Latest Kindle Commercial -- Good or Bad? - Page 2

NormHart · 12-15-2009, 01:21 PM

LOL, I am just glad to see television adds for ereaders.

markbot · 12-15-2009, 01:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Indiana Jones

I does not even explain what it is or what it does. Commercials need to reach an audience who does not know what their product is.

This is a good point. They need TV ads that explain the functional aspects of the Kindle. Although, this commercial is effective for people passionate about reading. I think these people will get it. The imagination and wide eyed wonder...plus the pretty girl and catchy song make it effective in my mind.

eidahl · 12-15-2009, 05:53 PM

It rocks. PERIOD! (.. okay, maybe the pretty girl is the main reason, but the whole point of it is to get people curious about this 'kindle thing' instead of really annoyed when they see the commercial over and over on T.V. - aka, sony commercial)

captcrouton · 12-17-2009, 09:59 AM

On the positive, I think it's a very creative, attention grabbing commercial.

On the negative, it does remind me of an apple commercial, which unfortunately is more and more associated with being presumptuous and snarky. I really think people will think it's some sort of mac product, which definitely polarizes in my circle of friends.

I think it's the music that makes it apple-y. Kinda that first year piano student chord progression deal.

pshrynk · 12-17-2009, 10:25 AM

I think that it is rather memetic. It plants the idea of the Kindle in your brain and the repetition cements it as a product that you want. Even though you have no idea what it is. If they are using a good ad agency, then the next commercial will nail the use and function of the Kindle, leading the zombie-like viewers to rush to their computer and one click themselves into oblivion.

=X= · 12-17-2009, 11:30 AM

I voted for the indifference, but I must admit I thought the add was clever. Maybe I read too much into it, but I thought they conveyed the book experience very nicely. (e.g. The different scenes represented the different adventures she experienced as she transitioned from book to book.)

=X=

Journier · 12-17-2009, 11:37 AM

Does anyone remember the sleep aide commercial in which people would lay in bed awake while a rooster is standing at the foot of the bed or would appear at other places? I was wondering, what in the world... There was no explanation. I saw that for a month wondering what it was, although I did appreciate the senseless art of it. The tension was building and building and... After about a month of mixed interest and confusion, narration and text were finally added, and low and behod, it was a Lunesta ad. I wonder if they are doing the same thing. A month of this and then, "Kindle takes you to places you have never been before".

eboyhan · 12-18-2009, 01:23 AM

I kinda like it -- as an artistic piece of stuff -- I'm not sure it's that effective in pushing the Kindle -- it's not readily apparent (unless you're paying attention:-)) that it's about the kindle. Also is a little too similar to all those Target ads.

pshrynk · 12-18-2009, 08:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eboyhan

I kinda like it -- as an artistic piece of stuff -- I'm not sure it's that effective in pushing the Kindle -- it's not readily apparent (unless you're paying attention:-)) that it's about the kindle. Also is a little too similar to all those Target ads.

The Target ads are incredibly effective. When I discuss side effects from some meds that cause cognitive delay, I say, "If you have problems understanding the Target ads, then give me a call." All of my patients nod their heads and understand exactly what I'm talking about. That's superior advertising.

fjtorres · 12-18-2009, 09:32 AM

For what its worth:
There are different schools of advertising targetted at different audiences.
There is brand-image advertising (pretty much what this ad seems to be aiming for).
There is spec-sheet advertising; Sony's ad and pretty much every late night infomercial.
There is lifestyle advertising; Apple's usual approach for iPhone.
There is bash the opposition advertising, if you have nothing to say about your product.
And then there is the product awareness ad to draw the attention of the audience at any price.
The difference between brand image and product awareness is slight and mostly is one about subtlety. Product awareness is about the product; the car, the TV, whatever. Not the brand, not the customer.

The Kindle ad is pretty straightforward; You see the Kindle upfront, you see how Kindle is supposed to make you (the target audience: young working women) feel.
Its not a guy ad.
Its not a techie ad; techies *know* about Kindle.
Likewise, it is not an Oprah-viewer ad; those people already know about Kindle.
It is a very specific ad aimed at a very specific audience.
Not being part of that demographic I can't judge its effectiveness but I *can* tell who its aimed at and what it is selling; Kindle as a road to (literary) adventure for women 20-35.
Which, if you look at reports of Kindle sales demographics, is actually a good target as Kindle sales seem to skew more "Cadillac" than "Scion" in car terms.
It is an... interesting... approach.

For a more male-focused, techie-friendly ad, there is always this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPdXBqCRp04
Different audience, different intent, no?

Lirael · 12-18-2009, 03:35 PM

I actually saw the Kindle ad about four times on TV, and had no idea what it was selling until I saw it here. XP This is likely because it always grabbed my attention after the beginning part where you see the girl holding the kindle up close, and by the end of the ad I'd be confused enough that I stopped paying attention again. It's pretty, but I found it difficult to understand.

