I want to know how many advertising dollars were spent on this integrated marketing campaign. Comcast is trying to promote its Triple Play package (which by disclosure, I pay $99 a month for) of high-speed internet, digital cable television, and voice-over IP telephone services.
Over the course of an hour watching NBC tonight, I spotted the commercial–full of animated streetscapes and SIM-like people singing about “crazy fast acceleration” and “death-defying definition,” according to the “Future Hopping” lyrics (arranged for one voice and piano) via this PDF document.
If you visit the website–ComcastTown.com–you are greeted with three versions of the commercial, three copies of lyrics, and the ability to create rooms for play money. It went in one eye and out the other; I think the site is geared for the kids of parents who pay for them to watch TV and play online games.
The site is a giant hog of Flash animation, so make sure you have plenty of free memory running on your computer; shut down extraneous programs for the site uses up tons of bandwidth.
Welcome to Comcast Town… a place where technology lives, the possibilities are never ending and squirrels play guitars.
Such is the message at Comcast Town, which, before you click over to it, appears to only work on Internet Explorer. It stalled on Firefox. Others report load errors. (I didn’t check other browsers.)
The site was apparently launched yesterday, according to less than 20 Twitter references…so far. Little information can be found online, but looking under the engine shows me that San Francisco ad agency Goodby, Silverstein & Partners bought the domain three months ago.
Speech pathologist John McGarry hates the commercial, as he writes on his blog:
Monotone chant style singing, weird graphics and a horror show like style make this a total disaster. It should be light and cute but it comes across as creepy and unsettling.
But, hey, take a look. And if you find out how much money was spent on it, let me know?
Photo credit: annethelibrarian
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{ 26 comments… read them below or add one }
Twitter Comment
Retweeting @ariherzog: Have you seen the TV ads yet? For ComcastTown.com, I mean? I’m r-o-t-f-l-o-ling all the way… [link to post]
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I saw the commercials during “24″ and I thought they were cute and catchy. And I could remember what the heck they were advertising, which is more than some commercials manage to do.
Marti_L´s last blog post..March Midness
I totally thought it was cute too. Who doesn’t love the guy in the hot tub, watching football with the giant finger? Love it. And how about the guitar playing squirrel?
I guess I’m the curmudgeon. I enjoy individual components of the ads, in fact I rather like the town map and how things bounce around, but the combination of the map, lyrics, ‘music,’ and live action seemed like a first time attempt at a Power Point animation. Just a waste of money in my opinion. Nice research about the website.
John M´s last blog post..The New Most Annoying Commercial Award
The song is catchy, I agree; but the combination of everything seems more juvenile; hence, my supposition it’s geared for kids.
Whatever they spent, I’m sure they’re funding it using my $139.99 a month for the same bundle that you get for $99! I’m such a sucker …
I honestly think the commercial is the most disturbing thing I’ve ever seen. All the people are so monotone and sound like zombies. They could have at least had the people be more excited in their singing to bring it out of “awkwardville”. I’d really like to know who came up with the idea; they should see a psychiatrist.
I just saw one of their commercials last night ( I don’t watch a lot of TV) and I immediately thought it was a pitch for a kids show. I mute commercials. Intrigued I put the volume back on only to be treated to a weird song and out of context images. I have no interest visiting their town and I would also be interested to see the price tag. Wonder when the action figures and playsets will come out.
DaveMurr´s last blog post..Turn Off the Noise
Twitter Comment
Best comment on that Comcast ad: “I’d really like to know who came up with the idea; they should see a psychiatrist.” [link to post]
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I like the ad visuals (reminds me of the original “The Sims” in flavor), but the music… the music… it’s sheer Edgar Allen Poe source material.
It’s as if Ben Stein died, was reanimated as a zombie, crashed the nearest funeral, and proceeded to hold a singalong.
Tim Lesher´s last blog post..How to be the most awesome Dad ever
I’m here reading this post because I tweeted that I *like* the ad & Ari couldn’t believe it.
