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Media Businesses The Internet

Free Ads Can Be Really Expensive 141

Posted by Zonk from the inverse-kinematics dept.
An anonymous reader writes "Companies are finding that this 'Web 2.0' user participation thing sometimes isn't all its cracked up to be. The New York Times reports on the efforts of big companies to harness consumer enthusiasm for assistance with advertising. Heinz, for example, is running a campaign asking users to submit videos using their product in inventive ways. The problem, of course, is that most of the submissions are utterly terrible. The result is a headache in terms of quality control and making use of the turned in submissions. 'Heinz hopes to show more than five of them, if there are enough that convey a positive, appealing message about Heinz ketchup, he said. But advertising executives who have seen some of the entries say that Heinz may be hard pressed to find any that it is proud to run on television in September. "These are just so bad," said Linda Kaplan Thaler, chief executive of the Kaplan Thaler Group, an advertising agency in New York that is not involved with Heinz's contest. One of the most viewed Heinz videos -- seen, at last count, more than 12,800 times -- ends with a close-up of a mouth with crooked, yellowed teeth. When Ms. Kaplan Thaler saw it, she wondered, "Were his teeth the result of, maybe, too much Heinz?"'"
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Free Ads Can Be Really Expensive More

Free Ads Can Be Really Expensive

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  • Amature production, what did they expect... (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Safiire Arrowny ( 596720 ) on Sunday May 27, 2007 @05:20AM (#19290367) Homepage
    Oh no, the people in your free commercial didn't have perfect actors teeth. Welcome to the real world Heinz, what did you expect to get for free from amatures?

    • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

      by Hennell ( 1005107 )
      Watch the video... its clearly fake 'joke' teeth. Why they used that I don't know....

      • Re: (Score:1, Funny)

        by Anonymous Coward
        They could run it in Britain.

        • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

          by cyphercell ( 843398 )

          I know you're joking, but I think you've kinda stumbled on to something.

          These ads are not super bowl quality and are nowhere near what Heinz is used to. I think It all boils down to venue, honesty, and target audience. Traditionally Heinz will generate some glossy, processed, 1min. clip designed to remind people Heinz ketchup exists without leaving anyone offended, then they use a shotgun approach and put this commercial in any time slot deemed profitable per the ratings. The Internet tie in is different,

    • Welcome to the real world Heinz, what did you expect to get for free from amatures?
      Probably a highly popular OS kernel. Smothered in ketchup.
    • Why don't they just look for good ideas, then redo the commercial professionally based on the user-submitted idea ? Give the winner a little cameo or something. That'd be worth good brownie points.

    • Oh no, the people in your free commercial didn't have perfect actors teeth. Welcome to the real world Heinz, what did you expect to get for free from amatures?

      Well, you _are_ right, but, see, that's the whole rub, right there. The Web 2.0 hype is basically the future is a tehnofetishist collaboration utopia. That a million monkeys... err... amateurs on keyboards can, and _will_, produce something better than Shakespeare and better texts/ads/information/whatever than professional scientists/historians/market

      • I think the problem is that Video is not yet, and may never be, among the kinds of productions that can be of very good quality when produced by amateurs. There are very excellent amateur productions done in webcomics, in blogs, and in Podcasts. The tools for producing those kinds of media are good enough that an amateur on a very limited budget can produce something compelling. There is admittedly a lot shit that gets produced in those media, but that's not the point. The gems do exist, and they prove

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by rtb61 ( 674572 )
          Perhaps it could just be that those people with the greatest skills don't want to spend their time and effort for a free tin of baked beans and a butt full of hot air. If Heinz wants video it is just going to have to pay for it, and not expect thousands of quality video pieces whilst it only ends up paying for a hand full of them.

