Welcome to the second in a series of critiques of award-winning radio commercials — those honored as “the best of the best” by the 2007 Radio Mercury Awards. Award winning commercials rarely are any good, so let’s all keep our expectations low.
Surprise! This is a good spot.
Ironically, the judges probably gave it an award for the wrong reason: because they think it’s so doggone clever. But the “true/false” conceit isn’t at all original; it’s been used for decades.
This particular version is done very well. They do an excellent job of “showing” rather than “telling.” They never bother to tell you it’s a True or False buzzer, and they don’t feel compelled to explain what the situation might be that requires its use.
As long as the listener realizes, “When he lies, the buzzer sounds,” no further set-up is required. They trust that you immediately will figure it out, and you do.
Do they do what I always preach: paint a picture of the results of the product or service? Well, no. They paint a picture of this guy answering the questions. But in doing so they drive home the fact that you can’t get good seafood just anywhere…and that Legal Seafood is the place for good seafood.
My compliments to the team at DeVito/Verdi.
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
Blimey! Funny!!
entertaining, informing, razzle dazzle or real, choose real.
I laughed and yet I remembered, however, having a party of 12 at Legal Seafood in Boston in 2002, and having poor service and an hour’s wait for just so-so food. Hmmm…
That is one awesome spot. Rivals many of the classic Dick Orkin bits.
DeVito/Verdi also scored a pair of 2008 Mini Coopers from Clear Channel in their 2007 (and only) E.A.R. Awards, for another spot in this campaign, an entry entitled "Fisherman." Uses the same chime and buzzer setup, different copy and actor, but equally engaging and effective. This agency has done some great work – their Radio-Mercury Award-winning spots for the National Thoroughbred Racing Association are some of my favorites, and I'm glad to be able to hear them online, since I live nowhere near a racetrack. (Incidentally, back in the 1960's a songwriter named Don Rollins penned the lyrics to a tune made famous by both George Jones and Buck Owens, entitled "The Race is On." I was thinking about this last week, wondering if it might not have been the conscious or unconscious inspiration for the NTRA campaign. Sample lyrics:
"Well, the race is on and here comes Pride up the backstretch; Heartaches are going to the inside; My Tears are holding back, they're trying not to fall. My Heart's out of the running; True Love's scratched for Another's Sake; the race is on and it looks like Heartaches, and the winner loses all…"
Anyhow, Dan, I like DeVito/Verdi's stuff.