Effect · 12-19-2009, 07:35 AM

Don't really like it to much but it isn't horrible. It most certainly doesn't tell you anything about the actual product and I tend to hate commercials like that. I figured perhaps they were going with a different approach though with that commercial. That they were hoping once people see it they have a "What the hell is a Kindle?" type response since the while the commercial tries to grab you it still leaves a bit confused. Then they the person would hopefully go online and search the term "Kindle". After all you can not buy the item in a store so you'd have to go online anyway.

I question though if the better commercial would be to simply showcase the device and then show the website address. Reading isn't really as embraced as it should be today. You have to have a certain mindset in order to actually buy and use a device like this (goes for the other readers as well). Perhaps this commercial taps into that mindset easier. So a traditional commercial might not actually be the best thing. Not saying what they have now is great or best either but maybe a blending would have been the way to go.

As said the current ad is really an ad aimed at women in general. As a guy I have to say I'm very annoyed and extremely disappointed by that. I appreciate the Sony ad a whole lot more and I have to be honest. Had that been out before I got my Kindle 1 I would have gotten the Sony reader. When I see ads aimed at certain audience when in reality the product isn't gender specific I can't help but feel I'm getting a message that I need not apply.

JSWolf · 12-19-2009, 08:40 AM

if you know what a Kindle is, the advert is not for you. if you don't know what a Kindle is, the advert is not for you. You go away knowing nothing more then you did going in. So if you don't know about the Kindle, you still won't after the advert is over.

omk3 · 12-19-2009, 09:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSWolf

if you know what a Kindle is, the advert is not for you. if you don't know what a Kindle is, the advert is not for you. You go away knowing nothing more then you did going in. So if you don't know about the Kindle, you still won't after the advert is over.

If you don't know about the kindle, and see the ad, you then know that there is a thing called kindle and hopefully, after enough repetitions, you care enough (or are annoyed enough) to actually care what this kindle is. Success. Next step, now that you know the name, is to inform you on the product itself. Stay tuned

At least that's my take on the ad.

Badandy · 12-19-2009, 09:43 PM

To be honest, I don't really care what the commercial was about. The female actress in it is gorgeous.

View Poll Results: Latest Kindle Commercial -- Good or Bad?
This commercial is great!	24	34.78%
Arrgh! This commercial sucks!	29	42.03%
I can't decide (or just don't care).	16	23.19%
Voters: 69. You may not vote on this poll

12-17-2009, 11:37 AM	#22
Journier Groupie Posts: 194 Karma: 415 Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Northern CA Device: Kindle Oasis	Does anyone remember the sleep aide commercial in which people would lay in bed awake while a rooster is standing at the foot of the bed or would appear at other places? I was wondering, what in the world... There was no explanation. I saw that for a month wondering what it was, although I did appreciate the senseless art of it. The tension was building and building and... After about a month of mixed interest and confusion, narration and text were finally added, and low and behod, it was a Lunesta ad. I wonder if they are doing the same thing. A month of this and then, "Kindle takes you to places you have never been before". Last edited by Journier; 12-17-2009 at 11:40 AM. Reason: error correction

12-19-2009, 07:35 AM	#27
Effect Member Posts: 21 Karma: 10 Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Pa, USA Device: Kindle 1 and Kindle 3	Don't really like it to much but it isn't horrible. It most certainly doesn't tell you anything about the actual product and I tend to hate commercials like that. I figured perhaps they were going with a different approach though with that commercial. That they were hoping once people see it they have a "What the hell is a Kindle?" type response since the while the commercial tries to grab you it still leaves a bit confused. Then they the person would hopefully go online and search the term "Kindle". After all you can not buy the item in a store so you'd have to go online anyway. I question though if the better commercial would be to simply showcase the device and then show the website address. Reading isn't really as embraced as it should be today. You have to have a certain mindset in order to actually buy and use a device like this (goes for the other readers as well). Perhaps this commercial taps into that mindset easier. So a traditional commercial might not actually be the best thing. Not saying what they have now is great or best either but maybe a blending would have been the way to go. As said the current ad is really an ad aimed at women in general. As a guy I have to say I'm very annoyed and extremely disappointed by that. I appreciate the Sony ad a whole lot more and I have to be honest. Had that been out before I got my Kindle 1 I would have gotten the Sony reader. When I see ads aimed at certain audience when in reality the product isn't gender specific I can't help but feel I'm getting a message that I need not apply. Last edited by Effect; 12-19-2009 at 07:39 AM.

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12-15-2009, 01:21 PM	#16
NormHart Semper Carpe Bufo Posts: 537 Karma: 21676 Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Napa Valley, California Device: Kindle2 & Kindle3	LOL, I am just glad to see television adds for ereaders.

