Dead Pitchmen in Advertising

[scotrace]

Over the past few years, there have been attempts in advertising to use people who have passed away (Died. Bought the Farm. Cashed in Their Chips. These are LATE people) to serve as pitchmen for various products. Some are novel and fairly subtle. Putting Golden Era celebs in a beer ad using snips of their films; Clever, in a nerdy sort of way.
A few years ago, longtime design Tsar at General Motors, Harley Earl, was revived to sell Buicks. It was a guy in a 1940s suit and fedora saying "I'm Harley Earl, and I'm back because I'm so excited about these new.." It was disastrous - mainly because 90% of the audience didn't know who Earl was, or care.

But last night during the Golden Globe Awards, a new ad for Orville Redenbacher popcorn debuted. This morning, Lileks said:
"I was stopped next to a rolling billboard truck; it had an ad for Orville Redenbacher popcorn, and ol’ Orville himself was on the side. I thought: isn’t he dead? The answer, is yes. And no. (Warning: high octane nightmare fuel. It’s a desiccated undead zombie-mummy in a bowtie, and it will steal your soul.)"

ConAgra, owner of the brand, has created a CG/heavily madeup Orville R. to wear an iPod and pitch his stuff.

I think this sort of thing is a HORRIBLE idea from an advertising standpoint, as it stands to ick people out - not the sort of thing to have them associate with your product. And I don't subscribe to the theaory that any publicity is good, or that a shocking ad will make them remember and buy your product. If I throw a cup of ice water in your face, you will remember me, but only with anger.

So what do you think??? I see dead people - selling me stuff!

Here's Dead Orville:

The real Orville:

 

[Jay]

I think it's horrible. How does the company have a say in what the deceased would endorse? They're just cashing in as much as possible because they are painfully unoriginal.

 

[LizzieMaine]

I didn't mind so much when Kentucky Fried Chicken brought the Colonel back in commercials a few years ago, because they did it in animated form (with Randy Quaid doing the voice, no less). But the idea of reviving a deceased pitchman in live action form is just creepy -- even more so than pasting him into the scene via CGI.

From an advertising standpoint I can understand why they do it -- Orville is a *logo* first and foremost, in the tradition of the Smith Brothers and Lydia Pinkham, and being so, there's no reason why they shouldn't exploit him any way they can, even though the actual man himself has passed from the scene.

But that doesn't mean we have to like it...

 

[Feraud]

Oh that Orville one is tacky!

Offhand I say it is awful and should not be done. However.... there may be a situation or two where it works.

1 - Sky Captain. Lawrence Olivier as Dr. Totenkopf. Not great but not horrible either..

2 - The Vlasic pickle pusher. It is groucho mark as a cartoon stork! "Now that is the best tastin' pickle I ever hoid".

 

[Twitch]

Saw that commercial last night. Previously they had run footage of the real Reddenbacker from old commercials in the new ads but I guess that wasn't enough for them.:eusa_doh:

 

[Senator Jack]

Hey, it's free enterprise. It's what the market will bear. Ethics has nothing to do with it. Take yer pick, and don't complain, else be labeled a leftist.

Regards,

Senator Jack

 

[scotrace]

I don't think it is unethical, just extremely poor taste and a bad idea that should have been killed off in early meetings. It could easily serve to damage what is otherwise a valuable brand.

Think of a CGI Edward VIII hawking "this swell new suit I got on sale at Harrods! Here On The Other Side, Diana can't keep her hands off me bum!""

 

[BegintheBeguine]

^ lol lol lol lol lol At my house, just because people are dead doesn't mean they aren't still around.
It depends on the product. I liked Yul Brynner telling us to quit smoking; apparently he'd okayed that before his demise.

 

[Spitfire]

Haven't see the one in question (and it looks like one I couldn't care less about), but besides that, I tend to go with the senator.
Some time ago there was an ad for a car featuring Mr. Cooler himself - Steve McQueen driving a car. Worked wonders.
Being an adman myself, I say it's a matter of taste. And if you do it with taste, it works. And if it doesn't work people don't buy the product.
As the man says: It's a free enterprise. If you hate the ad - don't buy the product.

 

[Feraud]

It is in poor taste. Then again the ad agencies choose to give it a try and hope the campaign works.
Who really knows what the fickle public will accept. One second we as a nation are condemning a young woman for being infatuated with the President of The United States and the next we are doing the Macarena.

 

[Spitfire]

So true.:eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap

 

[Fletch]

I think it's creepy-tacky-crass, bordering on sacrilegious.

In the future, will we all be CGI'ing our dead relatives? Making 'droids out of 'em? [bad]

 

[Samsa]

What they did with Orville doesn't bother me so much. What I really cannot stand is when companies use the image of famous political figures (George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, etc) to sell things. Usually this comes in the form of crude animation, and having product recommendations spew from their mouths. I can't stand it.

 

[Senator Jack]

I used to do this bit in my standup. Appropriately enough, given yesterday was his day,

They take Lincoln and Washington, two revered men, and they have them chopping up mattresses, pitching used cars, hawking bedsheets and pillowcases. I want to know when we're going to start seeing Martin Luther King doing the same. When is it going to be all right to have him stand in front of a car lot and say, 'I had a dream...of low prices.'

Regards,

Senator Jack

 

[Feraud]

When is it going to be all right to have him stand in front of a car lot and say, 'I had a dream...of low prices.'

lol lol That is hilarious!!

 

[Tony in Tarzana]

"Mother of mercy, is this the end of Rico? No, the sale ends Tuesday!"

 

[HadleyH]

Greta Garbo, Audrey Hepburn, Humphrey Bogart...all promoting Rolex watches, what is the world coming to?????????

 

[Smithy]

I personally think that it's off and hardly respectful of the memory of the people they are using.

I'm personally just pleased I got out of advertising in 2001!

 

[panamag8or]

Saw that commercial last night. Previously they had run footage of the real Reddenbacker from old commercials in the new ads but I guess that wasn't enough for them.:eusa_doh:

I liked the re-runs of the old Orville ads. I wish more companies would do that. Coke revived the "I'd like to Teach the World to Sing" ad a few years ago, and it was neat to see it again. They have been running the "Mean Joe Green" ad lately, as well.

I think CGI-orville will creep me out... Like the King.

 

[Ruby Slippers]

Audrey Hepburn for GAP disturbed me because of the GAP's awful reputation and her notoriety for humanitarian work.

I've been seeing this on the subway lately, and frankly, it makes me feel a little...creeped out?

I don't think anyone would want my eyes. Nearsighted with astigmatism! I'd be hated beyond the grave.