          Besides who would bother to spend that creative time and effort on a boring every day product that does not drive the spirit or the imagination, unless of course your brains are

  • Subject matter (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Raptoer ( 984438 ) on Sunday May 27, 2007 @05:23AM (#19290381)
    Perhaps the "free" part of it is to blame, maybe its more that people that make good videos don't like Heinz enough for make an ad for them?
    I mean would you really spend your free time making a video for a ketchup company?
    • Right ... it seems to me that you can sometimes expect people to produce and disseminate good content for free if it's something that is actually someone's passion. If it's a genuine art, or something that's derivative of something fun like a sport of a game, you can get some great stuff for free ... just take a look at some of the better stuff on YouTube, or deviant art, or video game mods. A ketchup commercial, however? Come on.

    • Re:Subject matter (Score:5, Interesting)

      by suv4x4 ( 956391 ) on Sunday May 27, 2007 @05:34AM (#19290417)
      Perhaps the "free" part of it is to blame, maybe its more that people that make good videos don't like Heinz enough for make an ad for them?
      I mean would you really spend your free time making a video for a ketchup company?

      Indeed. I'm sure if Apple got that contest out, they'd get amazing submissions. But there's only so much inspiration and affection you may have for a bottle of ketchup.

      The guys who thought up this contest didn't see that far I guess. Well, there's always a way out: hire one or more ad agencies incognito, produce 5 amateur-looking (but good) ads, submit them to the contest.. let those win and tadaaa!

      Victory.
      • As proof of your point I shall refer you to Firefox Flicks [firefoxflicks.com].
      • Some ad agency start ups might want to do just that.

         

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by Guppy06 ( 410832 )
        "hire one or more ad agencies incognito, produce 5 amateur-looking (but good) ads, submit them to the contest.. let those win and tadaaa!"

        alliwantforchristmasisabottleofheinz.com?

      • Perhaps the "free" part of it is to blame, maybe its more that people that make good videos don't like Heinz enough for make an ad for them? I mean would you really spend your free time making a video for a ketchup company?

        Indeed. I'm sure if Apple got that contest out, they'd get amazing submissions.

        Sure, they'd get some amazing submissions - but they also would get a bunch of utter crap to go along with them.

        Note TFA summary carefully - they got mostly crap, not all crap. Nobody should have b

        • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

          by multisync ( 218450 )

          it's only a particularly rabid and vocal minority that gives the impression that Apple users are somehow 'different' (more creative).

          Are you suggesting otherwise? Because "different, creative people" are very clearly a demographic Apple Computers aggressively markets to. Many of the creative people I know use them and like them, and lots of people I know want one. My girlfriend is using a little ibook I borrowed from a friend right now to check her email, and she loves it. Cause it doesn't look like some ge

      • Re: (Score:2, Informative)

        by kd5ftn ( 755219 )
        I recently competed in a similar advertising campaign with Chipotle. The difference is this: Chipotle opened theirs up to film and advertising schools, making it a competition with a financial incentive. I'm not sure what Heinz is offering or who they opened it up to. An average Joe who's not familiar with advertising or video production isn't going to make you an amazing commercial. Anyway, my team's Chipotle commercial was the best, winning $20,000 for us and the school.

    • Re: (Score:2, Funny)

      by Anonymous Coward
      Yes, But will it blend?

      • Re:Subject matter (Score:5, Insightful)

        by zappepcs ( 820751 ) on Sunday May 27, 2007 @07:06AM (#19290821) Journal
        You have exactly the tack that they need to be thinking, but won't. Use the new media or rather exploit it without expecting others to do all your work. Will it blend would be a good place to start. Will a bottle of Heinz blend? hmmmmm

        That is what viral marketing is about, not asking others to do your work for you. Produce something that people will watch for whatever bizarre reason, and let it go...

        "for just 39 cents per day, you can keep a needy hotdog or hamburger clothed in Heinz ketchup." Now do a YouTube commercial type video on that premise. Advertising agencies are only good about 10% of the time. Web 2.0 has them all flummoxed.

