[DirtyDog]

This animated video was made by the Bend Visitors Bureau at a cost of 35,000 notes. It was pulled the day after it was released and related websites taken down. The uptight types are super pissed about this and some heads are going to roll.

http://www.utterlyboring.com/archives/videos/bendOregon_OR_FINAL.swf

 

[Heidi]

I saw that whole thing in the paper yesterday. $35k for that video!!

 

[Dirty]

what the hell...

 

[spincrazy]

Wow. I think it's brilliant, especially for a tourism board. Very Oregon though - a place where that would be made by a small town visitors board and where it would then be pulled immediately. For every extreme liberal there is its opposite.

EDIT: 35k seems cheap to me for that sort of thing, but it's all relative.

 

[DirtyDog]

Wow. I think it's brilliant, especially for a tourism board. Very Oregon though - a place where that would be made by a small town visitors board and where it would then be pulled immediately. For every extreme liberal there is its opposite.

EDIT: 35k seems cheap to me for that sort of thing, but it's all relative.

It is brilliant. And it is cheap. Web designers with a little Flash experience think something like this can be done for little money. They don't know what they are talking about.

Ultimately the ad agency that pitched this thing should have known that an organization that has to answer to the city council would never get away with something like this. Especially in a town like Bend that is been taken over by humorless and wealthy outsiders.

 

[spincrazy]

It is brilliant. And it is cheap. Web designers with a little Flash experience think something like this can be done for little money. They don't know what they are talking about.

Ultimately the ad agency that pitched this thing should have known that an organization that has to answer to the city council would never get away with something like this. Especially in a town like Bend that is been taken over by humorless and wealthy outsiders.

Weiden & Kennedy by chance? I haven't been in
Bend in a few years, but I do imagine that it's turning into a Colorado like resort town. My friend's dad, who is a cardiologist, own one of those gated community summer homes.....:mumble:

I wonder what places like Madras and Culver are like right now or will be in a few years....Bend may just be that suburb that spreads its toxicity over the high desert plains.

EDIT, re the agency. it still got approval from someone and that's what's great about Oregon. Bet it would fly in Portland.

 

[DirtyDog]

Weiden & Kennedy by chance? I haven't been in
Bend in a few years, but I do imagine that it's turning into a Colorado like resort town. My friend's dad, who is a cardiologist, own one of those gated community summer homes.....:mumble:

I wonder what places like Madras and Culver are like right now or will be in a few years....Bend may just be that suburb that spreads its toxicity over the high desert plains.

EDIT, re the agency. it still got approval from someone and that's what's great about Oregon. Bet it would fly in Portland.

DVA is the ad agency. W&K don't have a local orifice. The communities surrounding Bend are SO rural I don't think they would have anything to offer me in my lifetime, growing or not. Prineville is growing up fairly quickly but I still wouldn't live there.

You wouldn't recognize Bend if you came back.

Regarding approval of the video - the client doesn't have any idea what "viral marketing" is. Agency pitches it, touts how great it is and that it needs to be edgy and controversial to work. Client buys it, approves it (which is super ballsy), and in the end the head of the client organization is going to take all the heat for listening to the advice of the "professionals". I blame the agency. They are the ones with experience in these matters and they should have anticipated the response.

 

[Tap]

hahaha

DVA!!! those guys should have known better

what a dumb ad, they don't even mention the town. is viral marketing supposed to both promote and slap around it's subject?

but Bend has to throw good money away to bring all the people to fill up the houses they are building

thank goodness we have an amazing singletrack network and are so close to oakridge

 

[GmotoT]

Wow....


....... wow .....

 

[DirtyDog]

what a dumb ad, they don't even mention the town. is viral marketing supposed to both promote and slap around it's subject?

I don't feel slapped around. I thought it was funny. I guess some people can poke a little fun at themselves and enjoy it, and others can't

 

[Secret Squirrel]

Heh...the ducks are high....huh..huh huh huh...

Wow....someone's got a lot of 'splainin' to do....

