Cuervo Black Campaign Unsells Target Audience
Adrants reader John Eppstein doesn't like the new Cuervo Black campaign which promotes it as an ingredient for a Cuervo Black and Cola. He thinks the ads are a bit pretentious and a turn off to the very audience the campaign is trying to reach. We'll let him explain:
"Have the people in charge of the current Cuervo Black ad campaign secretly been paid off by the competition? Or are they simply too stupid to understand that, while an obnoxious, oversaturated ad blitz may get a product to stick in the audience's collective memory, it is not always a desirable result? The current Cuervo Black ads inspire a strong aversion response in a large segment of the market. The smug, insincere voice reading lines obviously written by some flack who thinks everybody is even more stupid and vacuous than himself are an immediate turnoff..... and when this advertising is scheduled in heavy saturation the result is people swearing that they will never, ever partake of the product that this noxious advertising is attempting, oh so clumsily, to shove (or pour, in this case) down their throats."
You can see the ad here (sorry, no direct link what with all the age verification and unlinkable Flashturbation. Navigate your way to the Cuervo Black page and there's a link to the ads there). You've got to admit, the voiceover is a bit grating. And didn't semi-shaved look go out with Miami Vice? Also, the voice of the guy who orders the Cuervo Black and Cola - it's just too...well...creepishly unnatural. And the blond hottie? So cliche. Oh wait, I get it. They're going for cliche on purpose, right?
Comments
This ad never drew my complete ire (although the notion of having a liquor ad in which the bartender gets ridiculed seems kind of odd), but the one thing that sticks in my mind concerning it is that I'm pretty sure that the "blonde hottie" is actually a dude.
I now want to marry the term "Flashturbation".
That VO guy should never work again. And ala BRAVO and VH1- the flattening out of the vocal track to sound low-hi is SO GODDAMNED ANNOYING! It wasn't good the first time, and a billion times later- still not so good!
That "No, No buddy with cola" line just irritates the hell out of me . Also the blond's "And Enjoy" line too. Yea, you want me to enjoy something do you? ..............
Over the years I have found that certain vacuous and annoying adverts have deterred me from buying a product. This includes products I normally bought prior to the campaign; one in particular was for PremiumSaltine Crackers. I jest about it and claim that I'm not buying the product because I'd be embaressed for people to think the advertising campaign caused me to buy the product, but the effect runs deeper than that. The Cuervo Black advert brings a visable "sour look" to my face when I'm exposed to it. I do however know that much market research goes into a new product before it is put to market in order to insure acceptance. Look at the success of New Coke and New Schlitz. Frank Purdue was a genious at advertising and understanding the precepts of reaching market segments.
I am disgusted by this commercial. The lo-fi voice is definitely the most annoying part. Are we supposed to think that's cool? Second-most annoying is the fact that Cuervo has created a mixed drink, and they're 'teaching' me how to order it.
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