    • Re:Subject matter (Score:5, Insightful)

      by Bloke down the pub ( 861787 ) on Sunday May 27, 2007 @06:09AM (#19290585)
      I wouldn't. Perhaps somebody who just graduated in a related field and who wants to get hired might.
    • If you want it done for free or dirt cheap, then it definitely has to be something that people are interested in. Even if it's for something that people are interested in, it doesn't always net good results. I think the Decemberists had a contest where you would win a camcorder and a computer. The problem is, if you were any good at video work, you probably had a better camcorder and a better computer already. I've seen a couple videos mocking them as being cheap bastards.

      I don't really buy the "it's go

    • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

      by Tassach ( 137772 )

      I mean would you really spend your free time making a video for a ketchup company?

      I might seriously think about it if I were an unknown ad agency or a filmmaker trying to break in to the commercial biz. Winning a contest like this would be a good way to get discovered,demonstrate your skills, and build a reputation.

      It might not be cool, or artistically pure, or whatever criteria art snobs use to judge their work, but there's a metric asston of money to be made advertising everyday products. Ketchup isn't an exciting subject material, but everything you do can't be "art" (which is

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by bberens ( 965711 )

      Perhaps the "free" part of it is to blame, maybe its more that people that make good videos don't like Heinz enough for make an ad for them?
      I mean would you really spend your free time making a video for a ketchup company?

      College students who are majoring in marketing or film making/directing anything of the sort would absolutely LOVE to get their commercial on television. These things usually are not won by average Joe. They're won by college students or amateurs trying to work their way into the business.

  • why should customers do Heinz' job? are you telling me that all the money they make and all the ads that they have made count for nothing? companies shouldnt expect their customers to do their work- even for a prize. that isnt their job. on the other hand if they do find something interesting they can always hire them instead of needing to have consumers make the ads for them.
    • Actually, I would say advertising wise, this campaign will be a success.
      Consider that Heinz haven't been discussed in years and suddenly its here on slash and on digg and in loads of other places..

    • Re: (Score:3, Interesting)

      by An Onerous Coward ( 222037 )
      Correction: Why should customers do Heinz's ad agency's job?

      It's a fair question, but unless people are just really really bad at calculating the odds of getting the first prize (likely), then people are probably getting their compensation in other forms. My guess is it's the same motivation that drives so many to try out for reality TV shows, or bloviate on Slashdot: the desire to be a little famous. I mean, it's not like there was this deep, vibrant well of grassroots ketchup-love waiting to be tapped.

    • companies shouldnt expect their customers to do their work- even for a prize.
      The Slashdot redesign comes to mind here... *grin*

    • why should customers do Heinz' job?
      Why do people pay more to wear ads on their clothes?
      • Why do people pay more to wear ads on their clothes?

        They do so to make the statement 'I am a stupid dupe' so the rest of us will know and can avoid them.

        In particular this applies to the expensive 'big brand' clothing like Coca-Cola items. Anybody 'proud' of Coca-Cola is probably some bubba.

  • Variatio on Sturgeon's law. (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Hognoxious ( 631665 ) on Sunday May 27, 2007 @05:30AM (#19290411) Homepage Journal

    Companies are finding that this 'Web 2.0' user participation thing sometimes isn't all its cracked up to be.
    90% of web 2.0 stuff isn't all it's cracked up to be.
  • 1. Develop Fanboy culture.
    2. Let Fanboyz create adz on their Macz.
    3. ???
    4. Profit!!!

    Actually Heinz has a fanboy culture among many British folks. The mention of 'Heinz Baked Beans' to many is enough to bring fond memories. Now how to turn those folks into video makin' fanboyz for free, that's the question.

    • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

      by Ohreally_factor ( 593551 )
      Aside from your humorous dig, you do bring up a really good point. It's all about creating or strengthening a brand and building up a community (or cult, as you might say). I don't think Heinz will be able to build up an army of zealous ketchup lovers, but who knows? Stranger things have happened.

