The next time you sit down on your tacky sofas from Ikea, (I myself have each piece of furnature in my sitting room made from the skins of only the most endangered of species.) and squint to see the grainy pictures on your minuscule television sets (I don’t really like “cable TV”, so I‘ve grown accoustomed to paying the actors to come to my home and re-do the episodes, because 30 Rock is much funnier when Jane Krakowski is acting like an aging slut in person) take extra notice of the commercials advertising the latest programming on the networks.
Nothing is funnier than a PAST-HER-PRIME acting like she’s still “got it”
I say this only because the last time the Parks and Recreation crew called in sick to their 4pm performance of the latest episode in my theatre room (apparently Aziz Ansari gave the rest of the cast the squirts) I was forced to watch network TV (In case you haven’t read my bio, I make a handsome living. By “handsome living” I mean I can afford to pay Donald Trump to fold my delicates.).
Even funnier in person
It was quite possibly the biggest slap-in-the-face ads I’d seen. When I finished witnessing it, I immediately had my research team (google) scour the interwebs (yes ALL the interwebs) to see if this commercial was an isolated incident, or the beginnings of an epidemic. The results were STAGGERING.
Nice outfit, Morgan. But it cant protect you from the Promo-Pushing outbreak
Apparently now what’s “hot” in the advertising world is to let critics reviews sell the networks programming… for some shows this tactic is understandable, since the plots may lack, say… BEING GOOD.
“Hey Mark C, what exactly do you mean?”
Take it easy, slappy. I’ve done all the legwork for you.
Case-in-point…
Jason Segal. Genius comedian, or comedic genius. Who’s to say? The critics. That’s who.
Need more proof?
Ahh, Tiffany Amber Theissen. You’ve fallen so far since Saved By the Bell. Shame.
I may not have majored in Marketing when I went to college, (I carried a double-major in Cashing Checks and Looking Good) but I think I understand what the networks are trying to do here. I broke it down to a simple equation:
Please allow me to hand you your ass.
In a word, the Ad execs of the major networks are doing what I call “PROMO-PUSHING” . Here’s how it works: A network has a show. It could be a show that’s tanking… hard, a show that has a so-so rating, or a show with a solid, dedicated fan-base. How well the show is doing is irrellavent. The Advertising pros seem to have taken to, as you might havenoticed in the above clips, simply berrading the viewer with a gattling-gun frequency of positive critics responses to their original programming.
Now, I know what you’re thinking (yes. I can read minds… there’s not much I CAN’T do). ”I get it, and I don’t like it. But what am I supposed to do, NOT watch the last episode of For the Love of Ray-J? Or read a book?”
I burn books, but not like in a nazi way. I just like the way original prints smell when they burn.
Well, you’re right, the last time I checked, I have electricity, and can spend my money (just. a shit-ton of it) on pretty much anything other than the ramblings of some pop-culture-crazed lunatic (on a totally unrelated topic, keep your eyes open for my book to hit the stands soon!). The point? Simply this. If you want to be considered the hot new talent at your advertising agency, use the phrase I coined in the title here, today. You’ll be rising up the corporate ladder quicker than the first CEO to use the word “synergy” in a business meeting.
Author: Mark C
