Comments on: Sprint “Dreams” Spot is Good http://www.billstevenson.org/blog/2007/07/17/sprint-dreams-spot-is-good/ professional raconteur and man-about-town Fri, 28 Aug 2009 14:46:28 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: julian http://www.billstevenson.org/blog/2007/07/17/sprint-dreams-spot-is-good/#comment-40 julian Wed, 18 Jul 2007 14:40:29 +0000 http://www.billstevenson.org/blog/2007/07/17/sprint-dreams-spot-is-good/#comment-40 Thinking about it a bit more, I see your point. I guess I was too focused on the iPhone--I think the iPhone ads worked well for selling the iPhone, as I said, and I wouldn't have wanted Apple to put out something that focused less on that product. But in the grander scheme of things, though, I do wish Apple+chiat/day would do more abstract ads like this Sprint one and the Sony Bravia, which don't really focus on selling any particular thing. It'd be nice to see something a bit more abstract than the Switcher ads or Get a Mac ads. Obviously Apple needs simple, to-the-point ads like those, but it'd be fun to mix it up with some abstract stuff from time to time. Thinking about it a bit more, I see your point. I guess I was too focused on the iPhone–I think the iPhone ads worked well for selling the iPhone, as I said, and I wouldn’t have wanted Apple to put out something that focused less on that product.

But in the grander scheme of things, though, I do wish Apple+chiat/day would do more abstract ads like this Sprint one and the Sony Bravia, which don’t really focus on selling any particular thing. It’d be nice to see something a bit more abstract than the Switcher ads or Get a Mac ads. Obviously Apple needs simple, to-the-point ads like those, but it’d be fun to mix it up with some abstract stuff from time to time.

]]> By: bill http://www.billstevenson.org/blog/2007/07/17/sprint-dreams-spot-is-good/#comment-39 bill Tue, 17 Jul 2007 22:25:46 +0000 http://www.billstevenson.org/blog/2007/07/17/sprint-dreams-spot-is-good/#comment-39 Indeed, while they are selling an idea better than we are. Like, we leave the intelligent viewer to make the connection of seamlessness, but the contrivance and plainness of some of our examples in the commercials make it seem bland. Granted, it is always best to underpromise and overdeliver. Ultimately I put this in the same place that I put the Sony Bravia ads from a few years ago.... really neat. The neatest thing for me with this one is that we had the technology to make an ad like that for a long time, and somebody only now realized to do it. Granted the editing would have been a bitch back then... Indeed, while they are selling an idea better than we are. Like, we leave the intelligent viewer to make the connection of seamlessness, but the contrivance and plainness of some of our examples in the commercials make it seem bland. Granted, it is always best to underpromise and overdeliver.

Ultimately I put this in the same place that I put the Sony Bravia ads from a few years ago…. really neat. The neatest thing for me with this one is that we had the technology to make an ad like that for a long time, and somebody only now realized to do it. Granted the editing would have been a bitch back then…

]]> By: julian http://www.billstevenson.org/blog/2007/07/17/sprint-dreams-spot-is-good/#comment-38 julian Tue, 17 Jul 2007 14:09:53 +0000 http://www.billstevenson.org/blog/2007/07/17/sprint-dreams-spot-is-good/#comment-38 Well, I didn't touch on whether or not the iPhone delivers what the ads promise--just that the iPhone ads are illustrative of the function of the device--and that's what is needed to sell it. Ultimately all ads exist to try to sell you something. With complete disregard for whether or not Sprint is actually delivering what their ad claims, their ad still is not illustrating and selling the product/service as well as the iPhone's ads are. I think Sprint's ad is a great ad in the abstract artsy sense of what makes an ad great, but it is not a great ad when you mix in a dash of practicality as to what it should be doing. Well, I didn’t touch on whether or not the iPhone delivers what the ads promise–just that the iPhone ads are illustrative of the function of the device–and that’s what is needed to sell it.

Ultimately all ads exist to try to sell you something. With complete disregard for whether or not Sprint is actually delivering what their ad claims, their ad still is not illustrating and selling the product/service as well as the iPhone’s ads are.

I think Sprint’s ad is a great ad in the abstract artsy sense of what makes an ad great, but it is not a great ad when you mix in a dash of practicality as to what it should be doing.

]]> By: bill http://www.billstevenson.org/blog/2007/07/17/sprint-dreams-spot-is-good/#comment-36 bill Tue, 17 Jul 2007 06:06:57 +0000 http://www.billstevenson.org/blog/2007/07/17/sprint-dreams-spot-is-good/#comment-36 Yeah, I agree that the iPhone ads are great at marketing a product. And perhaps they are subtly marketing the idea -- ease of interaction. Sprint's ads are doing something that is also interesting, which is marketing the general idea of better, and of what you can do with better. Ultimately they will have a tough time trying to just be "better" instead of "different", and so the ad production quality will surpass the product delivery quality. But I don't hold that against the ad - in this blog post I am praising the ad in and of itself. Yeah, I agree that the iPhone ads are great at marketing a product. And perhaps they are subtly marketing the idea — ease of interaction. Sprint’s ads are doing something that is also interesting, which is marketing the general idea of better, and of what you can do with better. Ultimately they will have a tough time trying to just be “better” instead of “different”, and so the ad production quality will surpass the product delivery quality. But I don’t hold that against the ad – in this blog post I am praising the ad in and of itself.

]]> By: julian http://www.billstevenson.org/blog/2007/07/17/sprint-dreams-spot-is-good/#comment-35 julian Tue, 17 Jul 2007 05:55:27 +0000 http://www.billstevenson.org/blog/2007/07/17/sprint-dreams-spot-is-good/#comment-35 Also, I'm not sure Sprint's ad is really better than the iPhone ads. I know that everyone has been completely submerged in those iPhone ads by now, but they're still incredibly distinctive ads that illustrate the function of the device better than any spoken or text description could. The Sprint ads are are pretty unique and eye-catching in their own way too--I just feel the iPhone ads are better actual product/service ads. Also, I’m not sure Sprint’s ad is really better than the iPhone ads. I know that everyone has been completely submerged in those iPhone ads by now, but they’re still incredibly distinctive ads that illustrate the function of the device better than any spoken or text description could.

The Sprint ads are are pretty unique and eye-catching in their own way too–I just feel the iPhone ads are better actual product/service ads.

]]> By: julian http://www.billstevenson.org/blog/2007/07/17/sprint-dreams-spot-is-good/#comment-34 julian Tue, 17 Jul 2007 05:52:06 +0000 http://www.billstevenson.org/blog/2007/07/17/sprint-dreams-spot-is-good/#comment-34 Sprint has poster versions of these ads that have to do with SMS that were /all over/ all of the airports I've been through in the past two weeks. Sprint has poster versions of these ads that have to do with SMS that were /all over/ all of the airports I’ve been through in the past two weeks.

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