      I don't see this as a failure to grasp Web 2.0. It's an attempt to grasp Web 2.0. I don't think Heinz was under any illusion that this was going to be free creation of advertising. It's the NYT's failure to grasp W
    • I don't know if this was the English or American catch phrase (both, maybe?), but I clearly remember "Beanz meanz Heinz".
      Though I'm French.
      Though I've only seen the ads a couple of times a long time ago (probably in the "Culture Pub" tv show, which used to display the "best" worldwide commercials).
      And though I've never eaten those beans.

      Oh, the power of advertising!

  • They should just go the other way, and pick out the very worst ones. Something along the the lines of Leonard Pinth-Garnell.

  • Duh (Score:2)

    by foobsr ( 693224 ) *
    The whole set, from the 'creative idea' to ending up here - an excellent example of 'Progressive Stupidity'.

    CC.

  • why no direct link to the ads? (Score:4, Informative)

    by anagama ( 611277 ) <obamaisaneocon@nothingchanged.org> on Sunday May 27, 2007 @05:42AM (#19290463) Homepage
    Sure, we can all RTFG, but the blurb really should include a link to all the videos [youtube.com].

    • A few good links (Score:5, Informative)

      by Nymz ( 905908 ) on Sunday May 27, 2007 @06:56AM (#19290789) Journal
      There are too many crappy ones, so here's a few that are less crappy.

      The Cute Kids - 23 [youtube.com]
      The Girlfriend - 42 [youtube.com]
      The Fisherman - 45 [youtube.com]
      The Punster - 62 [youtube.com]
      The Ketchup Pass - 65 [youtube.com]
      The Wrestling Brothers - 67 [youtube.com]
      The Dog Food (animated) - 72 [youtube.com]
      The Rappers - 79 [youtube.com]
      The Ninja Kids - 126 [youtube.com]
      The Dirty Joke - 208 [youtube.com]
      The Behind the Scenes - 241 [youtube.com]
      The Hot Hot Hot Girl - 291 [youtube.com]
      • Am I the only one who would prefer a link to the crappiest videos? I could use a good laugh this morning :-). I've watched a few from the beginning, and #4 is just painfully bad so far.
      • A commercial that associates a wholesome, all-American product with having a threesome?
        A commercial that ends in a teenage squirting a friend with ketchup all over his face?
        These "less crappy" links are pretty horrible.

        Thanks for the links. Now I understand what the article was talking about.
        Seems to me that if you wanted to pick up a quick $57,000, it wouldn't be too hard to come up with a clever idea that also gives positive association with the product.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by 6Yankee ( 597075 )
        Okay, who else here only watched the last one?!

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by witte ( 681163 )
        Statler & Waldorf would have a field day with these.

  • Greedy advertisers (Score:5, Insightful)

    by syousef ( 465911 ) on Sunday May 27, 2007 @05:59AM (#19290529) Journal
    Let me get this straight. These companies want you to make an ad for them, for free on a zero dollar budget and they're complaining that the quality is crap?

    Morons.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by NekoXP ( 67564 )
      Well, think of it this way. If you are a budding filmmaker and want to have something on your resume, isn't this a good way of trying for it?

      "Amateur advertisement for Heinz shown on national TV among 5 winners"

      That's a pretty good lil advertisement for yourself to get into film school!

      You'd think there'd be a couple of people out there who would have some talent and more importantly PRIDE in their work. As it turns out, most people who use the internet and participate in this stuff are soul-less, talentles

      • ...soul-less, talentless ugly freaks who never see the light of day...

        You do know where you are, right?

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by syousef ( 465911 )
        Well, think of it this way. If you are a budding filmmaker and want to have something on your resume, isn't this a good way of trying for it?

        Pick your favourite films or commericials (if you have favourite commercials. I find them all obnoxious). Do you think they were done on a zero dollar budget? These ad agencies are looking for quality of this calibre. Put the same writers/creative staff, directors etc. on a project with no budget and you'd end up with shite too. Might as well whine that someone whose g

    • Re:Greedy advertisers (Score:4, Interesting)

      by Aladrin ( 926209 ) on Sunday May 27, 2007 @07:22AM (#19290877)
      That's okay, they clearly haven't watched the professional ads lately, anyhow. Most of them are complete crap, too. They send the wrong message, they have annoying sound and video, and they play way too often. I find it hard to believe this 'horrible' videos could do any worse than they already are.

