KEY POINTS:
It has been the best of times and the worst of times and the best of times again for the esteemed advertising and PR industries of New Zealand - especially in relation to our even more esteemed telecommunications industry.
It was the best of times because the PR and ad industries had great fun making up all sorts of bogus ads and publicity stunts for us, the esteemed punters of New Zealand, to talk about over our water coolers. It was the worst of times because they got caught being bogus.
It was the best of times again because getting caught being bogus made us talk even more about the bogus ads and publicity stunts over our water coolers. (As an aside, I know we say "talk about over the water cooler" because it is, well, what market research people want us to say - but do people in offices actually talk over the water cooler?
I mean, usually the water cooler is tucked away in a corner somewhere, often with an office plant next to it, like a little oasis in the desert of work, but where it would be difficult for more than two people to gather to converse. And, when you put that together with the funny bubbling, bloopy noises that water coolers sometimes make, then actually talking over the water cooler is ... well, you see where I'm going with this, right?)
Anyway, I speak here of two examples, out of a potential many, where the advertising and PR industries tried to pull the wool over our eyes and the bogusness was exposed for all to see. One was the stunt involving the (bogus) guy at the front of the (tragically real) queue in Auckland to be the First Person in the World to get the new generation iPhone.
The other was the wacky Friday night drinks ad for a telecommunications company where the staff of a (bogus) company go mental to an Elemeno P song, but in a suspiciously well-choreographed manner. Starting with the guy at the front of the queue, I have to say that I am so not surprised by the fact a PR company put him there.
Personally, I was hoping for a story where rival PR companies tried to place their guy at the front of the queue and a fight ensued between the companies and they all got arrested and a real person thus sneaked in to become the First Person in the World to get an iPhone. I am disappointed this didn't happen. I am also disappointed no PR company persuaded Vodafone to open a store on the Chatham Islands just for the occasion, so whoever queued up there could truly claim to be the First Person in the World to get an iPhone.
The PR industry has clearly gone soft on it, if you ask me. Then there is the wacky Telecom ad which, shock horror, turned out Not To Be True! Deceit? In advertising? What is the world coming to? No wonder we were all so shocked when the true story emerged.
Mind you, we should have all seen the clues - starting with the one that went: on what planet does a Friday night after work drinks do look like something out of Footloose? Where is the office alcoholic, getting started on a bender for the weekend while everyone else casts sideways glances and mutters about whether "someone should say something"?
Where is the office perv, trying to chat up the new temp? Where are the IT guys, hiding in their cubicle, sipping their shandies and laughing over viral emails? Where is the photocopier repair guy who has been here all week and is showing no signs of leaving? And while we're contemplating the (very remote) possibility of truth in advertising, if you wandered into the bogus Telecom ad company, for a meeting about restructuring your company's tax profile or whatever, and you found the whole staff busy working out their moves for Friday dance extravaganza, wouldn't you just turn and walk right out again?
But this is advertising, right? And public relations. So we shouldn't expect the truth, because these things are not about the truth, just results. And I have to confess that I have put my name down for an iPhone (I couldn't be bothered queuing because I don't work for a PR company) and I downloaded the Elemeno P song from the ad. Okay, possibly not quite the desired outcome the PR company and the advertising agency were after, but close enough.
And I don't care if they lied to me because, quite frankly, I expect to be lied to. I feel happy in the fluffy blanket of their lies. Plus I need a new phone and the kids like the song and sing it in the car.
Truth in advertising? No, sorry, I can't handle truth in advertising.
