When Advertising Goes Bad

Is it just me, or is the current LG radio commercial promoting their ‘marriage’ collections one of the most cack-handed pieces of drivel ever foisted on a long-suffering public. There are many poor quality commercials broadcast over our airwaves, but few ever descend to such depths of perfidy as this execrable insult.

It is awful. Racial stereotyping. Incompetent writing. Leaden delivery. Idiotic concept. Ludicrous premise. It beggars belief that a creative team thought it was worth doing, an account exec presented it to a client, a client approved it, a production house made it, three voice artists recorded it, and a station played it. And not one of these people had the wit, intelligence or courage to question whether it was any good.

It is insufficient to blame the medium, though radio is traditionally regarded as the Cinderella of advertising media, the place where junior teams are sent to cut their teeth on a real job. Good money was spent on this bad advertising, and it was money wasted – I am sure that the result will be the precise reverse of what the client intended.

Two things I know – this ad is so bad, it is the first I have felt compelled to specifically criticize. And second, it actually should be preserved, as a case study in precisely how not to do radio.