      Sending the wrong message is actually my biggest gripe about most commercials these days. Most of them try to show an 'average' person, but miss the mark end up at 'loser'. The end result is that 'product X is for losers' instead of their intended message. They even hit on this about the yellow teeth in the video, questioning if the message is that the bad dental hygiene was caused by their own product.

      I'm not against commercials any more than I'm against movies or music. I'm against BAD commercials, movies, and music. Good commercials can actually be 30 seconds of humor, or awe, or heaven forbid, information you actually care about. (Cingular, Geico (old commercials), Apple.) The world is a bit short on awe and informative commercials, and I can't think of a single one now.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by symbolic ( 11752 )
        You must be talking about the ads with Smilin' Bob for some 'natural male enhancement' product that airs just about every 15 minutes locally on a specific channel. Funny thing is, I can remember the horrid music and the rediculous, stupid face, but I can't remember the name of the product.
        • No problem. If you decide to buy the product, you know which channel to watch and in about 15 minutes, you will be ready to pace your order with the knowledge tha soon, you will be smilin, too.

      • Re:Greedy advertisers (Score:4, Funny)

        by sjames ( 1099 ) on Sunday May 27, 2007 @11:13AM (#19292099) Homepage Journal

        Most of them are complete crap, too. They send the wrong message,

        I'm amazed how little advertisers think about the message their musical choices send. A PILL commercial with a bit of "We're not Gonna take it" in the background? Well, if they're not gonna take those pills, I sure won't! Then a commercial for "clean" coal with "Sixteen Tons" playing in the background? Why would I want to support exploitation of workers?

    • Re:Greedy advertisers (Score:4, Insightful)

      by indiechild ( 541156 ) on Sunday May 27, 2007 @10:15AM (#19291763)
      The companies (well, Heinz, in this case) aren't complaining. You didn't read the blurb or TFA, but that's OK. It's the advertising agencies who aren't involved who are complaining that the quality is crap. Pot, meet fucking kettle.

      Gee, an ad agency thinks that user generated content which is competing with them (indirectly, or directly) is shit. Big fucking surprise.

      Heinz already states that soliciting user generated content and then sorting it all out isn't cheap, and is at least as expensive as hiring a marketing/ad agency. No wonder the ad agencies are scared -- that's money that they lost out on.

      It's a completely stupid and blindingly obvious news story, filled with loaded statements.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by syousef ( 465911 )
        The companies (well, Heinz, in this case) aren't complaining. You didn't read the blurb or TFA, but that's OK. It's the advertising agencies who aren't involved who are complaining that the quality is crap. Pot, meet fucking kettle.

        Sorry I wasn't crystal clear but I said "these companies" and titled it "Greedy advertisers". I was talking about the companies doing the complaining - the ad agencies. No pot or kettle involved, just you misreading.
    • Actually, it appears some random ad agencey (i.e., a company that is directly threatened by customer-produced advertizing campaigns) is complaining the quality is crap. Big surprise.

      I wonder what the MPAA thinks of user-produced videos on Youtube. (Oh, that's right. There are none. Youtube is just a repository of stolen intellectual property).
  • Small businesses that don't have much money to spend on marketing and advertising can really benefit from "free" advertising techniques (stuff like this [yedda.com]). Large enterprises have usually only succesfully ridden free campaign waves when they had already been in place (e.g. diet coke and mentos). Its much more difficult than it seems.
  • First of all, what did they expect. As Amateur Production is by default, amateur, it isn't going to be professional quality.

