I ran across this recent NYC out-of-home execution for BIC’s Wite-Out product and I have to admit the first thing that came to mind was an old, politically incorrect joke:
How can you tell a blond has been using your computer?
There’s Wite-Out all over the screen.
(I’ll go ahead and apologize now to all my fair-headed friends. I didn’t make the joke up, just helped its circulation…)
I suppose there must be someone out there that actually still uses the stuff (as they pound away on their typewriters, listening to 8-tracks and watching groovy movies on their beta players….), but I can’t say I even remember the last time I needed it. So there’s part of me that really can’t blame creative agency G2 Promotional Marketing for the tired, un-creative campaign for a soon-to-be-obsolete product. Could you imagine coming in to work and finding out you have to sell Wite-Out to a digital society? I think they call that agency hell.
On the other hand, sometimes you just have to play the hand you’re dealt and do the best you can with what you got. Which makes me wonder, is this the best thing they could come up with? Wite-Out as lifesaver….with a giant life preserver image. Are you kidding? First of all, how, exactly, is Wite-Out a lifesaver? I manage to make it through days, weeks, heck, even years without using the stuff. I bet if I tried to pull out whatever bottle I may have lying around somewhere, it’d be all dried out and no use to me whatsoever. And the tagline, “when you need it, you really need it.” — What if you never need it? Which is probably the case for about 85% of the US population.
This campaign would be much more interesting if they actually demonstrated some instances when you really need the product. Like a kid changing an “F” to an “A” on his report card. Or a woman whiting out the first digit in the grand total on a shopping receipt before carrying her bounty into the house. C’mon guys….get creative.
This execution does nothing to drive demand for the product. Nor is it so interesting and clever that it engages passers-by, at least providing a little amusement and possibly a trickling of brand affinity. Compare the flat vinyl squares littering the streets of Manhattan with this execution for FedEx Kinkos.
You may still not need the product, but at least it’s funny and grabs your attention long enough to make a brand connection. I hardly think busy Manhattanites even noticed the decals, let alone realized what product was being advertised.
Once again, regardless of the medium, good advertising is engaging, relevant and communicates with the target audience. This effort strikes out on all three.
