Witnessing the disintegration of Adweek is akin to watching a bad stand-up comic bomb in a suburban VFW Hall. It’s a pathetic spectacle, where you almost feel embarrassed for the talent-deficient performer. Anyway, the analogy here was inspired by the latest pap published by the trade journal—a piece titled, “Funny Business: A generation of comedians is changing the ad world with humor (and smarts, too).”
Reporter John Ortved spotlighted a handful of comedians partnering with brands to create advertising and online content. The story reads like a promotional brochure for the gagsters’ services, and it’s probable that Ortved was star struck by his interviewees. It’s also questionable if Ortved has even a basic understanding of the advertising industry, which is obviously no longer a requirement when typing for Adweek. Otherwise, the scribe might have noticed a few critical points.
First, the comedians admitted to routinely failing to sell their hilarious handiwork to clients. Sorry, ha-ha hacks, it’s not a big idea if you can’t execute and run it. More importantly, the rejected concepts described sounded awful—irrelevant and off-strategy dog shit that any semi-competent creative director would immediately toss in the trash. Trying to use professional comics to produce advertising is hardly a novel notion. Desperate agencies often hire former SNL writers or sitcom has-beens, hoping to inject energy into lifeless creative departments. It almost never leads to breakthrough communications. Our craft is not rocket science. But it’s not something to be delegated to crowdsourcing or comedians either. “I’ve always wanted to make commercials,” said Jason Bateman, “but I wasn’t really sure if I had the skill set.” Yo, Bateman, based on your Denny’s dreck, you surely lack the skillz.
Second, the comedians’ crap doesn’t match the amusement level of stuff generated by regular ad people. Think about it. Does anything presented in the Adweek piece come close to rivaling Skittles, Old Spice, GEICO, ESPN, Dos Equis, AT&T, Bud Light, Burger King, E*TRADE, DirecTV, AXE, etc.? Hell, the latest Tums campaign beats Bateman’s best attempts at humor—no contest.
If you want to employ stand-up comics to spark interest, recruit them to join Adweek. Because the current staff is a fucking joke.
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