CREATIVE CAPITALISM SUCKS

No. Really Really Sucks

Andrew Sullivan links to the site below as an example of "creative capitalism".

What bullshit. The link is to an incredibly expensive commercial for Honda that does not give one reason for buying the car. The ad is God only knows how expensive. The ad agency made a killing by billing the client five or six million dollars for a commercial that neither states nor shows any reason to buy the car other than, "it works"

I've got a flash for Honda, the ad agency, and Sullivan: I've got a '98 Chrysler that hasn't seen the inside of a repair shop since I bought it that "works" and it didn't cost anywhere near what the Honda Wagon pictured in the ad costs.

The slogan "It Works" sucks.

The only "creative capitalism" the ad agency has created is a new way to "fuck the client". The only real commercials, the kind that actually sell product, are the informercials. They show and tell. I use that Oxyclean. Works exactly as advertised. I washed filthy rugs and they were spotless; I used it to shampoo my carpeting and it is spotless. The same with that Orange Glow. The ad shows what the stuff does, you buy it, and it works. That is what a commercial is suposed to do. But those commercials are cheap. The ad pimps can't bust the client's balls for big money. So we get the "creative" Honda ad that says nothing. Other than that the ad agency is "creative".

HERE is the link to the ad Sullivan talks about. You can go there now or read a great Greory Peck story about "fucking the ad agency" in a commercial.

I was a day player on a commercial featuring Peck. The shoot was in a restaurant downtown, right on skid row. We also had the exteriors. Peck shows up EXACTLY at his 8:30 scheduled shooting start. Of course the director(s) who wanted to shoot the shit with big movie star on the client's dollar weren't ready. Peck let them know he wasn't staying one second past his contracted time. Everybody shit and the first set up was ready in three minutes.

"Roll the machines." "Rolling" came the many voices at camera, sound, and security. "Action said the agency director. Peck does his line and says "cut". The director(s), eager to run up some billing time want a second take. "Print that one," grunted Peck in his movie star voice. "Line up the next shot." It sounded just like "Twelve O'Clock High", he was sending the ad agency fruits to their deaths over the skies of Beverly Hills. So to make a long story short, Peck shot six scenes with only one retake and walked out at 9:25. The commercial was done.

But not for the ad agency thieves. They kept cast and crew downtown for three days shooting nothing. Using can after can of film that they charge the client double for. When the commercial ran, Peck was perfect. That commercial should have been wrapped in half a day at minimal client cost. But that ain't the way it works with "creative capitalism".