You know what really pisses me off? People ahead of me in the left hand turn lane who don't get their asses out into the intersection when the light turns green. Move your shit already so we can get at least two cars through this bad boy. Who taught these folks how to drive? It's okay to creep forward and turn from the center of the intersection. Really. I promise. Makes me want to blast through their rear bumper when they just sit there waiting for the green to turn to yellow to turn to red before finally making the turn. Hey moron - you're not the only one who's got places to be today. A little courtesy for the rest of us, please.
Speaking of better driving, want to see a television commercial I wrote? Of course you do. You love me. Click on the header, or visit www.drivealoha.com and watch the Drive Aloha television commercial. I wrote it for an auto insurance client a couple of years ago at my previous ad agency. It was filmed in Hawaii, but I didn’t get to go. The owner’s son got to go to “direct” MY spot, but not me. I had nothing against the owner's son (I actually liked the guy), but it was my friggin' spot. It was my concept, my script, and my shot direction. There was no one more qualified to shepherd the visual direction and protect the integrity of the creative concept than I was. Yeah – it’s really not so much of a mystery that I don’t work there anymore.
The Drive Aloha website is also my handiwork. They wanted a page of safe driving tips - so I made some up off the top of my head. I forgot to include inching out into the intersection when you're turning left to limit the development of road rage in fellow motorists.
Monday, September 12, 2005
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4 comments:
Two things...first off, thanks for reminding me to not participate in street racing, though this pretty much blows my Saturday night social life on Archer Avenue. Secondly, I liked the commercial, but why exactly did it have to be done in Hawaii? Couldn't you have shot that one here, maybe popped in a few plastic palm trees and had someone mail you a Hawaii license plate for the minivan? I know the company is there, but really? You didn't need to shoot for the moon either...maybe you should have suggested Vegas as the Hawaiian stand-in...much cheaper flights for your company to pay for, and maybe YOU would have gone. :)
You are absolutely correct, the spot could have been filmed anywhere there are palm trees in an environment that simulates Hawaii. Production costs would likely have been marginally lower. But there are several reasons the commercial was shot in Hawaii.
First, the client is out there - and clients LOVE doing TV commercials. Since TV spots represent a sizable chunk of marketing change, clients usually like to tag along to be sure everything goes well - keeping an eye on their investment. More often than not they end up getting in the way, but they still demand to be part of the process. Since they're the ones paying, they got to choose the location.
Also, the people in Hawaii are deeply loyal to one another - shooting the spot out there was better for the local economy - from the hotel stay to the camera crew to the voice over talent. The client felt better keeping it local than letting us negotiate production on the mainland.
Finally, advertising, much like the rest of the business world, is all about relationships. It's always better to have an agency team member present than to conduct business via phone and e-mail. The TV spot was a good excuse to fly an agency contact out there to "play golf" and strengthen the relationship. It's a show of good faith and commitment.
I wrote that spot so that it could be filmed practically anywhere...but the client wanted it done at home, so some extra cost was incurred to accommodate their request. When it came time to decide who'd be representing the agency, the creative point on the project (me) wasn't even considered. But that's life - one disappointment followed by an even bigger one.
No shit...talk about disappointment. Those cheap "Drive Aloha" sons of bitches won't send a "Drive Aloha" decal to me in Arizona. If I'd known that, I would have driven to their office when I was there in July and run over a few of the ungrateful bastards...Okay, I think I'm over it now. BTW, I say just rear end those m*********ers who don't turn on a yellow light. Clean up the gene pool!
Great commercial. It had a real intense impact in the beginning which made the viewer think...oh no...what if I had made such a mistake...thank God the kid's okay...I'm gonna drive extra careful from now on.
I'm proud of your work.
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