Week 3 Topic 2: Arts and Crafts Tony Romo

                The ad I think stands out is “The Arts and Crafts Tony Romo” commercial that markets the Sunday Ticket which is exclusive to DirecTV. First off, I hate Tony Romo, just wanted to let that be known right off the bat to show my bias. Having said that, the commercial is hilarious. DirecTV has been doing these commercials with Rob Lowe and recently they had the Manning sisters and even Andrew Luck. The reason why the Tony Romo commercial stands out more to me, is that I think he is Arts and Crafts Tony Romo. It’s not an act. He totally looks like he could have a cupcake-brownie baking fetish and I think the paper macheing  isn’t out of the realm of possibility, for he does have a lot of free time at the moment.

                The target audience of this commercial is people who live in a state where their team is not played locally and fantasy football nuts. I would think that this would mainly be guys over the age of 25 but maybe some women too.The persuasive techniques used would be a hybrid of famous person testimony-steryotypes and maybe even snob appeal. Obviously, Tony Romo is famous and he recommends getting the Sunday Ticket so that’s the famous person testimony. The characters they make around the NFL players are a strange way of stereotyping and the snob appeal comes in where they tell you to “not be like Arts and Crafts Tony Romo” which echoes the snob appeal.

               

     Let’s be honest, they don’t need to advertise very much, for us fans that are separated from our team already know we got to go sign our soul to DirecTV to watch them. It may help in getting the people who may be on the fence about it, but I’ve lived away from Wisconsin for about 4 years and I’ve had DTV all 4 years. Until they un-monopolize it, we have no choice. The contract with the NFL was vastly more important to the success of DirecTV’s Sunday Ticket than any Petite Randy Moss commercial did, but I will say that’s my second favorite commercial in the series. Overall, they make me laugh, so I don’t hate the ads, but I don’t think they are doing much to help sell the Sunday Ticket package, so I would say its a dud.

        A commercial campaign that works in my opinion, is the “If it’s not an iPhone, it’s not an iPhone” commercials, as well as every other Apple commercial ever made. To be blunt, I would never buy or use an Apple product and I truly mean that. If it was given to me, I would sell it. There are numerous reasons why I feel that way, but that has nothing to do with their marketing, for they have Americans eating of their hands. Their campaign name says it all.

                It’s not hard to notice that more than anything, Apple hits Americans with the SNOB APPEAL or SNOB APPLE?, for it’s in this campaign as well as anything Apple promotes. I think that Apple appeals to people who are 40+ and those that are easily fooled. Its “easy to use” reputation definitely aims at those aren’t “tech savvy, even though they think they are.”

                These techniques worked because obviously according to the Brand Z report, they’re making it rain in Seattle with all the money they’re raking in from American sheep, who are so easily molded. My take on Apple may be a bit harsh but it’s not like Apple users will listen anywhoo.