    Not only that, but the product they are using is flawed as well. Had the product been something very expensive, exclusive, or targeted to a select audience (perhaps amateur directors, script writers, graphic artists, or something...) they would have seen at least some creativity, but this is Heinz, a freakin' ketchup (or catsup as some may prefer).

    And for those wishing to see the video

    • Re:So every YouTube video is Oscar quality? (Score:4, Informative)

      by owlnation ( 858981 ) on Sunday May 27, 2007 @07:36AM (#19290935)

      Not only that, but the product they are using is flawed as well.
      And not only that - but food and product photography is as hard as it gets photographically.

      It is a highly skilled niche job that most professional photographers and cinematographers do not know how to do. You need to know how to get the right colors, temperatures and lighting to make food look like food. Often it's just faked too. For example, most whisky bottle shots you see contain tea, not whisky, because real whisky photographs to look like a bottle of urine.

  • Web 2.0: Utter failure? (Score:5, Funny)

    by philovivero ( 321158 ) on Sunday May 27, 2007 @06:19AM (#19290627) Homepage Journal
    Yeah, this web 2.0 thing is just crap. I mean, you have a multimillion dollar company, and you try to get a bunch of people on the internet excited about your stupid sauce product, and no-one seems to have any enthusiasm for your boring corporate image whatsoever.

    All eight people on the internet that ARE excited about your stupid sauce product are just mediocre media creators without the creative vision required to make your stupid sauce product look hip and cool.

    Obviously we should just move directly on to web 3.0, where everyone is fucking stoked about sauce products. The top DJs of the world will do entire sets themed on ketchup, mayonnaise, and mustard. Beautiful runway models will gyrate and make kissing faces at your stupid sauce product.

    Hells yeh, babies. No more of this web 2.0 BS. It just wasn't all it was cracked up to be.

  • What did they expect? (Score:3, Insightful)

    by ndogg ( 158021 ) <the@rhorn.gmail@com> on Sunday May 27, 2007 @06:20AM (#19290635) Homepage Journal
    At least 50% of the population is of below average intelligence, and typically, 90% of everything is crap.

    • What did they expect?

      To get free advertising on the internet. And even when 99% would turn out to be crap to at least get some of decent quality to air them on TV. Afterall who hasn't heard of some videos on YouTube and other of those sites which have fantastic quality. So obviously you can get people to do the videos and by doing so get them to also do the advertising.

      It just shows again how much people in big corporations without any clue (or do you believe the manager who had that idea ever had visited

    • I read someone's signature, saying that "99.9% of people have more than the average number of legs."

      If you said that exactly half the population was of below-average intelligence, it would mean that you're assuming a standard gaussian distribution of intelligence. But why say "at least"? That implies that intelligence might not follow a precise standard distribution, but that the deviation can only be in one direction.

      Ah, I love the smell of gratuitous pedantry in the morning.
  • about stupid hienz ? how much do they think people care?

  • No surprise (Score:3, Insightful)

    by wrmrxxx ( 696969 ) on Sunday May 27, 2007 @06:39AM (#19290729)
    I'm not surprised that they're not satisfied. It's pretty hard to improve on the free Heinz ads that have already been made: The Goodies Beans Boy ads [youtube.com]. I saw these when they were first aired, and they were so effective that I still find myself saying "Get it right!" to people now and then.

  • I've waited years for this (Score:5, Funny)

    by Joebert ( 946227 ) on Sunday May 27, 2007 @07:15AM (#19290845) Homepage
    When I was in 5th grade, I waited untill the last minute to do my science project.
    My mom & her friend decided I was going to see which brand of ketchup dripped the slowest.

    I'm proud to say, Heinz ketchup dripped the slowest & thus was the thickest ketchup.


    Mark me whatever you want, but this is proof that my shitty last minute science project was truely ahead of its' time & I should have got a fucking A++. :)
  • There is really not much creative use to which you can put a bottle of ketchup (that would be fit for a G-rated audience), is there? Garbage In / Garbage Out. Oh, and one more tip for Heinz: if you are going to try to "harness" the power of audience enthusiasm, it helps not slag off the unprofessionalism of all your entries in public. Guess what just happened to all of the enthusiasm of everybody who read that insult? If you're going to truck with the mob, you have to find a way to appreciate the mob. And d
  • ... ads for free....meaning the ones who are to buy the product are the ones to create the ads for it, without pay.

