‘1984’ fares poorly in Arnold focus group
Adverganza alerts us to this opening video from last night’s Hatch Awards in Boston, in which Arnold holds a focus group to evaluate a slightly updated version of Apple’s classic “1984” spot. Evidently, none of the participants (we’re told they’re not actors) have seen the original, and of course the proposed new ad gets ripped to bits—too depressing, too much Nazi imagery, etc. And the line “You’ll see why 2008 won’t be like ‘1984’ ” doesn’t have quite the same ring to it. |
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October 4, 2007 | Permalink |
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This shows exactly why testing doesn't work. You have a bunch of bone heads in a room that look at an animatic and critique it as if they actually know what they are talking about. Clients should just have faith in agencies. They hire smart and creative people to come up with brilliant ideas to drive their business. If the agency work does not sell the product, then clients should fire the agency and find a new one. Or maybe the clients should just have the focus groups write the spots, since they put so much value in what they have to say. Instead they end up listening to a group of people who's real interest is making an easy $75, and let's not forget the free cookies and stale coffee.
Posted by: Stephen | Oct 4, 2007 11:47:18 AM
If anyone knows the history of the spot and so few do (please do NOT say it only ran once --that is a falsehood), the board of Apple even rejected the spot.
They said no way. Sell the time on Superbowl. As fate would have it, no other company wanted to buy the spost, so Apple had no choice but to run it. History was made, by accident.
Posted by: Brent Thomas (not really) | Oct 4, 2007 12:09:26 PM
If anyone knows the history of the spot and so few do (please do NOT say it only ran once --that is a falsehood), the board of Apple even rejected the spot.
They said no way. Sell the time on Superbowl. As fate would have it, no other company wanted to buy the time spot, so Apple had no choice but to run it. History was made, by accident.
Posted by: Brent Thomas (not really) | Oct 4, 2007 12:10:10 PM
I am betting each of the participants falls outside Apple's target market for computer products. I wouldn't be surprised if they consider a 7-Eleven Slurpee machine hi-tech.
Posted by: Norm | Oct 4, 2007 12:12:04 PM
For future focus groups, we should replace the people with chimpanzees.
Posted by: rich Siegel | Oct 4, 2007 12:42:15 PM
That concept is brilliant. None of those people, except the one young guy potentially, are really even in their target market.
Seriously - how can you take seriously someone that tries to sound like they know what they're talking about, and then suggests that the ad needs some cute animals?
Posted by: Shawn | Oct 4, 2007 2:01:32 PM
People are idiots.
Posted by: | Oct 4, 2007 4:20:43 PM
Speaking of focus groups, the pilot of Seinfeld scored so low, it was not even on the fall schedule (or the back up fall schedule).
Posted by: Jerry Seinfeld (not really) | Oct 5, 2007 2:23:47 PM
This was made very poorly if it's supposed to be sarcastic. If it isn't, than I rank this up there with the agency.com subway video. You can really tell with Arnold's new work that they probably really do conduct these focus groups all of the time. The new Volvo work is pathetic. No wonder all of their clients are leaving.
Posted by: John | Oct 5, 2007 5:59:45 PM
this is brilliant
Posted by: eppy | Oct 6, 2007 4:44:32 PM
I do not think I would have liked this ad today either. To me, the strength of the ad lay in the connection between the year 1984 and the book. The tag line--making sure 1984 is not like 2008 is a lot less interesting and powerful than the original--making sure 1984 is not like 1984. That final twist was what made the whole commercial come together and made me say, hey that is a great ad.
On a lesser note, I think the themes represented in this ad were more relevant in 1984. Communism continued to be a looming threat and I think Apple picks up on this in so many ways. After all, the man on the screen talks about the workers, the ideology, the people and the cold grey colors are reminiscent of the drab Soviet landscape. And then here comes a pretty young American in hot pants to set them all free.
So, perhaps the focus group did not understand the commercial because the final line is weak in comparison to the original? Or maybe the themes are not quite as meaningful today?
Either way, it is probably just easier to say people are stupid and pat ourselves on the back like these elitist Ad Freak bloggers.
Posted by: tzam | Oct 8, 2007 10:26:51 PM
People are stupid. Not because they don't like this commerical, but because about half of Americans aren't even aware that Judaism is older than Christianity or that plastic is made from oil or that Ben Franklin was never president of this country. But they buy the products that we advertise, so we just need to deal with it.
Posted by: thatguy | Oct 9, 2007 9:48:14 PM
I loved this focus group's intellectually spirited digressions on Orwell's futuristic narrative framework.
This framework is only further evidence that certain focus groups _should_ not "get it" and if this focus group _did_ somehow claim to "get it" that would only have proven the ad was a total failure.
Apple doesn't sell PC's at higher profit margins than any other vendor because they target people like these clowns.
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