The Fake Testimonial. Now with more Fake.
As I’ve said, the Fake Testimonial is the lowest form of advertising. “Chuck” Schwab has polished the turd to a super shiny sheen by cartoonizing the “customers.” Yes, this campaign has been around since October, but the latest spot featuring the woman on the ski lift—shown ad nauseam during the Olympics—just set me off. Chuck's message is exactly the same as TD Waterhouse and many other brokerage firms: We let You take control of your investments! It’s just delivered by fake-cartoon fake non-customer paid actors mouthing fake words written by a fake writer, aka an ad copywriter. You can watch the fakery here.
posted by copyranter @ 10:48 AM
13 Comments:
This ad gives me the serious creeps. Inhuman and offputting. What were they thinking?
the first time I saw this animation-over-live-action effect was at RESFEST 2000...In a short "Snack and Drink" by Bob Sabiston.
Then in the "Waking Life" movie by Richard Linklater.
my 2 cents here.
hey, cr, i just read your long list of dislikes. did starbucks make you change their name to charbucks? what up with that?
anon, no I changed it because the coffee tastes "charred" to me.
I think it's a really stupid commercial...
I think the visual style breaks through the clutter. But then it breaks through and says, "Look at me, I'm a shiny turd!" Pity.
I agree the whole cartoon/investor Dad thing is piss poor. But here's my challenge to you ad guys from a lemming consumer... You sell a commoditized service which collects $10 per transaction as compared to the competition's $9 or $11 price point. The client does all the leg work (research on fundmantals, risk, his personal financial situation, etc.). He only needs a computer to complete the transaction on his behalf, which he is legally prohibited from doing.
So here we are... what brilliant positioning/campaign can anyone submit that actually might compell someone to chos Chas. Schwab over any other pencil-pusher out there?
Blog me that, Blogger.
anon: Something besides the fake testimonial, that's for sure. Otherwise, pay me, and give me 2 weeks and I'll come with something good.
I've always told my clients that fake testimonials almost always can be recognised.
As soon as they are the ad and the company face being branded liars.
Which of course means believeability in both drops through the floor.
They should just have like, the Thundercats doin the testimony instead. Just go balls-to-the-wall. And ya know, I would *trust* Cheetarah.
Yeah, I found the rotoscope effect visually interesting too...when I saw it in 1985 in a FUCKING A-HA VIDEO.
Now, if that chick in the chairlift belted out "Take on Me" after she fired on the chapstik, "Chuck" might be getting somewhere in this campaign.
What's the point of cartooning it up anyway? What does that add to the message?
And the ski lady is very creepy. Bad plastic surgery and cartooning is a dangerous mix.
/Ha, Charbucks! They've really got your balls in a juicer now.
I know one of the actors in these horrible ads. Total d-bag.
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