Burnsmarketing.comAlthough it sets the romanticism bar way too high for regular guys like me, this ad makes me disagree with everyone predicting the demise of the traditional TV spot. Because in a wonderfully non-traditional way, this ad defies convention while still doing everything a great advertisement should:
1) It completely breaks through the clutter.
2) It's truly unique and differentiable.
3) It asks for our attention rather than interrupting us.
4) It totally involves us in the drama.
5) It speaks to us on a level we can all understand.
6) It delivers an exceptionally cool and meaningfully memorable experience.
Maybe it takes a financial collapse to bring out the best in us, but there's hope for advertising yet.
So even if you make a great ad like this one, there might not be anyone on the other end to watch it.
1) This ad "defies convention" because it isn't overtly selling a product. Above all else, it's a 60-second film. It's entertainment. It "just happens" to feature diamonds in product placement. This is one of the most effective approaches to sales, marketing, advertising and brand management today and not many people can do it, let alone do it well. Kudos to Burns for calling it out!
2) Your assessment of why it's successful and compelling can be summarized with the Heath Bros. "sticky" message criteria: simple, unexpected, concrete, credible, emotional and story-driven. I think this ad does ALL those things and in the immortal words of Nigel Tufnel, "[Theirs] go to eleven!" My hat goes off to the team who made it work.
3)A note to Justin, you raise important questions that only bring more attention to the differences between amateurs and real professionals: with so many choices, so many information resources, so many niche markets, etc., media buying is becoming its own art form. I hope for our colleagues who work it in media buying, the compensation structure will catch up to the real talent, expertise and value they bring to our industry.