On a side note: When I drove through Oregon, I was not aware of its' elk-humping tendencies....I expect things like that in Wyoming though.......

 

[spincrazy]

hahaha

DVA!!! those guys should have known better

what a dumb ad, they don't even mention the town. is viral marketing supposed to both promote and slap around it's subject?

but Bend has to throw good money away to bring all the people to fill up the houses they are building

thank goodness we have an amazing singletrack network and are so close to oakridge

Hey Beer, remind me not to meet this guy if I do come back.

 

[spincrazy]

DVA is the ad agency. W&K don't have a local orifice. The communities surrounding Bend are SO rural I don't think they would have anything to offer me in my lifetime, growing or not. Prineville is growing up fairly quickly but I still wouldn't live there.

You wouldn't recognize Bend if you came back.

Regarding approval of the video - the client doesn't have any idea what "viral marketing" is. Agency pitches it, touts how great it is and that it needs to be edgy and controversial to work. Client buys it, approves it (which is super ballsy), and in the end the head of the client organization is going to take all the heat for listening to the advice of the "professionals". I blame the agency. They are the ones with experience in these matters and they should have anticipated the response.

How were you involved in this? I get the sense that you were.

Jebus, Prineville...I wouldn't live there either

You're right about the agency. Glad it got made though. It's great.

 

[DirtyDog]

How were you involved in this? I get the sense that you were.

I wasn't involved. I'm in the ad industry here so this is an interesting event for me.

 

[Secret Squirrel]

I wasn't involved. I'm in the ad industry here so this is an interesting event for me.

Porn ads aren't the same thing....

 

[spincrazy]

Ah, me too of late. I bucked up and took a full time gig at xxxxxxxxx. My friend is an AD at WK in PDX. Let me know if you ever need an in there or something.

I wasn't involved. I'm in the ad industry here so this is an interesting event for me.

edit. i've gotten burned in the past posting company names so i just killed it.

 

[DirtyDog]

Ah, me too of late. I bucked up and took a full time gig at TBWA/Chiat Day. My friend is an AD at WK in PDX. Let me know if you ever need an in there or something.

I appreciate the offer but I've been doing this full time for about 3.5 years and its time for a sabbatical. I'll be done here in about a week. I think I won't be back, not my cup of tea (or glass of beer).

 

[spincrazy]

Don't tell anyone, but I hate this industry too.... Good luck on your sabbatical. I am super jealous. I think about one all the time. I've been freelancing for 1.5+ exclusively and now I do the day job plus my own stuff.... day off would be so nice...a few months would be better.

I appreciate the offer but I've been doing this full time for about 3.5 years and its time for a sabbatical. I'll be done here in about a week. I think I won't be back, not my cup of tea (or glass of beer).

 

[Toshi]

Don't tell anyone, but I hate this industry too....

is this your blog?!

http://copyranter.blogspot.com/

 

[DirtyDog]

is this your blog?!

http://copyranter.blogspot.com/

LOL!! Yeah I can relate to that guy.

 

[spincrazy]

Like reading stupid stuff? Welcome.

Awesome. I don't have time to chronicle my life though and every entry would be the same.

Date: whatever, 2006

Worked all day and night

Date: whatever, 2006

Worked all day and night

Date: whatever, 2006

Worked all day and night

Date: whatever, 2006

Worked all day and night

ad infinitum

 

[Tap]

Hey Beer, remind me not to meet this guy if I do come back.

fine by me, bro. don't know what i said that ruffled your feathers, but you wanna single me out, i'm not cryin. not.

btw, i live in bend and I don't feel slapped around by the campaign either - sure the parody was keen....I guess. I understand that viral marketing can have several slants in order to work effectively and get people to send it to each other instead of the agency trying to push it directly to the consumers through traditional channels.

But while it is very true that Bend is experiencing growing pains and isn't the same mountain town that it was 15 years ago, what i don't understand is why the official Bend Visitors Bureau or DVA or whoever chose to parody the people of the town in such a barbed way for marketing purposes.

I just thought they missed the mark.

that is all.