This ad from Pedigree uses the amazing high-frame count technology of the Phantom camera to capture a moment in a way that most pet owners have never seen. It simply and elegantly shows pet owners the anticipation, focus and happiness that pets experience when being fed or given a treat. Notice that there is no voiceover by Pedigree touting the benefits of the food. Or telling the consumer that pets will enjoy it. Pedigree lets the visuals do that. Why? Because that would take the viewer out of the moment. And in a way, they are selling that moment to owners. They take the mundane act of feeding a pet and uncover a whole new side of the story for the owner. Pet owners know that their pets like to be fed.  They know pets wait by a door or paw at a food bowl when hungry. What they undoubtedly have missed out on until this point is witnessing every part of the moment that the dog experiences.  By helping a pet owner understand the subtle, almost human-like reactions a pet has, the ad positions the brand as truly understanding the deep relationship that many pet owners have with their pets.  And even better, Pedigree positions themselves as the brand that brings this reaction out of pets. Of course, not all pet owners would really connect with this moment. But the pet owners that are spending the most on their pets, certainly do.

AdAge’s Bob Garfield doesn’t think so. But Bob seems to take pleasure in being the curmudgeon of advertising. If you haven’t seen this campaign on the air, then take a look. I’ll have to admit, this brutal honesty and self-awareness caught me off guard. Sure, I was curious to see if they really made their product better. But more importantly, I empathized with the brand. Not just the brand, but the people behind the brand. Call me naive, but I think they actually humanized the brand.

Focus group poop

We all know how it feels to have our work pooped on, whether the criticism is deserved or not. Those of us who have had our work scrutinized, misinterpreted, and rewritten by a focus group have a unique appreciation for the reaction of the Domino’s chefs as they listen to the feedback about the cardboard crust and the sauce that tastes like ketchup. Of course we can assume that these reaction shots of dejected chefs were staged for this spot, but the emotion has got to be real.

Transparency chic

Transparency is the new black. So many brands are attempting to at least look honest and accessible by letting everyone peek behind the curtain. Even our government is getting in on that action. When you go to the Pizza Turnaround website, you’ll see real time tweets about the new pizza and the campaign. It seems to be unfiltered. I saw plenty of negative comments, but the majority seem to be supportive and appreciative.

Insight that can’t be ignored

When a brand is as plagued by negativity and bad luck as Domino’s, you can’t pretend everything is fine. A “new and improved” message would have been a yawn. I think this was the only move left for this brand. And because I now feel something for them, I hope it works.

Lonnie and Kara here, tasked once again with critiquing a new advertising campaign that we really feel passionate about. Here’s the problem: there aren’t many right now. This is the time of year when local car guys try to sell you a clunker and marketers hold their dollars back for when American Idol returns to the screen.

So for this post we picked a campaign that has been around for a while. But these babies are still cranking out an ad here and there. See the latest E*trade baby commercials.

What do we think?

Kara: They’re freaking hilarious! E*trade took a subject that’s been making everybody cringe—the stock market—and made me laugh. I mean, how can you not laugh at a baby calling an old guy in a sweater vest “Shankapotamus” or saying he wants to “punch the economy in the face”?

Lonnie: Really? Talking babies? Sure, I will admit that this was funny, 2 years ago! They got their money’s worth from this campaign. Time to evolve or move on. No wonder the economy is in such bad shape, you have babies working the market. What stocks do babies trade, Toys R Us? Did the Wiggles go public?

Kara: Maybe they’re trading diapers. I don’t care. What I care about is the fact that the makers are brilliant. They get away with using the lowest quality video available, on purpose. And when the baby spits up, instead of yelling cut, they just crack a joke about how the economy makes him sick. Oh, and by the way, it did evolve. He now has baby friends!

Lonnie: Babies shouldn’t be trading diapers, they should be filling them. We are living in a recession. We need hope and confidence. We need a Sam Waterston as a spokesperson, not the Gerber baby with a credit line. Your money is no laughing matter and if I caught my toddler on a “playdate” with my 401k, I would definitely put her in time out. Bad Baby, NO!

Kara: You and your living in a recession crap! You sound like my dad. Stop watching the five o’clock news and turn on some Family Guy. Laugh a little. 4.4 million other people took five minutes out of their recession-driven lives to watch the latest Baby Outtakes video. And I must say, it cracked me up.

Lonnie: If I were your dad, I would send you to your room with no dinner. That’s part of the problem, too many people have changed the channel from the news to Family Guy. I would suggest that those 4.4 million viewers need to get off of YouTube and spend more time on Monster.com looking for a job. Plus, talking babies just creep me out. It’s not natural.

Kara: Hey, I have a job. Oh, by the way, who is Sam Waterston?

Lonnie: You know, The Great Gatsby, The Killing Fields, Mindwalk?

Kara: Wait a minute…wasn’t he on Family Guy?

Lonnie: Nevermind.

I’ve been a huge fan of dvr for years.  I record about 10-12 tv shows a week, plus movies.  It’s never convenient for me to sit down and watch the shows/movies live during the week.  I’m becoming more and more intrigued, however, by Hulu.  I’ve yet to explore it, so I would appreciate any and all feedback.  I’ve heard very little about it from my peers, but have seen numerous commercials for it.  I decided to do a little research and found a few sites of interest if you’re thinking of switching from dvr.  Here are a few reasons I’m swayed to switch:  

• Hulu is free!
• I am sure to see the whole show.  Sometimes my dvr cuts off the last couple of minutes.
• From my research, it sounds like there are few interruptions.
• I don’t have to worry with programming any recordings or managing conflicts.  

I’m excited to see if this will help save me some money!  Please leave some feedback!

I’m a busy, full-time working mom, but I love television. I can’t miss American Idol or How I Met Your Mother. I can’t miss Lost or I’ll definitely be lost. And  The Biggest Loser finale is on the horizon.

So DVR is my life because there is no way I’m watching any of these shows at their originally programmed times. This is for a couple of reasons:

1. I’m still making dinner, putting my son to bed and answering emails
2. I’m time-starved and love the idea of watching a full hour program in 45 minutes without the commercials.

After being on a hiatus from creating TV for my clients, I’ve found in my review of  TV concepts last week that I have begun to apply an additional criteria for successful TV spots. The criteria – will this spot win the war over the inevitable “fast forward” button for DVR appointment viewing?

Based on my own “fast forward” viewing, I find myself always stopping for certain commercials — actually backing up and rewinding to watch a commercial. These commercials have a common theme: they are on-going stories that have engaged my interest, and I find their story lines almost as interesting as the shows I’m watching.

My top two campaigns winning the DVR Battle

Apple’s I’m a MAC, I’m a PC campaign: It’s like a 30-second sitcom, what will the story line be next?

Sonic’s Drive-In campaign: It’s like a 30-second comic improv, where will they take burgers and sundaes?

What campaigns make you stop the DVR fast-forward button and hit rewind? As an avid TV watcher and an advertising account supervisor, I hope more of the commercials I work, on as well as those I see on TV, aspire to reach this kind of engagement with its audience. Try to apply this criteria to your latest TV campaign, does it have this kind of stopping power?