top way to show our level of expertise or service is better than the next guys?
Just be the barker, and you'll find a following.
The Year In Casually Sexist Advertising
7 years ago
No comments:
Post a Comment