New Guardian Ad
It doesn’t seem to want to embed, so here’s the link.
In the spirit of the 2012 social media democracy The Guardian endorsed in their Three Little Pigs ad, I asked my Twitter chums what they thought of it. Here’s every single response (UPDATE: I will add more as they come in):
‘The UK can’t do Kenny Powers-esque ads for a newspaper that’s about to sack a bunch of staff.’
‘parody wank, smells like Qualcomm’s making TV.’
‘Shame there were no editors available that week.’
‘Hugh Grant is looking old…’
‘Its main crime, above all else, is just being too long.’
‘If you are going to send yourselves up, really send yourself up. See Kenny Powers, MFCEO of K-Swiss for how to do it right.’
‘3 min version waaaaaay too long. By then it feels like somebody explaining a joke.’
‘I may be judging too quickly, but it’s poor by both Guardian & BBH standards.’
‘Quite funny, but felt like I was watching it for a whole weekend.’
‘It grew on me, but basically it was a bit smug and annoying.’
‘Everyone has their fav bit. Hence my argument that it should have been separate ads. One concept, one ad.’
‘Indeed. Personally, I hated it, mainly because we all know how hard-up the Guardian is.’
‘I think it’s a great ad. Very inventive. Superb acting from the guys in the lift at the end.’
‘Last minute is funny, but the “spoof ad” of the first 2 mins has been done to death.’
‘I thought it was quite funny. Particularly as it was coming from The Guardian which is usually so humourless.’
‘Have you seen that horrendous Guardian / Observer weekend 3 minute mega-wank? The shame of it.’
‘Agreed length is an issue for me, and it lost my interest around 2:06.’
‘Makes me want to buy the Sunday Times.’
‘Bit overblown. The prog rock of advertising.’
‘If i was a guardian reader I’d love it. I’m not and I don’t.’
‘I am + I still think it’s shit. In fact it feels like it was made by people who don’t really like Guardian readers .. Plus stretching any gag over 3 minutes is tricky. Trickier when the gag is so poor. And why is Hugh Grant in it?’
‘Feels like 3 or 4 ads concatenated to me. Couple at table is good. Unlikely to convert non-believers.’
‘Strategy and t.o.v more suited to one of the red tops. It’s a bit #cringe‘
‘Like a norovirus victim squatting over my face for 180 seconds. #stealingbackmyweekend Is Grant morphing into Richard.’ Madeley?
So there you have it. More comments, please.
For what it’s worth, I think the lift gag works. Otherwise it seems a bit slack, long and familiar.
This was done years back, laying the fake trailer to rest (or so I thought):
i agree with the sentiment of your followers. it felt like old media desperately trying to prove it was new media savvy but failing by doing what old media does: making it a closed loop. and playing it safe. this should have been dangerous on some level. nobody needs a lecture on the internet from the guardian.
No.
It really is rather shit. The first 20 secs are good but that’s about it. And apart from the voice over and the odd explosion I don’t get the trailer element it makes no sense. If the joke is about ‘owning the weekend’ why bother with the crap film trailer gag. Or am I missing something?
The thing for me is that I don’t get if they actually are joking about ‘owning the weekend’. Surely they’re saying that with their newspapers, writing, tips on stuff to do etc, they DO ‘own the weekend’. And that makes me think “piss off Guardian/Observer – you don’t own my weekend”. As a reader/fan of the papers, it actually turns me OFF them.
Have you noticed how every now and again, (once) great agencies start to slip out more and more shit. It’s just one at the start. And you think “well, can’t make everything good now, can you?” Then they do another shit one and it starts to smell. Like this one.
Funny but enormously off-brand. Totally agree with the person who said it’d be great for a red-top.
Your video has gone private.
The last 20 or so second lift piece is the stand out, which could make a half decent ad of its ownbut otherwise the whole epic film trailer thing is painful.
It’s truly awful. And very obviously lacking the budget of 3 Little Pigs.
Thus is terrible. It’s like a filler segment from itv2’s xtra factor. And reminds me of stuff like money supermarket where they take the everyday and make it tongue in cheek Hollywood trailer.
Why does anyone think that opening on Hugh Grant looking glum is a big draw ? By ‘…the integrity of their journalistic practices…’ at 8″ I switched off.