VS.
African American Market
White creative teams are all like " ... a life of courage and a commitment to something greater than themselves..." and let's use some classical sounding horns with a funky slow blues beat as not to be too... well you know white.
Black creative teams are all like "... don't quit, if you quit now you'll always quit in life..." let's exploit that whole black people can't swim thing. Oh yeah, let's have a recollection of some that ol' Louis Gosset Jr. drill sergeant riding his ass, for good measure.
Who did it best? https://sites.google.com/site/mayuradocs/PinIt.png
13 comments:
"so, I jumped in....and drowned." i actually found out that there arent alot of black marines b/c they cannot pass the swim test. So, in respect to that...the 2nd spot is relevant.
as far as who did it best...they were both a bore. What happened to the fighting dragons and knights with swords. We need marines that do that....not stand around spinning guns and learning how to swim.
Shaun, great insight, so brothers really can't swim, huh. I was practically born underwater. So It's lost on me.
Yeah bring back the dragons and sh*t!
...the white team. Word up.
I always thought the Armed forces have done some of the most effective commercials out there. Have you seen the latino aimed one where the recruit is on a fire truck and he is asked by his white and black team mates if he is ready to be a team member.
I can't remember the last time I've seen such a subtle attempt to promote the idea that American assimilation is acquired through military service.
It's a pretty intense swimming test. But I hear you though...I can swim but I am certainly not going to join the Marines.
Feels ya Shaun, Thank God for those men and women who serve and keeps me black a*s safe. What's up with Mr. Awesome (aka former white co-worker responsible for the General Market ad). We didn't rag too hard on your ad did we?
I'm the copywriter for the black spot. Obviously, I'm not going to vote, but I think all your comments are interesting. Some things you might not know... All the people in both spots are Marines. They don't use actors. My spot is a true story also. The VO of the main character is the guy who the story belongs to. We interviewed A LOT of Marines and picked a few stories we thought were compelling.
And Shaun, though a lot of black recruits have problems with the swimming exam, it's not one of the major reasons why there aren't a lot of black Marines. They actually do private sessions to help people who struggle. That's what happened in this case. I think the biggest reason that there aren't that many black Marines is that we (black men) often have a problem signing up for the toughest, most-dangerous branch of the service for a country that's been pretty unfair to our group as a whole.
Comments please.
well, that is interesting. personal tutors, you say?
i was actually watching Generation Kill and noticed that there were a lack of Marines. So I set out on a goggle search. After a good amount of sniffing around I saw alot of comments about the difficulty of the swimming exam and a few more saying that alot of African Americans struggle with that particular part of training/testing and most dont pass...this coming from said "ex-marines" (but who knows, everyone is an expert and opinionated when they are hundreds of miles away typing infront of a computer screen). I also had an uncle who told me the same thing. However, you have real research. But I had no clue that they get help. Is there help in other fields of the exam/training as well?
I agree with you regarding recruiting. And in all fairness, I do think your spot leads to a strong campaign concept (as you obviously where thinking). It is also far more emotionally relevant than the "white spot." But does it change the minds of people who are not inclined to join the forces already (be it through socio/economic status or any other factors)? I dont think so. But would any spot have that power? That's a whole nother discussion...a cultural one. Which you also pointed out.
I think the military should stick to their current strategy of plucking up premature teens in high school. They are very successful at that. But I guess all brands need a "rounded out" marketing plan.
Not disrespect HEAT, still a powerful spot.
cheers.
...still, I miss the dragons.
Craig Brimm said...
HEAT, of course I'm only "armchair art directing" here 'cause that's what bloggers do. Hey, it's a solid spot. When you mention all the things you do in your comment, boy, I really get intrigued. This dude, story & marines in the spot are all real?! (Actually I knew this from working JWT Atlanta) I wonder if there was a subtle way to convey that. I know a super would suck a*s in the spot. I also know you can't cram everything into a spot. For the most part even though it is a recruitment ad, it also serves as a brand maintenance ad as well (like the LeBron spot, I responded to your comment there as well). One of the rare opps for African American ads to not overstate everything especially the obvious. I say good job Heat / Uniworld!
12/3/08 9:24 PM
Craig Brimm said...
Oh, dragons! Can a brother fight a dragon or something too? I got it... have the brother fight the dragon... wait for it... under the damn water! Sexual chocolate, Sexual Chocolate ladies and gentlemen!!
*drops the mic"
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