I won’t go too far in defending the creatives, since I didn’t catch that I was supposed to go do something online. I just liked the semi-Tim-Burton-ish quality of the ads (and, like some of the commenters above, I do remember what they’re for). Please, Tim Burton fans, know that I do think it’s a long way from this to his work; I guess I just like cartoonish zomboids who sing in strange circumstances.
Actually my whole family likes them, including my very picky teenage daughters who show absolutely no mercy for lame creative efforts.
One more thought–if it’s any comfort, I don’t like the comic-book-style Charles Schwab ads. Turning senior citizens into slabby chunks of animaiton is just wrong.
–barb
Barb Chamberlain´s last blog post..Becoming a Woman, and Boys Boys Boys: More Time with Younger Daughter
Thank you for pointing at the Charles Schwab commericials. I think that it’s patronizing the way the cartoons talk to me. Comcasttown however is wonderful weird. I’m trying to find out who does the singing on them.
Twitter Comment
So where are YOU on the Comcast ad? @ariherzog & I disagree; comments both sides on [link to post].
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The song in the commercials sounds like that song from Juno. Personally, I think its cute and catchy, and it will make Comcast appeal to a younger generation. There is nothing scary about the commercials either. Who doesn’t love a squirrel in a fedora?
I live in Canada and do not have access to Comcast. I went to explore the new Comcast Town website as I do consulting for a major telco here in Canada that offers triple play. The site is pretty enough and engaging etc. Then I clicked on the watch commercials button. Wow these are very expensive Habo Hotel looking ads and at first glance intrigued me. Then the Comcast Zombies began to sing this all united one cable song. It felt as if they were brain washed into repeating the phrases over and over again while on the hunt for more brains. Someone either at the agency or the company has really lost touch on this one.
JP Holecka´s last blog post..#skittles a Not so Colourful Social Media Campaign
No Escape!! I stopped watching my Comcast cable to get away from this creepy, monotone, unemotional droning commercial, but it’s all over my OTA HDTV on CBS & NBC. If I could pay $5 a month to avoid this commercial, I’d do it right now.
What happened to the idea of inflection and emtion in commercials? One critic called this new Comcast commercial an attempt at mind control. I would not say this is any exaggeration of the effect this commercial has on certain people, including me.
Jon´s last blog post..seven
I love the ads….they’re catchy and intriguing; far from the usual muck of television advertising. The monotone “creepiness” is why they become such good ear candy and run over and over again in your mind. This campaign will win awards in professional advertising circles because of its creativity and impact.
Since most parents today will ask their teenager for advice on anything related to digital communications, Comcast is right on target with these ads. I’m sure that Goodby, Silverstein has solid polling data which tell them that the real decision maker in the household, with respect to Cable/Broadband buying behaviour is really the kids. They are the ‘early adopters’ when it comes to higher bandwidth, digital media, and interoperability; they know more about the PC, Tivo, DVR, On Demand, Hulu, YouTube, Ustream, Mogulus, and all those jacks on the back of the HDTV, than do their parents – the actual account holders.
The real theme of the commercials is digital telefusion, the integration of Televsion and Telephone into seamless broadband. Comcast is smart to be focusing on that. Let’s face it: traditional Network Television will be dead as a doornail in five years, when the million channel online video universe absorbs and assimilates the cramped, paltry 1,000 channel TV dial.
That VGA jack on the back of your new HDTV is where your primetime entertainment will be coming from in the near future, not the old ‘Eye’, ‘Peacock’, and ‘Meatball’, now all in their death throes. Comcast is rightly positioning itself as a vendor of bandwidth, for whatever its customers want to pull through it. If they continue to stand out like this, over Cox, BrightHouse, and FIOS, this ad campaign will bring them a lot of new business.
