I get it. I understand the mindset that any publicity is good publicity. Brands are desperate to be in the conversation, and any conversation, good or bad, is better than no one talking about you. Celebrities, publicists, athletes, agents, politicians, advisors, CEOs, ad agencies. There is a certain segment of these populations that fear not being in the public consciousness. It’s a bit of desperation. An innate and insatiable insecurity that feeds on their soul. Sometimes, it drives them to make unwise decisions.
HomeAway’s Test Baby commercial is one of them.
Now don’t jump to conclusions. My objection has nothing to do with the notion that some morons delight in child abuse. Nor does it have anything to do with the horrific consequences of brain injuries. It’s not because I’m miserable or morose. On the contrary, I have a glass half full mentality and a keen sense of humor.
My fundamental dislike for the commercial lies in the obvious. It fails to meet some fundamentals of advertising. I’m going to focus on one: test.
Test Baby are the two most important words spoken in this commercial. I expect that the advertisement underwent a rigor of tests within the agency and client arenas. Whether or not there was much debate is immaterial. There were plenty of red flags ignored.
What about the common sense test, baby? I mean come on, did the test baby face plant visual pass anyone’s gut check test? Seriously? Even for the person with the most warped sense of humor, there had to be that gnawing feeling that this was distasteful, or at least a recognition that it was a bad idea.
What about the focus group test, baby? How many viewers flinched when the test baby hit the glass, then smiled or giggled in embarrassed relief when they remembered that the baby wasn’t real? How animated was the conversation amongst focus group participants and were the passions strongly divided?
What about the message test, baby? How many members of the test groups effectively articulated the intended key takeaways?
What about the brand affinity test, baby? Affinity is defined as a natural attraction, liking, or feeling of kinship. What do you think? How does the commercial on a whole make the target audience feel about the HomeAway brand? Did you take pause? Did HomeAway CEO Brian Sharples take pause?
Tests have a purpose and the results are not to be ignored or rationalized. A go decision should come back to how the commercial initiates the prospect to take a desired action. In this case, that would be to make a reservation with a property on the HomeAway website.
Somehow, I don’t think Test Baby drove folks to HomeAway.com to make a reservation. To express serious reservations with the commercial? More than likely, yes.
There’s plenty of conversation about this commercial, but it’s for all of the wrong reasons. Sorry HomeAway, but you flunked the test, baby.
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