Wow... that IS creepy. I think if you're going to talk about anything related to cancer, especially breast cancer, you can't be cutesy about it like this spot is. The only thing they didn't do was dissolve to a closeup shot of her chest during the promo.
And just the concept of doing a mammogram live on TV is kind of stupid. The women will be watching it with some semblance of seriousness, but any guys watching it will be hoping to somehow catch a hint of boobies.
So what's next? A live prostate exam with the stations senior anchor? Actually, that would make a fun parody commercial.
"I'm wondering... will it hurt?" (white text over black fades up saying "of course it will")
And with that in mind, here's an old commercial we did for a hospital in Louisiana. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJFkWpCDpp4
I agree with Vic. It's creepy and diminishes the importance of what is an important health issue. Alss, to me, the woman doesn't seem genuine. She just doesn't come across to me as really being all that afraid. She's just too smooth. I think the cheesy record graphic, the type treatment and soft black border detract from any sincerity the spot could have had. Just my 2 cents
Hey there! I actually did this spot. First of all, thanks for the feedback so far on the promo. Always interesting to get someone else's take on it!
For the record, the woman in the promo was not an actor or anybody who works at the station, but a real first-timer.
I think how you feel about the promo depends on if you're a man or woman. Vic pretty much nailed it...most women I talked to were very interested to see the story & could relate with the woman, whether they'd had a mammogram or not. Unfortunately, most guys were just hoping to get a peek at a boob.
Obviously, we don't decide what stories news does, so we had to come up with a way to approach a serious topic like this, without being sensational. We've all seen the "medical alert" types of promos, we felt this seemed a little more real. I guess we could have had our vo guy say, "LIVE TONIGHT AT ELEVEN...THIS WOMAN'S GETTING HER FIRST MAMMOGRAM -- THIS LIVE EVENT COULD SAVE YOUR LIFE" But that would REALLY be cheesy!
BTW, If it was totally my call...I would have dropped the record gfx.
I don't mind the first-timer (although she is pretty polished for a non-actor). The Live at 11pm part is not needed. Tape the damn mammogram and report the story about it being her first time. Showing a mammogram Live at 11 sensationalizes this medical procedure and the impact it can have on a woman and her family.
Thanks for giving your perspective on it. It's great hearing from the folks who put promos together. It's so rare that people get to hear our thought process and rationale for producing promos the way we do. I can sympathize about the trials and tribulations of working with news on promotable story selection during sweeps. I agree with Scooterbucs and I know it wasn't your call, but I think it's the "Live" aspect that cheapens the value of the story. I get that News wants to sell the immediacy of her reaction, but it could have accomplished the same goal by presenting a pre-produced package of the woman's mammogram and then talking to her on the set afterwards or hosting a chat on your website. And yes, at least you didn't go with the VO approach. You're right. that would have been over the top.
Vic- That's a sick commercial. That's the second funniest thing I've seen today (The effin pop being first). Best line is "see yourologist..." My old shop once had a urologist on named Dr. Cockburn (no joke), the "ck" is silent. But seeing the lower 3rd was hilarious.
6 comments:
Wow... that IS creepy. I think if you're going to talk about anything related to cancer, especially breast cancer, you can't be cutesy about it like this spot is. The only thing they didn't do was dissolve to a closeup shot of her chest during the promo.
And just the concept of doing a mammogram live on TV is kind of stupid. The women will be watching it with some semblance of seriousness, but any guys watching it will be hoping to somehow catch a hint of boobies.
So what's next? A live prostate exam with the stations senior anchor? Actually, that would make a fun parody commercial.
"I'm wondering... will it hurt?"
(white text over black fades up saying "of course it will")
And with that in mind, here's an old commercial we did for a hospital in Louisiana.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJFkWpCDpp4
I agree with Vic. It's creepy and diminishes the importance of what is an important health issue. Alss, to me, the woman doesn't seem genuine. She just doesn't come across to me as really being all that afraid. She's just too smooth.
I think the cheesy record graphic, the type treatment and soft black border detract from any sincerity the spot could have had.
Just my 2 cents
Hey there! I actually did this spot. First of all, thanks for the feedback so far on the promo. Always interesting to get someone else's take on it!
For the record, the woman in the promo was not an actor or anybody who works at the station, but a real first-timer.
I think how you feel about the promo depends on if you're a man or woman. Vic pretty much nailed it...most women I talked to were very interested to see the story & could relate with the woman, whether they'd had a mammogram or not. Unfortunately, most guys were just hoping to get a peek at a boob.
Obviously, we don't decide what stories news does, so we had to come up with a way to approach a serious topic like this, without being sensational. We've all seen the "medical alert" types of promos, we felt this seemed a little more real. I guess we could have had our vo guy say, "LIVE TONIGHT AT ELEVEN...THIS WOMAN'S GETTING HER FIRST MAMMOGRAM -- THIS LIVE EVENT COULD SAVE YOUR LIFE" But that would REALLY be cheesy!
BTW, If it was totally my call...I would have dropped the record gfx.
I don't mind the first-timer (although she is pretty polished for a non-actor). The Live at 11pm part is not needed. Tape the damn mammogram and report the story about it being her first time. Showing a mammogram Live at 11 sensationalizes this medical procedure and the impact it can have on a woman and her family.
WKMG promos-
Thanks for giving your perspective on it. It's great hearing from the folks who put promos together. It's so rare that people get to hear our thought process and rationale for producing promos the way we do.
I can sympathize about the trials and tribulations of working with news on promotable story selection during sweeps.
I agree with Scooterbucs and I know it wasn't your call, but I think it's the "Live" aspect that cheapens the value of the story. I get that News wants to sell the immediacy of her reaction, but it could have accomplished the same goal by presenting a pre-produced package of the woman's mammogram and then talking to her on the set afterwards or hosting a chat on your website.
And yes, at least you didn't go with the VO approach. You're right. that would have been over the top.
Vic-
That's a sick commercial. That's the second funniest thing I've seen today (The effin pop being first). Best line is "see yourologist..." My old shop once had a urologist on named Dr. Cockburn (no joke), the "ck" is silent. But seeing the lower 3rd was hilarious.
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