'Meers' Make DLP TV Better
OK then. Need a campaign (1, 2, 3, 4) that explains Texas Instruments DLP technology which makes a TV's picture better and brighter? Easy. Get a cute little girl. Bring on that "elephant in the room" metaphor with an actual elephant. Put them together in environments that need DLP technology to look good and talk about the mirrors. Yes, the mirrors. You see, DLP TVs are powered by Texas Instruments chips filled with millions of mirrors that direct the light towards the TV screen. The trouble is, unless you knew that prior, you'd think it was some strange entity called "meers" that made DLP TV beautiful. Here's a tip. When casting a kid for a spot in which she needs to say the word "mirror," it helps to make sure she actually can before you cast her in a campaign about "meers," uh, mirrors.
With Plasma, LCD, LCOS, CRT and several other acronyms fighting for attention, DLP is going to have a tough time. That said, our research - and we do know what we're talking bout on this particular topic - does indicate DLP is, in fact, one of the better television picture technologies out there. Perhaps this ingredient branding approach will give DLP some notice in the growing sea of TV technobabble. But if you're going to highlight the centerpiece of the technology, at least make sure your spokesperson can pronounce it properly. JWT created. Final Cut produced.
UPDATE: We recently had a conversation with the child's mother who correctly chastised us for picking on the girl explaining the spots were shot two ways; first with the girl pronouncing "mirrors" in a fashion our mean-spirited brain could understand and then in the girl's natural accent which we chose to trash here in a most unfeeling manner. Texas Instruments chose to go with the version in which the girl used her natural accent. We now feel like a schmuck and apologize for being such an idiot about this. Sure her pronunciation sounds a bit different to some but we didn't need to get all mean-spirited on her. We are sorry for that.
The girl, who comes from a family of actors, worked 12 and 15 hour days without complaint and didn't flinch at all when working with the elephant. You might want to check her - and the rest of her family - out for your next commercial.
Comments
thank GOD someone spoke up about this. i think that's a stupid move to put anyone in a campaign that cannot pronounce all of the words in the tag line.
I think anyone who criticizes the speaking ability of a 10-year old is a pretty sad excuse for a human being. Being from the south, I understood her perfectly. It was only later that I realized why I loved these commercials so much.. she is so perfectly 10-year-old-ish that she comes across as real as the product she is advertising. I think TI hit a home run here.. they will sell a lot of HD technology products to the demographic they are aiming for.. the non-"special" public.
Who is the little girl in the DLP Ad?
The girl's name is Bella Thorne. And I, for one, am pleased she got the part, Southern U.S. accent and all!
See her IMDb page, here:
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2254074/
And see also ThorneKids.Net, the website for Bella and all her other acting siblings, here:
http://www.thornekids.net/
IT's a great commercial. Isn't Texas Instruments in Texas????? It would make sense that the little girl would have a southern accent! Her voice is clear, crisp, and sweet. While people sit on the couch criticizing a young child, can one imagine how much work is involved in shooting 4 commercials, just a kid, elephant, and lots of dialogue in the middle of nowhere? GET A LIFE!
WHAT AM I HEARING?!!! That little girl is adorable! She says the words fine. I can understand her and I'm not from the South. Maybe I'm just smart....Anyway. I'm from Canada and I understand her. Shane Vickers is right after all it is TEXAS! Besides that little girl is what 10 years old what losers are making fun of a kid? She was adorable and if she ever reads this I want her to know all the smart allicks on this site are just jealous!
What's the big fuss about? I understood every word just fine! As a matter of fact I bought their TV becuase they sponsored Nascar! Cute kid, cute elephant, lots of play. Maybe some are jealous cause she most be making more $$$ than some will do in their life! All this ruckus over a tv commercial, heck what else is the kid hocking, I might as well buy that too.
First of all, I'd like to know how mature the ADULTS are that are writing nasty comments about an 8 year old girl????? FYI, that 8 yr old girl worked 10 days 12 hours per day non-stop with an 7 year old elephant; the elephant is real!!! How many adults could've done that? Did you see the one in the Georgian bay, Canada, freezing water, just Bella and the elephant, with the exception of safety divers underneath the very large body of water. How nervous do you think that elephant was in that situation? Imagine a child saying the same dialogue over and over under those circumstances. Imagine a small child standing on 1 rock with such an enormous creature pacing franticaly when ever any noise was made, yet kept her lines each time. Give the kid a break. I was taught that if you have nothing nice to say, don't say anything at all. It is much easier to sit on your couch and criticize the HARD work of all of those involved. MEERS???? She is saying mirrors, she has a slight southern accent. How many words do you say that may be different than others?
can't please all the people all the time.....obviously more people are pleased and those that aren't; furb!
Wow that's a great update! All TI/Bella fans are happy that you corrected the situation. I'm sure all the Southern viewers are happy as well.
Wow that's a great update! All TI/Bella fans are happy that you corrected the situation. I'm sure all the Southern viewers are happy as well.
Whoo! The south will rise again! All hail the meers!
You people are pathetic. Lets all get pissy because somebody picked on a little girl's pronounciation of a word in a high-profile television ad. God forbid that people should have pet peeves like improper pronounciation.
And all of you bragging about being able to understand her because you're from the south are morons. The author of the ad (and most other educated people) can clearly understand what she's TRYING to say, we're just annoyed that she's mangling it so badly. Do you piss and moan when illegal immigrants can't speak English? I bet you do. Therefore, you are all hypocrites.
By the way, ever heard of a little thing called "freedom of speech?" You should look it up sometime, I've heard sites like this are protected by it or something like that. Who knew?!
