Advertising mistake colors me shocked

If you’ve ever been on a TV advertising set, you see the careful craft that goes into everything. No matter how inane the ad might be. That’s why any advertising mistake colors me shocked.

Consider the most recent spot in the, yes, inane Chevrolet JD Power campaign. See if you notice its advertising mistake. Even if it’s just perceived.

“Viewers catch ads in a snapshot. They may not notice that there’s also different people in each section. And, hell, for all I know, it’s a different woman. But it feels like an advertising mistake because of how ads are consumed.”

If you didn’t catch it, the blond woman at the start of the commercial wears a skirt. Later in it, she’s wearing pants. How was that not caught?

Remember, the point of the spot is that “real people” are caught by surprise that the winners of the JD Power awards are their own cars. Well, how surprised can she really be if she had time for a wardrobe change? The makers of the spot simply thought no one would notice. Or take into account that we’d misinterpret it.

Maybe there’s some logic to this advertising mistake I’m missing. But, if there is, few are catching it. The JD Power awards are a crock anyway, but viewers catch ads in a snapshot. You even see print or web ads in a blink. They may not notice that there’s also different people in each section. And, hell, for all I know, it’s a different woman. But it doesn’t feel that way because of how ads are consumed.

An advertising mistake is actually very rare

On the flip side, I present you an ad from Allstate. One that demonstrates how carefully most ads are created. There’s not an advertising mistake here. Just attention to detail.

When the spokesperson walks down a street that’s obviously green screen, the creators still have his foot twist when walking on a crack in the road. No advertising mistake here. Just careful attention even if the ad itself does little to create preference.

I have friends in the movie industry who say the same thing. Even if the film is a stupid Adam Sandler movie, the artists behind the scenes work diligently on their craft. Same goes on a photo shoot, such as one I attended last week. The care the photographer and our creative director took in shooting the most minute details is incredible.

So, now you see why I go all atwitter when I see an advertising mistake. But answer me this. How shocked could’ve that blond woman have been?