Reality (in) Advertising
Deb Mayo
9 April 2007
The Super Bowl had them. The Academy Awards had them. And each day, there’s another ad for the general public to try their hand at making a commercial. So is this a new ploy or ongoing trend?
The most current contest running in this genre is the CW-sponsored competition. Promax/BA has teamed up with The CW Network and Blink to launch a new college contest dubbed “Making the Cut” - that calls for undergraduates to submit their original multi-platform trailers and commercials promoting The CW’s hit television series, Supernatural. Why, some might ask – and to what avail? What spoils go the winners? Why, they will have a chance to intern at CW while garnering valuable industry experience.
The call for advertising entries by novices is really no different than a call-back to the day of the apprentice. We have Donald Trump to thank for revitalizing the concept – and the advertising industry for finding the perfect niche to make it pay in spades.
So, we therefore salute those winners who have come before – in the early days of 2007 with product names like Doritos, Chevy, the NFL and Dove. Whether the ad was a concept by unknown advertising folk and directed by some of the biggest names in the business – or unfamiliar director’s names who are new to the fray – our hats are off.
Time will tell just how far you’ll go…
