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News & ArtsThursday, March 11, 2010
??!! / Media Today in Baffling Ad Copy That's Been Bugging Me for Months
Posted by David Schmader on Thu, Mar 11, 2010 at 8:52 AM
So many questions and concerns....Is a "bare-knuckled bucket" a bucket lacking a handle or a bucket that will punch you in the face without boxing gloves or just a horribly mixed metaphor? Is a "bucket of does" a tub of female deer or just a phrase that may perhaps be spoken without confusion but should never, ever be put into print? AM I INSANE???
2
I am so glad someone else is flummoxed by this. I read that sentence over and over, and still have no idea what they're trying to sell me. And all I can think of is Bambi's mother.
6
I feel the exact same, David. I might have considered buying this phone if they hadn't completely gone leotarded with the marketing direction.
7
You are not insane. Every time I see this I still think "bucket of does? Does? What?" until I see the "world full of doesn't" part. I think they should have called it "bucket of duzz" and waited for the graffiti artists.
8
Those billboards are just doing their job of getting you to notice. Need a new Verizon cell? Hmmm, I wonder what this Droid is all about...?
12
Oh, and no doubt Google & Verizon are quite happy with the free publicity they've just been given.
I'd have to say, despite the seemingly nonsensical phrasing, this ad certainly DOES it's job.
I'd have to say, despite the seemingly nonsensical phrasing, this ad certainly DOES it's job.
13
Yeah, same here. I read it over and over. Bucket of female deer? WTF. I thought it was some kind of hunting attractant, like (I shit you not) "Still Steamin' Deer Semen" (tm)
14
Beyond the incomprehensibility part, I don't think the Battlestar Galactica esthetic makes much sense: Cold, broken technology that when improved will turn on you.
15
8: Yes, I understand the purpose of advertising, but why would I trust a company that can't produce comprehensible ad copy with something as intricately complicated as a smartphone?
(Same goes for Comte at 12.)
(Same goes for Comte at 12.)
16
I had just finished reading Watership Down when I first saw the ad. I always read it as 'does', as in a female rabbit. It still doesn't make sense.
18
@David: Haven't you noticed how most advertisements lately don't make any sense at all? Cheetos, Old Spice, etc... And no one fully trusts their cell phone company anyway. I read it like you every time I see it.
19
They have this billboard on the 101 in NorCal. Buckets always make me think of puke. Also, the red glow in the middle of the screen reminds me of HAL (is it supposed to?).
Puke and Hal, that's the message I get.
Puke and Hal, that's the message I get.
20
I agree that it's a dumb ad, but its meaning was immediately obvious to me after having seen so many ads previously that proclaimed, "...DROID DOES."
21
Completely agree and glad you brought it up. Every time I see that thing (sentence? phrase? Engrish lunch box expression?) my heart sinks at the state of the English language. Can't Google afford to hire a copy editor or what the fuck?
22
You're not alone, David. Whenever I see that ad, all I can think of is a cartoon bucket full to the brim with little lady-deer that look a whole lot like Michelle Rodriguez in Girlfight.
23
I hate to say I spent far too long trying to figure out what the hell that ad meant every time I drove south on 99.
24
@20
So how did you read the 'droid does' does word the first time? After the full bucket of female deer does, I read 'droid does' as still more female deer does. Where are droid's female deer does? Are they inside the phone running on tiny little treadmills to power the phone?
Silly does and does. I am SO glad I'm a native english speaker and don't have to pull my hair out trying to learn it.
So how did you read the 'droid does' does word the first time? After the full bucket of female deer does, I read 'droid does' as still more female deer does. Where are droid's female deer does? Are they inside the phone running on tiny little treadmills to power the phone?
Silly does and does. I am SO glad I'm a native english speaker and don't have to pull my hair out trying to learn it.
26
"does" is probably slang for "those."
the "bare knuckled bucket" part i don't understand. why does one need a bucket of phones?
the "bare knuckled bucket" part i don't understand. why does one need a bucket of phones?
28
Good advertising = something that gets free publicity and 27 (and counting) comments on a blog somewhere and lingering consideration of the ad and product. The ad doesn't have to make sense.
29
I still wasn't sure what it was an ad for until reading these comments - only then did I notice that it was an ad for the Droid.
When I would see it while driving it made no sense whatsoever and I just chalked it up to some sort of industrial ad for some product used in manufacturing - not as an ad that was geared toward consumers.
As many ads get dumber and dumber one can only hope that they realize that in some cases they're actually causing their product more harm than good. And yes, I've actually reached for a product (based on my memories of past experiences with that product) and put it back when I recalled how bad their ad campaign was/is.
When I would see it while driving it made no sense whatsoever and I just chalked it up to some sort of industrial ad for some product used in manufacturing - not as an ad that was geared toward consumers.
As many ads get dumber and dumber one can only hope that they realize that in some cases they're actually causing their product more harm than good. And yes, I've actually reached for a product (based on my memories of past experiences with that product) and put it back when I recalled how bad their ad campaign was/is.
30
@28: It's good advertising if it gets your product bought. After reading the blog post and a few comments, I already don't remember what the product is, and if I ever see it on a shelf, I'll avoid it because I'll remember, "Hey, it's that stupid company that thinks its customers are stupid" and move on.
If your product isn't good enough to sway me otherwise, I'll avoid it for an equal product that doesn't rely on idiot ads.
If your product isn't good enough to sway me otherwise, I'll avoid it for an equal product that doesn't rely on idiot ads.
31
Personally I think the problem is the ad writers all live in the world of concrete and skyscrapers and it never occured to them that a fair number of Americans would think deer before they would think (if ever) of previous Droid slogans. Here in Minnesota I guarantee almost everyone tried to make sense out of the deer/bucket/techno relationship cause even in the metro you have your deer radar on when you're driving certain times of year to avoid creating a deer/car/fur/glass relationship.
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