Is anyone else truly creeped out by the Old Navy talking mannequins?! Yeesh! For me, it's not that the mannequins talk, it's what they say! The fingers breaking off? The spare set of legs in a trash bin? The woman getting stripped of her dress??! WHY, WHY, WHY? This doesn't put me in a happy shopping mood. It leaves me with a weirded-out, what-the-hell feeling inside.
However, I do 1) remember this commercial and b) remember it's for Old Navy specifically, so maybe there's something right with it. I suppose it's better to be hated than forgotten in the advertising world (see also: Hey Whipple, Squeeze This).
Wait a second - editor's sidenote: I have the tv on in the background. The 'Viva Viagra' commercial just came on. Scratch this. The Old Navy mannequins are the SECOND worst commercial on tv, but not by much.
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7 comments:
I think the mannequins are kind of cute and a very clever marketing ploy, as you have pointed out. However, I find the commercials annoying and stupid. I like the print ads better. It doesn't mean that I'm going to shop at Old Navy, but I do have the image of those silly mannequins in my head.
Those Viva Viagra commercials are FAR worse. blech.
Ok, Editor's note: I googled this subject matter and found someone else's blog, and he or she suggested that maybe Old Navy can no longer afford to hire actors for their commercials, hence the mannequins. Yeah, that makes sense. I guess Morgan Fairchild is now out of their price range. That, or she suddenly became too busy. Hmm.
I don't believe that. A quick Wikipedia/Google search told me this: "In 2009, Old Navy hired advertising agency Crispin Porter + Bogusky to create a new advertising campaign." (Wikipedia)
And this article from USA Today reiterates that Old Navy has changed its marketing campaign to reflect family values and saving money:
http://www.usatoday.com/money/advertising/adtrack/2009-03-01-old-navy-gap_N.htm
They even mention "Touting the switch is a multipronged marketing effort by the chain's new agency, Crispin Porter + Bogusky, no less campy than the 1990s Old Navy ads with Morgan Fairchild and Magic the Dog and former fashion editor Carrie Donovan, known for her big, black-rimmed glasses."
By the way, I use the quote comparing the previous campaigns to signify a return to the "campy fun" of Old Navy. I think they're trying to revive that idea without directly copying from it. Of course it could be money as well.
Eek there I go again being literal. sorry.
I was JUST going to comment that the Morgan Fairchild comment wasn't meant that literally, although I do find the background info and the 'campy' blurb quite interesting. When this blog starts getting the national acclaim it deserves, I'd like to hire you full-time as my research consultant.
I, too, find them creepy and not at all family appropriate.
THANK GOODNESS! I was about to file a missing person report!
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