    Did I miss something or are they just trying to emulate the software development process.

    1) get others to come up with ideas for free.
    2) sell it to them.
    3) profit
  • What Linda Kaplan Thaler, chief executive of the Kaplan Thaler Group,is missing out on is:
    We are tired of and numb the old paradigm that we will all be successful,look younger,be trimmer and have a perfect life if we use their brand of soap.
    Real people react more positively to each other than their celluloid airbrushed counterparts in commercial land.
    Linda Kaplan Thaler represents an old school that doesn't know it's extinct.Kinda like Network TV.Unfortunatly for us this means we still have to endure madiso
  • Unless they said they will use the clips unedited and without alteration (and if they did say that, they should fire their lawyers...nobody says that), they can do a bit of digital editing to make their ad appeal a bit more to their needs. The contest fine print undoubtedly says something along the lines of "All submissions become the property of Heinz Inc.", so I don't see what the problem is. Even if there was a 'horrible outcry' over their 'deception', it's has nothing negative to do with their actual

  • polished fake world of TV (Score:3, Insightful)

    by drDugan ( 219551 ) on Sunday May 27, 2007 @12:00PM (#19292431) Homepage
    Silly Ad exectutives, this just goes to show just how fake things are that are "typically" on TV and other ad mediums.

    <start bitter rant>

    Go walk down the street and look inside someone's home and you don't see the Better Homes version of a living space, or anything like what is shown on ads.

    Take a close-up face photo of 10 people on the street, and you see that the image we've been sold by ads is completely fake. People simply do not look like they do on tv and in magazines. Lately this has gotten worse with the fsck-doll 23yo models reading the news on cnn and fox.

    The whole image and world these ad-oriented people live in is fake - their whole career is about overtly lying to people to get them to buy stuff they don't want or need. "Boo hoo, the real world won't sell our red-colored corn syrup mixture with processed tomato paste..." yes, boo hoo.

    </rant>

    • It's really bad. I recently got into using GIMP to create terribly executed practical jokes on my friends. However, it did teach me about image manipulation a LOT. I was looking at some underwear model ad with my cousin and I started pointing out all the things that were wrong with it. Look, the bags under her eyes cut out suddenly, she's smiling, but her skin doesn't wrinkle around he mouth, if you look at the divider between light and shadow, you'll notice that her color tones get richer in the shadowed s

  • Svelt Athletic people -- not big Ketchup market (Score:4, Insightful)

    by cathryn ( 133574 ) on Sunday May 27, 2007 @12:32PM (#19292659) Homepage
    Maybe they're just shocked at finally finding out who the core market for ketchup really is. It's not those thin and toned muscular people like on TV. That's a rare breed, I've never even met one myself, though I see them on TV and in the movies. It's your good ole' fat, diabetic, round-bellied, yellow-toothed American. Slaving away at some crappy job, coming home exhausted, and collapsing with the TV and Jim Beam. That's who is guzzling down those giant Walmart-sized ketchup bottles. More power to 'em!

    • That's who is guzzling down those giant Walmart-sized ketchup bottles.

      That's how a redneck makes a Bloody Mary.

  • What happened to the YES tag?
  • I shall link to my roomates nearly complete entry: here [google.com].

    I mean, sure it's not national TV quality, but I'd take it over a local ad anyday
  • >> But advertising executives who have seen some of the entries say that Heinz may be hard pressed to find any that it is proud to run on television in September.

    Welcome to the real world. No-one actually looks like those perfect families in TV ads, so no home movies will actually look like that. Maybe Heinz needs to take this opportunity to be a pioneer and break the mold of stupidly unrealistic tv advertising.

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