DIGITAL WEEK
DIGITAL WEAK
A Daman shame
The UAE insurance company’s email ad exemplifies all that is bad about digital marketing
WIM BONJEAN is not happy. As gen- picture used just like that a couple of
eral manager of the Dubai branch of times over,” he says. “And what is the
multimedia production agency B.U.T., message here: that you cannot reach
he has a vested interest in online ad- their offices? No: it’s ‘you can manage
vertising. But one ad he received via your health insurance needs online’
business portal AMEinfo seems to have Aaah… long live the copywriter!”
thrown him into the depths of despair. Daman did not respond to Media
“This ad would be categorised under Week’s request for a comment to de-
‘the worst 10 digital ads of the week’,” fend the ad. But—far from singling the
he says in reference to an email shot for insurer out—Bonjean says that this is
Daman. The advert for the UAE health just one example of the “incompetent”,
insurer (pictured) invites you to scroll clichéd advertising in the online world.
down, following a wiggly line that mi- He says that this problem is due to the
raculously (and, of course, hilariously) lack of expertise in the market, and be-
turns out to be the cord of a computer cause it is difficult to recruit the right
mouse. The message is that you can staff due to the economic downturn.
use said mouse to arrange your health “I am not sure if the advertising world
cover: something that is, admittedly, has changed one bit since the whole
not that revolutionary in the world Lynx debacle. It seems to me that it is Result: more garbage on the web and fairly hard to find good digital design-
of insurance. getting worse. All the agencies started in our mailbox,” says Bonjean. ers. They should do some schooling to
Nor is it revolutionary in the world of promoting and selling themselves as “They’re putting all the print design- attract other people. Everyone’s try-
advertising, says Bonjean. digital media experts. But they do not ers in the digital world, and they don’t ing to make the most of their staff in-
“Concept wise, I have seen this have the faintest idea how to do it… really know what they’re doing. It’s house,” he adds.
GADGETS
Stuff we liked this week
Unlock doormat
This doormat, a tribute to an
iPhone’s unlock function, is
testament to the worrying
scale of the Apple merchan-
dising industry—both offi-
cial and unofficial. We were
distinctly disappointed that
it doesn’t actually open your
front door when you slide
RockStar
your sweaty foot over it. But
it should be well-received
There’s no need to share among Apple bores, who will
Banclock VIRAL VIEW
earwax with friends if you doubtless boast that it’s much It’s the most irksome sound
buy this little device, which cooler than the PC version. in the world. No, not “Sum-
Pubescent humour
allows you to connect up (www.meninos.us, $50 (Dhs184)) mer of ’69”, but rather that
to five sets of headphones rraacket issuing forth from THIS VIRAL FOR Wilkin- woman with an Afro singing
to your MP3 player. The an alaran m clock. So pity the son Sword’s Quattro Bikini “some bushes are mighty
Media Week team, being a buyers of this Jb apanese- razor—which features “a big”, as she wields huge clip-
sociable bunch, approve. prp oduced clock, which has bunch of glamorous girls pers. Then an Asian woman
All except our news writer an alaran m that can only be getting busy mowing their trims a bonsai and sings:
Charlie Neyra, who is well silenced bsi y inserting a coin, lawns, trimming their bushes “some gardens are mighty
known for his penchant thus encouraging the user and having a general ‘tidy up’ small”. They’re really talking
for listening to Bryan Ad- to sato ve some money. An in their gardens”—relies on about shaving their bikini
ams’s “Summer of ’69” after alternal ative is to smash the the double entendre in a way areas, you see. If an end-of-
hours in the office, when he thing inth to bits. Or switch it that puts even the Carry On the-pier comedian was to
is very much alone. off aoff t the plug. films to shame. There’s also ever embrace viral market-
(www.belkin.com, $20 (Dhs73)) (www(w
.jbox.com, $22 (Dhs81)) a dollop of racial stereotyp- ing, it would probably turn
ing: the ad features a black out something like this.
10 MAY 2009 / 21
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