We agree with AdWeek’s David Gianatasio 100% percent on this one. Which, of course, isn’t like us agreeing with Bob Garfield back in the day because, of course, we rarely did. We used to pick stupid little fights with the man over his ad reviews because, well, that’s what Adrants was all about; poking holes in the media and advertising establishments.
My how times have changed. Back in the day, Adrants was a single voice of over-sized balls and horse-hung swinging man meat. Today, well, everyone’s in on the game of snark. So much so that it really doesn’t mean anything anymore. Just take a look at Business Insider headlines or BuzzFeed or headlines from just about any other publication which now scream extremisms to announce the fact an ant has crossed the street. Anything for a pageview.
It’s sad, really. But it’s all about content, people. Content. The more, the merrier it would seem. How to Cross Your Legs While Wearing a Miniskirt. How to Hide An Erection in Public. How to Brush Your Teeth With Your Finger.
Did you know content farm DemandMedia pays about $15 dollars to have one of these idiotic stories written. And $3.50 to edit it. That’s how devalued content has become in some areas.
But, thankfully, some brands, like HubSpot, recognize the value of good (emphasis, good) content and will pay for it. And pay well. In fact, they are, again, beefing up their editorial staff and hiring an Associate Editor. HubSpot has mastered the art of content marketing and they have done it in a way that doesn’t even feel like marketing. Every piece of content they create is educational, useful, valuable and designed to help marketers do their jobs better. Just read their blog for a few days and you’ll understand.
Anyway, we digress. Back to AdWeek’s David Gianatasio. He loved a recent ad touting public access cable in Whitehorse, Yukon Territory. And we can see why. The ad succeeds in a manner akin to the aforementioned headlines announcing an ant’s street crossing. And we mean that in a good way. With musical bombast and dramatic slow motion, the ad makes even the most dreary town council meeting seem like a blockbuster movie.
With close to of 80,000 views on YouTube, more than three times the population of the town itself, the ad certainly helps prove the point even the most mundane things in live can be brought to life with a great headline.
Guess we’ll have to up our game a bit. Though saying that feels more like we’ll be stooping to a new low. Stay tuned.
