Recently we created some banner ads for a longstanding client, Madison County NY Tourism. These online ads were intended to promote the long list of great summer events that can be enjoyed around the county. For those of you who are familiar with the towns and villages within Madison County you probably know that the town of Chittenango is the birthplace of author L. Frank Baum who wrote The Wizard of Oz. In honor of this, the town of Chittenango has a yearly event called Oz-Stravaganza. With a full cast of Dorothys, Tin Men and flying monkeys, the streets of Chittenango come alive with all things Oz.
So, now comes the media and my gripe. Here at ABC we constantly try to push the creative boundaries. Let’s face it, with the muddy soup of media all around us, it’s kind of hard to stand out these days. So we attempted to get a little creative in promoting this event.
So, this is the banner ad you would have seen on a local news media website…..>
Would have is the key here. This particular news website (which will remain unnamed) declined this ad worried that it may cause mass hysteria that tornadoes were touching down in the village of Chittenango. “These will draw too much attention,” I think was the comment. Really??? Media that draws attention? NO!
This is what the ad would say once it opened…..>
So after many other renditions like “Witch Found Dead In Chittenango,” which was also declined – I mean, really, did they think there would be a huge Witch uprising over such troubling news? – we ended up with some lame tagline that will probably get half the click-thrus we want.
I’ll give you one bit of advice, media sources….Aren’t you having enough trouble getting advertisers? When you finally get one that wants to do something fun and creative, don’t turn them away, go with it, see what happens, and maybe you can use the results to sell to the next guy.
Okay, I’m done. Whew, I worked up a sweat pounding away on my keyboard with my pathetic two-finger style. I would really love to hear what people think of these ads and also hear any other horror stories from the creative side.
Stay Creative!
June 7, 2010 – Shortly after this blog post was typed up and posted, the unthinkable happened: what was believed to be a tornado touched down in Chittenango. Oh, the irony!
COMMENTS
12 Comments
Jim
May 20th, 2010 03:34 PM
I love it! Keep fighting the good fight.
Lorrell
May 20th, 2010 03:46 PM
Awesome post. I hope lots of people share this on Facebook and the like. Before you caved and went with “boring” creative, you should have offered it to a competing news site. It would teach your unnamed news site a lesson!
Jim D
May 20th, 2010 04:31 PM
I find it extraordinarily ironic and amusing that local media, who almost certainly have completely forgotten how to say the word “no” when it comes insane advertiser demands, would actually reject ad revenue. It’s a testament to how overly cautious and careful they have become. Other than not placing the banner ad on the weather page, I think overreacting is an understatement. As for the witch ad, that leaves me speechless. Kudos to you for coming up with a clever and quirky alternative to the same-ol’, same-ol’. I’m with the other Jim–keep fighting the good fight.
Travis Bort
May 20th, 2010 04:31 PM
Thanks Lorrell. Caved is harsh, we fought hard. I guess I should have mentioned that the competitors do have it and they didn’t complain so kudos to some.
Jen Kolozsvary
May 21st, 2010 11:45 AM
How unfortunate that this particular media source was so short-sighted. IMO, this ad is a glowing example of using outside-the-box thinking to draw in audiences. I also like the alternative that was proposed – this “witch” would be motivated to click! Keep up the great work, Travis & Co.
Jamie
May 21st, 2010 11:52 AM
syracuse.com would run it for you
Matt
June 6th, 2010 10:56 PM
Irony.
http://www.9wsyr.com/news/local/story/National-Weather-Service-Not-a-tornado-straight/A_NTI1MQ7E-3qdKah4sOwA.cspx
Cory
June 10th, 2010 10:37 AM
“Sunny 102 would have loved to do something fun with that marketing tag!”
I was in the Parade with my daughter and being in the marketing field and having graduated from Chittenango -I complained to my friends that there is no excitement in this event anymore.
The fact that the winds did come and trees were knocked down and roofs uplifted made for great excitement and great press. And because of it I think more people will take note of the event next year.
Lastly – as it pertains to certain news crews I did notice no reporters played up the Tornado bit and the irony of it…radio did…and not just my stations…I guess we’re more entertainment based (ie: more fun)!!!
Jim
June 10th, 2010 11:32 AM
It was kind of ironic that ABC predicted the weather in Chittenango better than the paid forecasters.
Gina
June 10th, 2010 12:06 PM
ahhahahaha!!! I can’t believe they banned the tornado ad and then the witch ad. Really?? How many witches live in Chittenango? The “straight line winds” thought to have been a tornado must have been karma.
The ads were great keep up the good work.
Andy
June 16th, 2010 03:33 PM
Great concept. Disappointed that I won’t get to see it the way it was intended.
Wendy
June 17th, 2010 07:40 AM
I think both the tornado and witch were great news “headline” ideas, since we’re talking about the “Idea Drawer”. Too bad political correctness, litigation and fear of people being generally stupid is so pervasive. It’s hard to fulfill the “creative” part of your company name with everyone stifling it for you. The weather during Oz Fest was a delicious irony.