The video was supposed to be stupid. They wanted the haters. They knew people would flame it. It is the nature of the agency digerati to shoot down all comers, and they played on that. But most of all ... they knew people would talk about it. Adrants took the bait as well as anyone:
Everyone in the industry needs to watch this. Not because it's good but because it makes ad agency people look dumb and sound really stupid. It's filled with mindless business blather, self-important ad speak, fist bumps, fashionably un-tucked shirts and way too many utterances of the word "dude." It's painful to watch.
As of this posting, the video has been seen over 31 thousand times. The site (just launched) has already had a few thousand visits and there are posts about it all over the blogosphere. Check their site for loads of links. The comments in the AdRants post are priceless, btw.
Even if they intended it to be "real" and because it was so bad they changed directions and did this instead (which I doubt), it is still brilliant.
It is the first time in a looooong time that I am even remotely tempted to say, "Agency.com gets it."
Here, in all its lameness, is the video:
It is so lame, it even got the guys at Coudal to create a very funny unsolicited response.
How do they 'get' it? You're going to have to clarify here. # posted by Anonymous : 3:36 AM, August 04, 2006
Agency.com has already stated to the world, and even more likely directly to Subway that this was a viral experiment to prove that viral works and for cheap.
The url was bought yesterday true...but the aggregator blog fits into the experiment perfectly.
They couldn't have known exactly what people would latch onto...a phrase, a picture, or nothing at all... (Most campaigns go live with several stunts that never get picked up - or only get picked up after the virus has spread.)
So when the cheeseball line caught on...they reacted. We as sour naysayers GAVE them the fuel to make their next move. And thats how smart viral marketers work...they look at the landscape, pick up rises in the current and react, utilizing it to further mutate the virus.
Which is dandy, as long as you have a strategy and master plan... # posted by Anonymous : 4:30 AM, August 04, 2006
Well, I don't buy it.
If it was their intention to do a site like wwrwrb.com, they would have mentioned it in the video. They talked about everything else. At the very least they would have mentioned the idea
On the A.com site, Tricia writes:
In marketing terms I would call this a public relations disaster and u created a reactive blog to "spin" the situation into a positive one. But by the likes of the reaction on the blogosphere - you are failing. Your audience is smarter than your staff. Netizens are writing about how completely "unviral" your video was - and the only thing viral about it is that we can't stop watching b.c you all make such idiots of yourselves! Viral experts wouldn't have a website debating "what is viral marketing."
In your video - you all showed that you are insensitive to potential Subway clients. You displayed religious insensitivity to the Hasidic Jew - who obviously only eats kosher food and you made fun of their strict gender rules, and you also patronized the only people of color in your video - the subway delivery man and the black subway female worker who hired you. Slumming it at Subway is not funny. As white priveldged marketers - you should understand Subway's market. Subway does not only target the insensitive ad marketers. Their audience is diverse. Although the effort put into this applaudable, but in the commercial world it is all about the end result/product - it's a pity all the work put into this ended up back-firing.
The more I think about and discuss it, the more problems I have with this campaign. Lack of client focus, desperation to get attention, lack of planning, and bad taste arr top of mind. # posted by George Nimeh : 1:04 PM, August 04, 2006
OK, so this guy "Gets It"!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkFitDdRzVU
mmm,hmmm tasty! # posted by Anonymous : 3:23 PM, August 04, 2006
The viral is interesting to people IN the advertising industry - how many average Subway consumers even know about this video... or even care? Agency.com has proven that they know how to reach out to the "agency demographic", they've yet to prove that they can reach out to one single potential Subway customer.
Face it, this viral is boring as hell to people outside the biz, it's gotten zero press outside the biz, it's been incredibly ineffective reaching people outside the biz. That's not something to be proud of. # posted by Anonymous : 5:42 PM, August 04, 2006
Honestly, do you actually think an entire industry got fooled? Give me a break. The only thing A.com has proved is that they can react quickly to a bad idea.
I have a question for you. Has anyone you know that is not in advertising, marketing, interactive or fast food sent you a link to this video? Don't bother, I know the answer. # posted by Anonymous : 11:35 PM, August 04, 2006
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