Lastminute.com ad spiked before hitting the airwaves
Not sure about this TV ad for Lastminute.com, apparently filmed in London in 2005.
It was supposedly only a test commercial, but I imagine someone thought better of it [probably just as Travelocity was about to buy the company!]
Maybe it will be resurrected if viral marketing picks it up again...
Kevin May, editor, Travolution
Technorati tags: lastminute.com execution electric chair
8 comments:
Humm. Not sure about that one.
Probably best sent to Room 101, along with the infamous Gary Glitter email bulletin. :-)
hahaha classic. Surely that ad wouldn't have got past the ITC!
Darren: stranger things have happened.
I like it, but then Monday mornings are conducive to a bleakening of the sense of humour.
I wonder about these "spiked" ads turning up on YouTube, though. Someone recently sent me a link to a banned Xbox ad (here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UF833-lpJDU ) and I can't help thinking that it would be pretty smart to make a knowingly controversial ad and ban it. Then it gets "leaked" to the very demographic which will appreciate it most (and will be most titillated by the "banned" label).
Meanwhile the brand in question gets to respond to any complaints with "We encourage creativity with our advertising campaigns and the natural consequence of that is that some of the ads we review are not suitable for general consumption. In this case, we decided not to release the ad for those reasons. We regret that the material ended up in the public domain and are sorry for any offence caused."
Maybe Monday mornings are also conducive to cynicism.
Bob: I think you're absolutely right. Viral marketing is a very handy tool to add to the advertising armoury in the digital age.
And here is clearly the best example we've seen for a while.
[Sadly not travel related]
Hi Kevin,
I saw the Dove ad and think it's great. The difference, though, is that Dove officially and openly promoted this ad. The promotion of "banned" ads is denied by the brands they promote (lastminute.com or Xbox for example) but I suspect they had more to do with the ads getting onto YouTube than they would admit to to.
Cheers,
B.
Bob: yes, i agree.
I will check with Lastminute.com when the UK gets itself back to work tomorrow after the long holiday weekend (for some). :-)
I have no information as to whether the ad was banned or if it just didn't make it onto the TV campaign roster.
klm, ed, travo
Hi
I worte, directed and co-produced this ad. There was no involvement from lastminute.com whatsoever. It was funded by me for my showreel, it could have been for any travel company but at the time lastminute weren't doing TV commercials. We presented it to their marketing deparment in the hope of selling it (more for the exposure than the money) but they didn't seem very interested (more perplexed!) Shame as it has proven really popular. But what the hell do I know?!
matt.huntley@ntlworld.com
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