Columbia Sportswear Made an Hour-Long Commercial and No One Noticed
Columbia Sportswear produced an hour-long commercial film, which has been viewed by practically no one.
The basic premise is that Columbia dressed up ten adventurous souls in their trademark gear, and set them loose in the Kingdom of Jordan. While there, one imagines, adventure and drama ensue. I wouldn’t know, because I’m not going to watch an hour-long commercial. Seriously, an hour long? Oy, I couldn’t even sit through “Schindler’s List.”
It seems I am far from alone in this sentiment, as the video – posted in mid-September – has scarcely attained 2,000 views on YouTube. (I also have serious questions about what percentage of those people actually watched the whole thing.)
There is one facet to this campaign that cracked me up to no end, and showed just how out of touch the company is with how social media really works: The film made its debut on Google+, the dying social network that seems destined to be the next MySpace. “How can we maximize exposure to our video,” wondered a clueless ad exec. “Let’s use Google+! It’s the wave of the future,” responded someone who is now almost certainly seeking new employment.
I also feel like we have to talk about the name of this promotional film. Nothing says “watch something else” quite like the title “I am #OMNITEN.” First off, I refuse to watch any film with a hashtag in its title, purely on principle. Secondly, what the heck is OMNITEN?
As it turns out, the answer to that last question is another hilarious misstep by Columbia, and Portland, Oregon-based ad agency CMD. The term OMNITEN refers to the ten participants in the film’s adventure. The problem? The campaign has been using the hashtag #Omni10 since 2012. Not only does the film contain a hashtag in its title, but it’s the wrong hashtag!
The bottom line here is that no one is going to watch an hour-long commercial/film for Columbia Sportswear, when they could spend that time watching “Game of Thrones” instead. Especially in an era where streaming media give consumers nearly countless viewing options, an hour-long commercial doesn’t stand a chance.
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Nice Post man, Thanks for sharing it, Howard Davidson Arlington MA, Columbia always does a great job of marketing. Their products are tried and true.
You are right about this commercial and its viewership. I think the problem is that if you are more innovative in producing the quality commercials it make effects but if you are just making it an hour long documentary no one will be there to spend their precious time to watch the commercial. Howard Davidson Arlington Massachusetts, you sure made a reasonable ad analysis and know your how write!
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Thank you for the sharing, Howard Davidson Arlington MA! That was a real eye opener for me, I really enjoy reading your posts, you give details and this is what’s really grippin’!
This is no doubt a cool topic, Howard Davidson Arlington Massachusetts, specifically for the advertisers and marketers who are clawing for new tactics. But who can sit through an hour long commercial? Not me.
hahahaha…you have ripped this commercial apart Howard Davidson Arlington MA….I never knew about this commercial before and now I cannot stop myself laughing on it…Well written…