Have you heard the new radio spot for a telecommunications company? It’s a man, describing how he had lunch with a TV star and was taking a hot blonde from an action show to his afternoon meeting.
At first, you are intrigued (good) so you listen carefully (very good). And then you understand (excellent!). And then, if you’re like most of the people I’ve talked to, you are afraid. You are very afraid (and that is not good at all).
The whole idea of advertising is to make people want your product. You want to hit pain points, tell them how their life will improve if they purchase your product, you want them to understand the benefit of adding this product to their life.
The goal of this particular commercial (I think) is that the service will entertain you nonstop. You will always have comedy, drama and more right in your pocket, avaiable to you 24/7. But what comes across is creepy and unsettling and just plain wrong.
The message that everyone is really getting is this – you don’t need to have lunch with a real person, because your smart phone is a much better companion. You don’t need to think or carry on a conversation because your phone is smarter than you anyway. You don’t need to listen to human beings at work, because your smart phone will keep your mind engaged somewhere else, somewhere in a virtual world.
No one wants to put themselves in these shoes. No one wants to be the loner at lunch, becoming socially awkward and conversationally retarded. And while we all recognize that meetings can be boring and monotonous, we also realize that watching television during one does not put your feet on the fast track to career success.
Who wants technology that blocks any and all human interaction? Who wants to be this idiot? Who wants to even be friends with this idiot?
And what idiot came up with this creative?