What The…? Ray-Ban Viral Vid And A Bad Tagline

We just saw the new viral ad for Ray Ban. If you recall, the first viral effort was called “Catch” and featured Ben “Benzo” Kaller and his chubby side kick catching sunglasses with their faces. We loved that one and it deserved to rack up 2.7 million views and to bring home a Lion for its originality. Wow. It was really good, right?

The new vid is called, “Bobbing For Glasses.” Both spots came out of Omnicom’s Cutwater along with the tagline, “Never Hide.” Yes, the spot has racked up around 13,000 views in one day, but keep in mind that everyone that subscribes to Benzo’s channel gets a notice he’s posted something new. So look long on this one to see whether they can accumulate real numbers. Alas, like all sequels (save the Empire Strikes Back), it’s disappointing. A poster on YouTube sums it up nicely: “ok we got it… reverse not reverse fcp glasses trick… whatever….. where’s the kickass creativity from the 2 first vid ?? c’mon guys you can do so much better”

The video is cute and all, but… meh. Also, we’d like to note that the tagline, “Never Hide” for a sunglass company is so just baffling. Chuck McBride, ECD of Cutwater said: “It can’t be a fashion brand, but it is fashionable, so what is it? People like them at the comfort level. They’re what they wear when they are most themselves. That’s how we came up with “Never Hide.” These glasses don’t mask who you are, they’re a window to who you are. For the short while, ”Never Hide” is one of the best branding ideas I’ve had. Everyone gets the double entendre.”

This guy is smoking some heavy ganja. While it is true that the tagline can encompass whatever you want (which might not be the best thing – Nike’s “Just Do It” it’s not) that double entendre is so not clear. To prove it, we stood next to one of the ads today and asked some people what they thought.

The ad we stood next to looked just like the one above except for that little window in the left hand lower corner. Two overall points: everyone thought they were supposed to know the guy in the ad. He’s in a sound studio looking swarmy and holding up his hand like, ‘don’t take a photo!’ Point two – they didn’t get the concept of NOT hiding versus the actual function of sunglasses. We did man on the street, once before for Reebok’s Run Easy campaign. Again, asking consumers proves to be very illuminating.

Episode 1
AS: What do you think of this ad?
Random twenty-something girl: What? Oh. Is that a Stroke? (She’s referring to the band)
AS: Don’t think so.
Random girl: Oh. Well it kind of looks like one.
AS: Yeah. A little. Never hide…
Random girl: What does that mean? Does that mean you shouldn’t be wearing sunglasses?
AS: I dunno. What do you think it means?
Random girl: Well… I don’t know. I mean… Aren’t sunglasses for hiding behind?
AS: The people that created the ad say, “that the glasses don’t mask who you are, they’re a window to who you are.”
Random girl: Then wouldn’t they (the glass) be clear?

Episode 2
AS: What do you think of this ad?
Random guy in his late teens: Is this for TV?
AS: Err no. Just curious.
Random guy: I dunno. Nothing.
AS: What kind of sunglasses are you wearing?
Random guy: These are D&G. My girlfriend gave them to me.
AS: Nice. Are you hiding?
Random guy: Not really. It’s sunny out, but … well, I do like that no one can see my eyes, so yeah.
AS: So, you’re into hiding.
Random guy: That’s kind of rockstar right? This guy (points to ad) looks like a rockstar and he’s got sunglasses on.
AS:But this says never hide.
Random guy: Right.
AS: Like, even though he’s got sunglasses on he’s not hiding.
Random guy: I don’t get it.

Episode 3
AS: Hi. You’ve got sunglasses on.
Random woman in her late 20s: Yeah.
AS: Just wondering if they’re Ray Ban?
Random woman: No, Marc Jacobs.
AS: It’s not that sunny out anymore.
Random woman: I had a late night last night, but these frames match my outfit really well.
AS: What do you think of this ad?
Random woman: Of the image or everything?
AS: Everything.
Random woman: The guy is cute. Is he famous?
AS: Don’t think so.
Random woman: Not famous. Okay. I like the picture.
AS: What about the words?
Random woman: Never hide… I’m not hiding. I’m just hungover. (She pauses) Why does he have to worry about hiding if he’s not famous?
AS: Actually, the brand says that “the glasses don’t mask who you are, they’re a window to who you are.” Hence, never hide.
Random woman: Oh, but sunglasses are made to shield your eyes.
AS: Right, right, but despite that you aren’t hiding because … oh. You know?
Random woman: I kind of get it. It’s really confusing. You don’t work for this company do you?

Right. So, there you go…