I RATE ADS

sjbooher: This is a tv network ad, which probably only airs on their own network, so in a way, it is AEM. But at the same time, if the audience enjoys the ad, it can serve as a brand strengthener (think ESPN and their constant SportsCenter promotion as a success story). As a huge Hip-Hop head, I enjoyed this a lot. It is an animated look at the changing style of Hip-Hop over the years. Fun. B.

jtherkal: It’s a fun little commercial. Doesn’t have quite the attitude that I think Fuse would like. To me it says fun and easygoing, not very edgy. Isn’t Fuse like MTV, not VH1? I think it has more to do with the animation style than the concept itself. Although I’m not sure the concept is even that strong. The clear way to go would be to tell people what you are: a music video channel that actually plays music videos! I don’t feel very strongly either way about this one, though I would have liked to see some Hammer pants. C+.

sjbooher: SHUT UP, SHUT UP, SHUT UP! Also, SHUT UP! Fury, hate, rage and anger. Those are the emotions I feel with this whole campaign. Imagine annoyance as pure as Blue Magic heroine. These characters are all so “off-the-cuff”, so “cool”, so “it”, so “matter-of-fact”; they drive me crazy. And why do so many investment/financial ads feature one person just yapping? I feel like this whole genre is out of touch and needs some new ideas. F-

jtherkal: Whoa. Calm down. I don’t love this, but I don’t hate it. I actually like some of them. The cartoon-mapping over real people style gets your attention, but maybe not in a good way. To me, these are just really average financial ads. Person talking about money, blah blah blah. Maybe that’s what the target audience likes (target audience = real grown-ups with portfolios and a family). I agree there’s room in this category for someone to step in and do a breakthrough campaign. Talking heads and borrowing an annoying technique from A Scanner Darkly won’t do it. That movie sucked. C.

sjbooher: These existed BEFORE A Scanner Darkly, by the way, and I am getting so irritated right now thinking about how long these have run. Oh my god. Fury. I hated that movie too, if that counts. Maybe it is purely the animation style, now that you have brought that up.