Pre-debate bed-shitting
One of the main problems with working in advertising is that we’re often asked to operate under extremely short time constraints. Sometimes the content of an ad depends on events that happen after your deadline. Essentially in the future. When this occurs you typically create multiple versions of your ad and send them all to the publication with detailed instructions on which ad to run if this happens or that happens. etc.
Of course things can, and frequently do, go wrong. (More on that below.)
Say you are doing ads for the NBA Finals. Now, the NBA finals is a seven game series but it only goes to seven if neither team wins 4 games first. Still with me? (’cus I’m totally lost.) Anyway, you want to advertise these games ‘cus its really exciting or whatever. But you also don’t want to spend tens, if not hundreds of thousands of dollars advertising a game that might not happen. So you make an alternate ad just in case.
Invariable what ends up happening in this scenario is that the finals go to seven games and your friends at the newspaper never get the memo. So they end up running your alternate version instead. Usually a hockey ad. Nobody watches hockey.
Evidently the same proplems is true in presidential politics.
Pretend for a second you are John McCain. It’s easy. Just say “my friends” and “POW” alot and try not to move your arms. Now, in the unlikely instance that you totally kill it at the first presidential debate (I mean KILL IT) you are going to want to let people know. Maybe do some web ads. But then the economy goes belly up, your VP gives a simply aweful interview with Katie Couric and you decide the only thing to do is pretend to “suspend” your campaign, and then go down to D.C. and pretend to refuse to debate “until… um… I WAS A POW!”
Then this morning the Wall Street Journal screws up and runs this ad…
So I guess we’ll be seeing you tonight Johnny boy?
(Of course, it could always be worse…)
About The Author - Stirling McLaughlin is an Art Director, Designer and Illustrator in New York City. Stirling enjoys vegan baking, expensive sportswear and mustard and relish sandwiches. Stirling lives in Manhattan with his wife and daughter. - Visit Stirling's site.
im not even watching he WON.