Honestly, I wouldn’t even have noticed the commercials if not for the “creepy” monotone singing. The weird singing led me to watch the commercials, fascinated by all the cute “stuff” going on. Who doesn’t need a happy place right now, and Comcast Town looks like it! The fact that they spell out Comcast at the end ensures the viewer remembers not only the commercial but the product. Although I must say, I miss the Slowskys and hope they come back!
It’s one thing not to like an ad but this was just horrid. After I saw it I wanted to take a scalding hot shower to wash the image away. Everything about it is just wrong. I’m surprised there was no creepy man in white windowless van looking for lost puppies.
Comcast Town (1:00)
New sensation sending shivers
Flying further dreaming bigger
Single cable one decision
Internet phone television
High-speed Internet elation
Crazy fast acceleration
Awe-inspiring screaming yelling
R-O-T-F-L-ing
Voice-mail email all connected
Caller ID friend detected
Kelly calling conference Karen
So much stuff to share with Sharon
More HD awesome edition
Death-defying definition
Ninjas cowboys gangsters coppers
Huge explosions helicopters
Films fantastic shows outstanding
Motherload of on-demanding
Hometown showdown perfect timing
Court-side kicking back unwinding
Happy high-tech automatic
Exponentially ecstatic
Speeding for future hopping
Always dreaming never stopping
C-O-M-C-A-S-T
C-O-M-C-A-S-T
Bombast Town (1:00)
Analogging out forever
Black & White was so much better
In these Digital Environs,
Mind entangled drivel buy-ins
Thousand channel rerun hades
Full House, Sanford, no escaping
Game Show, Golf & Tennis Networks?
What stupifying brainless jerks
Joan Rivers on the QV mumbles
“Dial Fast, We’re selling Hummels!”
Televangelist decision
‘Wasnt he the one in prison?’
Phone goes off on Sunday morning
Sell me crap?! I should be snoring
Its Bill collectors, Sh*t from work
Disconnect! That ringing hurts!
Sedentary net affliction
Masturbating porn addiction
Downloading Smut at Megabits
My hand is sore, it never quits
Sullen ‘Stepford’ zombie watching
Couch potato sheeple flocking
Mind controlled, Ritalin popping
Fat & happy, lazy, shopping
B-O-M-B-A-S-T
B-O-M-B-A-S-T
A crude v.1; v.2, Anyone?
(Should be filmed from street-level, in B&W, looking up, at real video of tall buildings with ABC, NBC, CBS, AT&T etc. logo signs, with badly drawn cartoon characters lurching down city streets, throwing food at TV screens, pounding on crashed blue-screen computers, tossing phones out windows, etc.)
Well, it would make a great YouTube video response to all the Comcast hype, no?
Anyone remember Springsteen’s “57 Channels & Nothing On” or Zappa’s “I’m the Slime Oozing Out of Your TV Set”?
As a college English teacher, I have created a class on advertising rhetoric and I look for interesting takes on ads all over the internet. Honestly I hated this campaign because of the zombie-like singing and clear lack of enthusiasm for the “High-speed Internet elation/Crazy fast acceleration/Awe-inspiring screaming yelling/R-O-T-F-L-O-L-ing” (edited for accuracy).
But I have long questioned whether my 20 years in the PR and advertising industry has made me incapable of understanding New Gen artistic sensibilities. As postmodern as I may be in my own right, I have nothing on the designers of ads like this, the new Tostitos “Made for each other” spots, and others in the genre. I no longer ask “What were they thinking?!” Now I want to know how they are thinking.
Nice blog!
I don’t get all the complaints about the “zombie-like” monotone and low-energy live action footage. What, you’d rather see more glossy, smiling faces in commercials? No thanks for me.
This campaign cuts nicely through the clutter that’s out there right now. Kudos to Goodby for generating a little client trust – one of the most important ingredients in good advertising.
Great post, looks like people have a strong opinion about both sides of the coin.
Dan,
All Monster Games
New from GamesMonster: Nudge
I detested those commercials as well.
New from Dan @ Easy Piano Lessons: Yamaha S70XS Synthesizer