Have 2 Words for the above poster, psycho and jealousy. The 2 combined create the weirdness from the poster "noneofyourbusiness". I think everytime I see the commercial how many envious wannabes are wishing they had those commercials, it must kill all the ones that didn't get hired.....and it must really torture all the people that wish they were the little girl in the spot. I found this site by google because I thought, "who is that kid" and wanted to know more on the commercial. I guess I'm not the only one interested......to the little girl in the spot, YOU go Girl!
I piss and moan that illegal immigrants are here with me in America. Get in legally or get out.
And why would TI do 4 commercial's all with "MEERS"? Because thats what they wanted.
Great work Bella. I heard of talk on 5th spot can't wait to see.
"Do you piss and moan when illegal immigrants can't speak English? I bet you do. Therefore, you are all hypocrites."
We are not all racists nor bigots. It seems you have bigger issues than the TV commercial. Try seeking professional help. By the way, do you have any national commercials running or didn't anyone like the way you speak?
I've come back to see what kind of juicy responses my rant elicited and am disappointed. You guys should really work on your comebacks.
"thank GOD someone spoke up about this. I think that's a stupid move to put anyone in a campaign that cannot pronounce all of the words in the tag line."
Funny how were all discussing the tag line for this and not for the new Hefty bags. Why is that? It's not memorable. Rule 1 in advertising: make it stick.
And just for the record, I hear that the pink dresses are selling as collectors items for decent money. That doesn't happen much (if at all) in commercials.
Go Bella!
Continued success, Bella
"thank GOD someone spoke up about this. I think that's a stupid move to put anyone in a campaign that cannot pronounce all of the words in the tag line."
Funny how were all discussing the tag line for this and not for the new Hefty bags. Why is that? It's not memorable. Rule 1 in advertising: make it stick.
And just for the record, I hear that the pink dresses are selling as collectors items for decent money. That doesn't happen much (if at all) in commercials.
Go Bella!
Continued success, Bella
Where are the dresses selling? Do you know for how much?
When I first saw these ads months ago I tuned them out because they were so annoyingly presumptious. A mysterious little girl stands next to an elephant for no reason in the middle of a strange remote setting and speaks knowingly about some technology I've never heard of. It wasn't until my local cineplex installed its first DLP projectors that I recalled the ads, which were long gone by then. Could that have been what they were referring to in such an irritatingly cryptic way? It could, it was, and I had fallen for the bait like a walleyed pike. I feel like a chump, but I have to give them grudging respect for outwitting an old jaded Tivo user.
When I first saw these ads months ago I tuned them out because they were so annoyingly presumptious. A mysterious little girl stands next to an elephant for no reason in the middle of a strange remote setting and speaks knowingly about some technology I've never heard of. It wasn't until my local cineplex installed its first DLP projectors that I recalled the ads, which were long gone by then. Could that have been what they were referring to in such an irritatingly cryptic way? It could, it was, and I had fallen for the bait like a walleyed pike. I feel like a chump, but I have to give them grudging respect for outwitting an old jaded Tivo user.
Turns out that TI in fact shot 2 versions of the commercial.. one with the crystal clear pronunciation of "mirrors" and the straight off-the-cuff reading. Everyone (except noneofyourbusiness obviously) loved the natural reading.
Personally, this little girl irritates the piss out of me. I'm from the South and I absolutely despise people using that as an excuse to avoid speaking proper English. By the way, she's also stupid in that KFC commercial when she's chomping on chicken like she's trying to molest it.
OK, I can't take it anymore. THIS AD CAMPAIGN IS CREEPY> It sexualizes a little girl and makes pedophiles dreams come true. The "elephant" does not represent the elephant in the room...Try reading Nietche just once in your life. It represents the conception of truth, and the truth is that the little girl is being exploited. Have you seen the friggin fansite dedicated to her? Its full of pedophiles named "Abe" and "Butch" begging her to contact them. Shameful...
OK, I can't take it anymore. THIS AD CAMPAIGN IS CREEPY> It sexualizes a little girl and makes pedophiles dreams come true. The "elephant" does not represent the elephant in the room...Try reading Nietche just once in your life. It represents the conception of truth, and the truth is that the little girl is being exploited. Have you seen the friggin fansite dedicated to her? Its full of pedophiles named "Abe" and "Butch" begging her to contact them. Shameful...
How is the campaign creepy? Where do you see her exploited or sexualized? From what I see, she is wearing a simple dress and no make up. What does the elephant have to do with the "sexual" nature of the commercial? Should kids not be in the entertainment industry? If that is your theory, I don't think there will be a change in hiring children, so you should get used to it. It is not our decision, it's their parents, agents, and producer's decision. I'm just saying.....
For "educated southerner" and any one else trashing a small child. Get over your self!!! The little girl was around 8. I'm sure you may have had a different way of saying words. If you don't like the commercial, change the station!!! As for molesting the chicken, where did you get that? No one would allow someone to molest a chicken on air. I searched youtube for the commercial and must say that you may want to see a shrink. If a child eating chicken looks like molestation, you have bigger problems that can not be solved on a message board.
If you realized that TI and DLP sponsored Tony Raines's # 96 NASCAR Busch Series car last year (and one of the spots featured said car writ large due to the 'meers'), you'd understand why a Southern voice made perfect sense.... Ariane got it (earlier post). I got it. And for those who are worrying about her as 'sex object', while she is almost beyond 'cute', lots of girls her age dress the way she does in the commercials. She just happens to be better looking than almost all of them. She can't help it if she won the genetic lottery for pre-teenage attractiveness. We'll see what happens when she reaches puberty in a few years and legal age a few years after that....