12-15-2009, 05:53 PM	#18
eidahl Junior Member Posts: 4 Karma: 10 Join Date: Oct 2009 Device: Kindle 2	It rocks. PERIOD! (.. okay, maybe the pretty girl is the main reason, but the whole point of it is to get people curious about this 'kindle thing' instead of really annoyed when they see the commercial over and over on T.V. - aka, sony commercial)

12-17-2009, 09:59 AM	#19
captcrouton Connoisseur Posts: 63 Karma: 84 Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Kyiv, Ukraine Device: Kindle 2	On the positive, I think it's a very creative, attention grabbing commercial. On the negative, it does remind me of an apple commercial, which unfortunately is more and more associated with being presumptuous and snarky. I really think people will think it's some sort of mac product, which definitely polarizes in my circle of friends. I think it's the music that makes it apple-y. Kinda that first year piano student chord progression deal.

12-17-2009, 10:25 AM	#20
pshrynk Beepbeep n beebeep, yeah! Posts: 11,726 Karma: 8255450 Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: La Crosse, Wisconsin, aka America's IceBox Device: iThingie, KmkII, I miss Zelda!	I think that it is rather memetic. It plants the idea of the Kindle in your brain and the repetition cements it as a product that you want. Even though you have no idea what it is. If they are using a good ad agency, then the next commercial will nail the use and function of the Kindle, leading the zombie-like viewers to rush to their computer and one click themselves into oblivion.

12-17-2009, 11:30 AM	#21
=X= Wizard Posts: 3,671 Karma: 12205348 Join Date: Mar 2008 Device: Galaxy S, Nook w/CM7	I voted for the indifference, but I must admit I thought the add was clever. Maybe I read too much into it, but I thought they conveyed the book experience very nicely. (e.g. The different scenes represented the different adventures she experienced as she transitioned from book to book.) =X=

12-18-2009, 01:23 AM	#23
eboyhan PandaMuse Posts: 104 Karma: 104 Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Florida Device: kindle dx, kindle touch SO, kindle fire, kindle fire hd8.9	I kinda like it -- as an artistic piece of stuff -- I'm not sure it's that effective in pushing the Kindle -- it's not readily apparent (unless you're paying attention:-)) that it's about the kindle. Also is a little too similar to all those Target ads.

12-18-2009, 09:32 AM	#25
fjtorres Grand Sorcerer Posts: 11,732 Karma: 128354696 Join Date: May 2009 Location: 26 kly from Sgr A* Device: T100TA,PW2,PRS-T1,KT,FireHD 8.9,K2, PB360,BeBook One,Axim51v,TC1000	For what its worth: There are different schools of advertising targetted at different audiences. There is brand-image advertising (pretty much what this ad seems to be aiming for). There is spec-sheet advertising; Sony's ad and pretty much every late night infomercial. There is lifestyle advertising; Apple's usual approach for iPhone. There is bash the opposition advertising, if you have nothing to say about your product. And then there is the product awareness ad to draw the attention of the audience at any price. The difference between brand image and product awareness is slight and mostly is one about subtlety. Product awareness is about the product; the car, the TV, whatever. Not the brand, not the customer. The Kindle ad is pretty straightforward; You see the Kindle upfront, you see how Kindle is supposed to make you (the target audience: young working women) feel. Its not a guy ad. Its not a techie ad; techies know about Kindle. Likewise, it is not an Oprah-viewer ad; those people already know about Kindle. It is a very specific ad aimed at a very specific audience. Not being part of that demographic I can't judge its effectiveness but I can tell who its aimed at and what it is selling; Kindle as a road to (literary) adventure for women 20-35. Which, if you look at reports of Kindle sales demographics, is actually a good target as Kindle sales seem to skew more "Cadillac" than "Scion" in car terms. It is an... interesting... approach. For a more male-focused, techie-friendly ad, there is always this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPdXBqCRp04 Different audience, different intent, no?

12-18-2009, 03:35 PM	#26
Lirael Moomin Posts: 137 Karma: 202147 Join Date: Nov 2009 Device: Sony PRS-350	I actually saw the Kindle ad about four times on TV, and had no idea what it was selling until I saw it here. XP This is likely because it always grabbed my attention after the beginning part where you see the girl holding the kindle up close, and by the end of the ad I'd be confused enough that I stopped paying attention again. It's pretty, but I found it difficult to understand.

12-19-2009, 08:40 AM	#28
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 79,029 Karma: 144284074 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	if you know what a Kindle is, the advert is not for you. if you don't know what a Kindle is, the advert is not for you. You go away knowing nothing more then you did going in. So if you don't know about the Kindle, you still won't after the advert is over.

12-19-2009, 09:43 PM	#30
Badandy Connoisseur Posts: 71 Karma: 13366 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Terminus Device: Kindle 3, iPhone	To be honest, I don't really care what the commercial was about. The female actress in it is gorgeous.

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