Friday, November 19, 2004
TV Advertising in the UK
I've been watching a bit of British TV these last few days. Not much, mind you - British free-to-air is even more boring than US Daytime Shows. A rundown of the primetime programming last night:
BBC 1: Wildlife on 1 - A look at the life & times of some sort of lizard
BBC 2: Some sort of ballroom dance competition
ITV: Some god-awful soap
Channel 4: Hollyoaks (another god-awful soap)
Channel 5: The Family Man (Nick Cage senti movie)
See what I mean? I usually watch TV just before I'm about to go to bed - 30 minutes and The Sandman doesn't just sprinkle his wares on my eyelids - he hits me with a sackful of the stuff!
Anyway, about advertising in the UK ....
I've sort of gotten the opinion that even advertising in the UK bears the "I'm ever so sorry to bother you, but do you mind considering purchasing my product? Um ... thank you. So sorry to have bothered you" mentality. That's the prevailing attitude for UK products ... like household products. The usual voice-over is cheerful & bright to the point where you suspect the person behind it is overdosing Prozac. The other category of UK ads shows the person using the product and marvels at how amazing that person now looks ... kind of like what tobacco ads usually do.
You do have some ads produced by multi-nationals. The prevailing attitude behind those ads? "This product is cool. You are not. If you use this product, you can hope to be a little cooler than you are. But don't get your hopes up." The voice-over here is usually cool, dry and withering in tone. You kind of get the impression that the person behind the voice doesn't really live in this country.
BBC 1: Wildlife on 1 - A look at the life & times of some sort of lizard
BBC 2: Some sort of ballroom dance competition
ITV: Some god-awful soap
Channel 4: Hollyoaks (another god-awful soap)
Channel 5: The Family Man (Nick Cage senti movie)
See what I mean? I usually watch TV just before I'm about to go to bed - 30 minutes and The Sandman doesn't just sprinkle his wares on my eyelids - he hits me with a sackful of the stuff!
Anyway, about advertising in the UK ....
I've sort of gotten the opinion that even advertising in the UK bears the "I'm ever so sorry to bother you, but do you mind considering purchasing my product? Um ... thank you. So sorry to have bothered you" mentality. That's the prevailing attitude for UK products ... like household products. The usual voice-over is cheerful & bright to the point where you suspect the person behind it is overdosing Prozac. The other category of UK ads shows the person using the product and marvels at how amazing that person now looks ... kind of like what tobacco ads usually do.
You do have some ads produced by multi-nationals. The prevailing attitude behind those ads? "This product is cool. You are not. If you use this product, you can hope to be a little cooler than you are. But don't get your hopes up." The voice-over here is usually cool, dry and withering in tone. You kind of get the impression that the person behind the voice doesn't really live in this country.
