Tuesday, August 23, 2011

News Men of Fresno

From KSEE in Fresno -- this spot is being played on-air as well as social media. 




8 comments:

Evil Monkey said...

These are fun to do, but I question putting it on the air. Nice job copying the concept...you wrote some really funny lines, now come up with a concept that allows you to use that talent without borrowing so blatantly.

The difference would be that your viewers might like the spot so much they look for it and tell their friends about it, further endearing your talent to the audience. Ratings go up and you look like a genius. Instead, it's a cheap copy that gets lost in the clutter.

Tim S. said...

I really question doing a spot like this. True it's fun to do these types of promos...but does it really help you to look professional, a news/weather leader? No, not really. Especially when you so outright copy a Budweiser commercial...from years ago.

These types of spots need to be done with tact in mind. You need find a way to combine humor and professionalism and not make your talent look idiotic. It's very hard to do.

All in all, it was a good effort and the production quality was there...just poorly executed.

Anonymous said...

Does Fresno have weather? I'd never run this spot in a place that gets lots of severe weather - but in CA?

My biggest beef with this spot is that its a takeoff of something popular several years ago.

Anonymous said...

It really does raise the question "why"? It's so far out of the box that there is no box. Why degrade your most important franchise element of your news? Is anyone in charge over there? I would guess NO.

Anonymous said...

Don't get me wrong...I LOVE to see 'out of the box' efforts...and applaud the ones that try to stand out. I applaud the original ideas that go into making them unique and special. This might have been a cute gag spot to play at the company Christmas Party...but that's about it.

Anonymous said...

I don't know about the rest of you but clearly they're targeting Women 35-54 with this spot. :-)

What some creatives (including myself) sometimes forget is that when you blatantly steal something cool for personal or commercial gain, people A) see right through it and B) judge it more harshly.

I liken it to church youth groups who spell out "Jesus" with the AC/DC or Metallica logo fonts or a politician's commercial references dated pop culture.

The lesson is: Quit trying to be something you're not. Authenticity goes a long way. You're a news channel, not Bud Light.

Huss said...

So all of you are saying that a viewer is going to watch this spot, then think to themselves, "Well, these guys aren't very professional. I don't think I will watch them now, because I like professional people. So humph!"

Ummm, no. What they might think is that this spot is funny (because it is), and they might tune in to see if the WX guy is funny, or even if the newscast has a lighter touch to it. If it doesn't, then you may have problems. Now, hopefully, the news (and weather)cast can back up what's being subtly said in the spot.

The one point I do agree with is that in a land of severe wx, this spot probably wouldn't fly.

Wes said...

Yeah, borrowed concept...but most ideas are these days. As we all know, doing original isn't easy. It takes time and often money...two things most TV stations don't have. Not saying it's right, it just is what it is.

For a "remake," the writing is pretty darn good and there IS production value. It definitely grabs your attention. However, I agree with Huss that if the weather guy is truly a bore, the spot means nothing.

My limited understanding of the Fresno market is that KFSN is the 800 lb. gorilla (has been for years) and is a traditional, no nonsense station. Basic marketing logic says that once a product occupies a certain space in people's minds, it's very difficult to change those perceptions. If you can't win going head to head, you try wacky spots like these. Dare to be different, right?

I wouldn't feel comfortable producing something remotely close to this, but perhaps KSEE has some research guiding them. Or they're just throwing spaghetti at the wall...