Caricature ads as real ads?

by: caffeinegoddess, Jul 4 2006 - 5:22pm

Scott G on something new in the media mix: caricature ads running as part of normal commercial breaks.

It is a brilliant concept, and very entertaining. Yet it is quite subversive, because if viewers are not certain whether they are watching a real ad or a spoof, then our work as marketers is made that much more difficult.
Still, I got a smile or a smirk from the following hilarious send-ups of typical bonehead marketing:

* A phony commercial for an automobile called the "Chevrolet Impala SS." Yes, I know that Chevy thinks SS stands for Super Sport, but, well, this is Spectacularly Stupid. While they’re a little late in capitalizing on Mel Brooks' "Springtime for Hitler," this is still quite humorous. The tone of the spoof is relentlessly upbeat as they pound home the name of the model. I was not up on my Nazi history, but a quick use of Google took me to info about the Schutzstaffel (SS) module of the Third Reich, headed by Heinrich Himmler from 1929 to 1945, with all their personnel selected on strict ideological and racial lines. Suggested follow-up: the Ann Coulter Edition, or possibly Model 666.

The Chevy Impala SS advert