You can always tell when some dickwad ad agency from New York or elsewhere on the East Coast barrels into Southern California with ads created by people whose knowledge of our community derives from having watched old TV episodes of "Adam-12" or "Shindig!" or "Baywatch".
The ad usually looks or sounds something like the ad that appeared when Sam Ash Music opened its first store here in Los Angeles: "Finally! East Coast Quality At West Coast Prices!" Or the Farmer John spots in which Vin Scully intones "Easternmost in Quality, Westernmost In Flavor!" (As a SoCal resident, have you ever said to yourself, "Gee, I wish we savages out here in the Wild West had the kind of quality products that those discerning, sophisticated folks back east get to enjoy!"?)
How about the old Sprint billboards which made frequent references to callers having ample monthly minutes to use their wireless phones to talk about their boob jobs or to say "Gag me with a spoon!"? Now we get the latest example of the East Coast elitism and stereotyping that proves that Vinnie and Vito and their ilk think we are no more than "a bunch of fruits, nuts and flakes" in the form of advertising from Chase Bank.
Nevermind the radio commercials that bring the exciting news that "Chase has come to California!" as if we are one monolithic place to which they can market, full of desperate, unsophisticated people who haven't seen an overgrown banking conglomerate from back east before. How about the Chase billboard at the southwest corner of Hollywood and Highland that reads "72 and sunny with a 100 percent chance of better banking"? In addition to the Chase logo, the ad features a sillouette of what looks like a Tab Hunter-type model leaning on a surfboard.
That's right dudes, all we care about in Los Angeles is the weather or going surfing. For people who fight their way through freeway traffic for hours, this in no way resembles the Southern California most of us slog through every day. But I imagine the average schmendrick who takes the Long Island Railroad to work at the ad agency every morning and back home fantasizes about "going out there" to "hang out at the beach" with Elvis and Annette Funicello (or whoever they think is swimming in Santa Monica's sewage and sunning themselves in a marine layer that just won't quit most days until after noon). Clearly he thinks this ad campaign is just swell for the people who "don't know good pizza out there" (as they say back east).
Have you noticed this phenomenon?
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I'm glad to see I can start following you again, Father! I learned so much from you when I was married and used all your teachings during and after my divorce. I owe my rebirth all to you!
ReplyDeleteAll those East Coast people who can't assimilate, can just go "back home!"
Blow me up Tom!!!
Honored to be your first ever commenter...and welcome to blogging. Say farewell to that pantload of free time you have.
ReplyDeleteHow many of these ad writers have a "The Endless Summer" poster in their cubicles?
Good first post. Can't wait to read more. By the way that station sucks now.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Dale, Send em packing. maybe we should create an add about the east coast lifestyle "as we know it" I guess the good side to this is that Chase will be contributing to CA by way of taxes. Hell, bring all the business from "out there" to the west coast we could all benefit from large companies bailing Ca and the rest of the west out of debt
ReplyDeleteTHIRD! It depresses me that you're off the air. I'm currently listening to your stuff from 2006 and pretending it's live =(
ReplyDeleteGlad you are writing, Mr. Leykis.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I've noticed this stuff, too.
This is one reason why I say you have more than one good book in you. Besides 101, you could write your memiors, you could write about media and advertising... I don't always agree with you, but I can see your logic.
Of course, I've often wondered what people "back dere" think when they watch sitcoms that are supposed to be set in New York or Boston and every main character talks with a California accent.
First get it ut the way....
ReplyDeleteHELLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO TOMMMMMMMMMMMM!
Got that out of my system.
Have to notice the Chase ads becasue they are without a doubt the second worst ad campaign I have seen in SoCal this year (the first: Jack of JackInTheBox in a coma. Like, huh?)
It is dull, lifeless, and in some cases snide ("sorry we're late, we were in traffic") Like, you've been here as WaMu since, say NOVEMBER!
So in true Leykis style, blow Chase up AIG style....considering that the Feds are looking into maybe fraud charges with WaMu (http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20090330-717740.html) Chase may very well be in that AIG swamp presently.
Good on ya Tom.
Don
I'm a lowly field rep for one of the biggest marketing firms in the country and I'm always frustrated and find myself having to bite my tongue when some new program gets pushed out to the field. Although, I can see how it happens: an aspiring marketing manager working from home because he's snowed in for the 10th time in a month starts brainstorming about programs for California markets, without once ever stepping foot on Golden State soil.
ReplyDeleteI've come to believe that most people who live outside of California think that we all live in Malibu/Beverly Hills and do nothing but go to Disney Land, which is just a block south of Downtown LA and 20 minutes from Hollywood. They have know idea of the 60-70 mile radius of urban sprawl that is Southern California. In fact, even most Northern Californians don't have a good grasp of the geography either. I went to school up in the Bay Area and most people were confused when I would tell them that I was from LA and then later found out that I actually live in Ontario. I constantly had to explain that even though most of us live outside the city and even county limits, most of us feel as part of the "LA" community.
Anyhow, I'm up for a promotion and perhaps one day I'll be designing campaigns for markets I don't know anything about. I'll try to remember to be wise enough to either familiarize myself with the market or seek the advice of experts living in the market.
Wish me luck Dad, Interview is on Monday.
thanks Tom great as usual. I am now starting to feel the hurt of no Tom Leykis in the afternoons. ouch
ReplyDeleteIn another merger, Chase plans to purchase Chevron so it can be called Chevy Chase...and you're not. ;-)
ReplyDeleteTake me out JFK Sr. style.
(sound of rifle firing twice)
H'lo Tom,
ReplyDeleteI used to be Wayne from San Diego, then moved to LA in '92. We bumped into each other several times at the Forum, and once on Van Nuys & Ventura just after the quake.
The only thing I like about Chase bank moving in is that I won't have to listen to those awful Wah-Moo ads on tv and radio anymore. There isn't much worse than that!