A recent TV spot for JCPenney, which could easily be titled the worst obnoxious ad since early television, is the “Scream”. I am simply making an educated guess connecting the theme of the ad with the title of Edward Munch painting, the “Scream”. I am also guessing that some low-thinker in the creative agency had to force the association between the painting and the ad in order to convince management to approve the concept and produce the ad.
The ad is about screams, more screams and a variety of more screams, which get louder by the person who screams. No lines to memorize by the cast.
It comes as a shock when you’re watching a descent program on TV, and the “Scream” comes on, and you find yourself struggling in the dark trying to find the “Mute” button on the remote control.
The second night of encountering the Scream ad I joined some conversations on facebook, and was pleasantly surprised to hear angry customers saying things like they’ll never shop again at JCPenney etc., etc. Is the agency responsible for stirring so much angry reaction among so many viewers? I guess they are. It is quite typical for creative people to impose a vague, dreadful concept on their client, and then struggle to find an intelligent connection to make their work valid and even gain awards. Little do they know that screams don’t induce shoppers to buy. Or even rush to the store.
And now I witness the sequel to the scream in a new JCPenney TV spot that shows an auctioneer conducting a never ending auction, except this time, if I am interrupted while watching TV and the “Auctioneer” ad comes on, I don’t care to search for the mute button. Now I turn to another channel.
Suggestion: Stop imposing your creative ego. It’s obnoxious and does not sell. Instead, try and think like your customers – before you produce your ad.
