An agency site with a serious potty mouth

It's tough to keep up with all of these new agency Web sites. Some are differentiating with tech tricks, others with a content-heavy approach, and at least one with some Martian-like characters. Now there’s Brazilian shop Gringo, which is going for shock value. I’m not sure exactly what it’s trying to accomplish. Visit the site and you’ll see what I mean. It features videos of people cursing in several languages, with helpful English subtitles. Some of the language might even make George Parker blush. Not just the F word, but the C word also makes an appearance. There’s the de rigeur user-generated element with a way to submit your own webcam obscenities. Gringo urges: “Make it naughty or amoral. Or both!” I have doubts about whether a prospective client will dig on this, since leaning on expletives is a lame way of coming across as edgy. Yet I doubt Gringo even wants to impress clients. My guess is it’s targeting others in the industry. I know, it’s shocking: agencies creating stuff for each other, not for clients or, heaven forbid, consumers. Via Advertising Lab.

—Posted by Brian Morrissey

May 19, 2008 in Morrissey | Permalink