If you are reading this blog post you are aware of the census. Most people are but the Census Bureau still likes to advertise to pick up the stragglers. I see a lot of posters up in my neighborhood which is good because there are a lot of recent immigrants around here and many of them might not be aware of the census. I'm no expert but it seems like the Census Bureau wants to earn people's trust and just educate them on what it is all about. Maybe I'm going out on a limb but I don't think so.
So.... can anyone explain to me what the hell the Census Bureau and Draftfcb were thinking when they commissioned Christopher Guest to direct the cryptic ad below? It includes the cast of Waiting for Guffman and kind of makes you scratch your head for a minute. I would really like the concept if it were a viral ad for a company in search of a strong brand that would resonate with fans of off-beat comedies. Like if your target demographic was looking for the opportunity to reconnect with a cast from an indie movie released 14 years ago. But the Census Bureau doesn't fit that description in my mind even a little bit. As I said above, it seems like they should be picking up stragglers. And by stragglers I'm not talking about just immigrants but probably people that don't fit into the 3% of the population that this ad probably resonates with. Just sayin'
3 comments:
Maybe they are hoping people like us--people who appreciate the hand-held camera effect and nerdy spectacles--will become ambassadors, spreading the word to recent immigrants. After all, they are our neighbors.
Actually I don't think all census marketing is or should be targetting only recent immigrants. Of course this is a critical demographic in need of information, but so is the rest of the country. It is, after all, a census. I see this add as more of a softening up attempt to get people ready for a process that even the most enlightened and socialized citizen might find tedious, strange or otherwise not worth their time or attention. Getting people ready with some self-deprecating humor that will make them more likely to participate seems to me to be the gist of this one. But, as giraffe lookout might say, I'm just sayin'.
Postscript:
As some of us reading and/or writing this blog well know, knocking on a strangers door with even the best of intentions can be a nerve racking experience and is likely going to be met with a fair amount of resistance from time to time. Any effort to make the census workers life a little easier by prepping his or her "prey" with an add like this is to be applauded. I say, bravo! But again, just sayin'.
still though dude it's a 14 year old indie movie that only like 3% of the population saw in the first place. its almost like the creative agency had the idea sitting around because someone else didn't want it and the census folks were naive enough to take it.
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