That dodge commercial and that youtube response
A few weeks back, Producer McKenzie Fegan created a rather ingenious video response to that Dodge Charger’s Superbowl ad, title Man’s Last Stand. Just as clever as the original spot. I've heard a little about this eloquently crafted battle between sexes, of course, but only managed to take the time out to view them both properly, side by side, today. And I suggest you too, take a moment to reflect on it. Because it really is quite nice. Not either one on it's own merit, in my opinion, but as an interaction of two cultural products between each other.
What it signifies is the feedback loop that goes on whenever you create something and send it out there to your audience to feed upon. And for something to be made as brilliant as this and sent back out there, deserves a round of applause. Because it keeps that cycle moving.
What it also shows, is just how easy it is to miss an opportunity that presents itself as perfect as this one - but how that opportunity of making the ad something brilliant, also, was just within reach.
The little exchange between the response and the ad is, in a word, awesome. And only really serves to reinforce the Brand But why the agency W+K have failed to leverage that, is anyones guess. Because there clearly is something wonderful there. As Edward Boches points out, it seems they missed the boat on this one. The thing is, by recognising, acknowledging and shifting the power of the brand message to the audience : target or not, you can really start to get the audience to co create more meaning just by being part of the message.
Mckenzie Fegan did the youtube vid on her own merit, but the agency could very well have propelled the brand's message further into the stratosphere by inspiring more of a response like it, or responding to it, or building on something along those lines.
Course that may have been a little too clever. But then, we don't know when and if they have anything else in store along the lines of this campaign thought.
Watch the two spots... the real one and the response, below:
