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 December 1, 2008 Stuart Elliott's |
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Campaign Spotlight
 Just in time for the holidays, a campaign for a new musical seeks to Shrek the halls with peals of laughter. “Shrek the Musical,” which is scheduled to open on Dec. 14, is the subject of the colorful campaign, which begins on Monday. Just as the three “Shrek” films parody old-school fairy tales and the movies based on them, “Shrek the Musical” spoofs Broadway musical theater. That approach is reflected in the campaign, which is being created by SpotCo, a New York agency that specializes in theatrical advertising. The theme sets the tone: “Broadway’s getting a make-ogre.” ADVERTISEMENT 
(Stuart Elliott) I recently received questions from two readers about the same advertising campaign. The questions follow below, then the answer. Q: (Reader) Every time I see one of those I can’t tell you which model of VW is being advertised, but I guess they are building name recognition for the VW brand. And I know that even bad PR is PR. But these ads just strike me as perverse, even creepy. What are they trying to do? Q: (Reader) After reading this week’s newsletter with a number of comments from readers who have been offended by certain advertisements, I am encouraged to mention one that I find slightly inexplicable and genuinely creepy: the recent Volkswagen campaign in which She presents herself as an advocate for thoughtful parenting, begging potential Routan buyers not to procreate for the sole purpose of owning a Routan. I suppose the “joke” makes a certain sense if the Routan is a family-oriented car, although I’m not sure that this is the case. Whether the point of the ad is amusing or not, it seems to border on insensitivity -- and not in a happy way. The fact that Ms. Shields herself wrote a heartfelt book about post-partum A: (Stuart Elliott) The tongue-in-cheek campaign for the Volkswagen Routan, which is a minivan aimed at families, presents Ms. Shields confronting expectant couples and chiding them for wanting to be parents just so they can experience the “German engineering” of the Routan. Some of the criticism of the ads is centered on the unsavory aspects of The ads are being created by Crispin Porter & Bogusky in “Advertising has the power to elicit a wide range of emotions,” Mr. Keyes writes in an e-mail message. “As with most of our ads, we’ve heard from consumers who have expressed different opinions about the current campaign.” “The intended premise of the ads was based on the fact that the U.S. is experiencing a baby boom,” Mr. Keyes says, and “at the same time, Volkswagen is introducing a new minivan to the market.” “The intent was to make the point that ‘you don’t have to have a baby to justify the purchase of the new Volkswagen minivan,’ ” he adds. “Years of research confirms that consumers equate ‘German engineering’ with precision, quality, being well-made and reliability and in the case of automobiles, it also signals improved driving dynamics, superior braking, acceleration and safety.” Q: (Reader) Re: Your piece on the lame, cliché-ridden Gold’s campaign on Nov. 17. I’ve seen better campaigns come out of first-year students in ad school. I especially liked this line: “The concept is intended to resonate at a time when consumers are seeking strength, internal and external, as a result of the sudden weakness displayed by once-powerful institutions like A.I.G., It’s obvious that you are just regurgitating press releases. But is it out of laziness, a favor or have you have lost touch with reality? A: (Stuart Elliott) Dear reader, I think you ought to know that someone has hacked into your e-mail account and is sending out crank messages under your name. (With a tip of the cap to Stephen M. Young, a Democratic senator from | Webdenda
The Affirmative Action Recruiting Consortium, Braintree, Mass., named Strategis, Stoughton, Mass., for a rebranding assignment. Billings were not disclosed. The consortium, which seeks potential employees for jobs in schools in Eastern The Ardea Beverage Company,
Media This Week Cost-cutting at many local stations includes the big salaries commanded by news anchors. AdvertisingA seasonal wrap-up of thoughts on an advertising columnist’s mind.  With its wire service, CNN is taking aim at The Associated Press, the largest news-gathering outlet in the world. AdvertisingRadio advertising was down 10 percent last month from October 2007, according to the Radio Advertising Bureau, the 18th consecutive month of declines. Advertising In ad campaigns, most wristwatches are frozen with their hands at 10 and 2, to “frame the brand and logo.” Media Blogs TV Decoder  The Medium | ||
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