Dutch’s Destiny from Optus: Good idea, shocking acting

Aussie telco Optus has launched Dutch’s Destiny, an online video series featuring the adventures of a young rapper.  

The series, which features on an Optus YouTube channel and Channel V, sees viewers being asked to vote on a dilemma at the end of each episode.

It’s a good idea – and yet more evidence that the time is now for video content that goes beyond the 30 second commercial.

Unfortunately the acting makes me want to gouge my eyes out with a spoon.

 

 

Tim Burrowes

October 18th, 2009 at 5:28 pm

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Comments


  1. Drama
    18 Oct 09
    5:32 pm

    2. Mind you, he does work in a call centre and seems to hate his job. Maybe he works for Optus.

  2. Doug Fresh
    18 Oct 09
    6:27 pm

    3. How is this a good idea?

    Terrible acting. Cliche plot. Do Optus really think anyone who isn’t part of their agency list would even watch this, let alone enjoy it?

  3. Terry T
    18 Oct 09
    8:44 pm

    4. Under the guise of a much misunderstood quality of ‘engagement’ we have had a rash of user-generated story lines. Watch A, then choose B or C. Choose C, then choose D or E. The issue is ‘A’ doesn’t engage, let alone viewed to its conclusion. Lame content, ridiculous story lines, laughable performances and the expectation is someone (outside the immediate agencies) will give time to these brand/sales mechanisms? Get over this idea that engagement can be manufactured without a commitment to long-term, quality initiatives.

  4. Michael Harris
    18 Oct 09
    10:01 pm

    5. I happened to be round at a friend’s place last night when this ‘ad’ broadcast on one of the music channels. I had to ask what it was, and then got stuck wondering how the heck this is going to help their brand.

    Then cue the scene about where the so-called music exec propositions the aspiring ‘musician’ for sexual favours to stand a chance of getting somewhere.

    A well timed point for the crickets outside to pipe up if there ever was one.

  5. Doug Fresh
    18 Oct 09
    11:16 pm

    6. i guess things like this happen when the motivations of the groups involved aren’t aligned

    agency that came up with the concept will back it because they want the revenue and want to do a big project

    media agency will back it because they want to appease the client and not alienate the creative agency

    publisher will back it because it’s a cross platform idea they can PR internally and externally, plus the money is great for these things as a lot of it will be disguised as ‘production’ hard costs.

    internally the marketing team will back it as none want to admit they’re not sure how to engage the target audience.

    no one involved will have the spine to stand up and question this – no one will ask the question ‘do we really think anyone gives a f*ck about this sort of ad content’ … the assumption will be that this is how modern brands market themselves.

  6. Aaron
    19 Oct 09
    10:58 am

    7. Okay, did they hire actors from the same place as Microsoft does?

  7. Chris
    19 Oct 09
    11:01 am

    8. I choose to switch to Three Mobile by the end of the day.

  8. Stuart
    19 Oct 09
    11:03 am

    9. Soft porn wrapped in an Optus brand

  9. Tony Swiss
    19 Oct 09
    11:05 am

    10. This sort of thing reminds me of that line, “if you book them, they will come”. A great example of someone pulling out the “Gen Y likes this” text book and randomly selecting pages until they have built themselves a “strategy”.
    Music + smug actors + perceived influence = successful campaign. Right?
    How patronising and, worse, lazy to assume this sort of garbage is going to work.

  10. mully
    19 Oct 09
    11:15 am

    11. Hang on, I don’t get it. Had he come to clean ze pool?

  11. Art Vandelay
    19 Oct 09
    11:46 am

    12. This is utter CRAP.

    Not sure how this is “more evidence that the time is now for video content that goes beyond the 30 second commercial”.

    This is on par with watching a video of a dog taking a steaming hot turd in the park.

  12. stu
    19 Oct 09
    1:02 pm

    13. I like how you say “Aussie telco Optus”….

    I’m sure the SingTel and its ultimate owner the Singaporean Government appreciate the irony.

  13. mumbrella
    19 Oct 09
    1:19 pm

    14. Hi Stu,

    It’s a shorter way of saying “telco that operates here in Australia”. In the same way that people might think of Sydney’s Daily Telegraph as an Aussie newspaper. In that context, it doesn’t really matter that News Corp is based in the US.

    Cheers,

    Tim – Mumbrella

  14. Lewis
    19 Oct 09
    4:01 pm

    15. How ridiculous. Another great fail for Optus

  15. John Grono
    19 Oct 09
    4:03 pm

    16. F. None of the above. How to kill online video in one easy lesson.

  16. Ben Shepherd
    19 Oct 09
    4:16 pm

    17. youtube channel is going off!!

    153 subscribers

    11,000 video views

  17. fibbest
    19 Oct 09
    9:30 pm

    18. Are you being sarcastic ben?

  18. Andrew Juma
    20 Oct 09
    9:23 am

    19. Make it stop. Someone, please

  19. Simon Julian
    20 Oct 09
    10:46 am

    20. So it is an ‘okay’ idea (I can’t stretch myself to good, sorry Tim!).

    The premise in some situations would be good and I kind of like the idea behind it, however in the end the fact that it is (a) ultimately for Optus and (b) so poorly put together, scripted and developed are big issues for me.

    In the end the ‘campaign’ around this is a bit of a non-starter, because the choices are so poor and the story just isn’t that engaging. This misses the real point on this type of campaign, which is that it is 100% storytelling – if you can’t come up with an engaging story don’t do it – I’d forgive the acting etc if the story was well crafted and engaging!

  20. Mike Watkins
    20 Oct 09
    11:03 am

    21. I just threw up a little bit…

  21. Kate Richardson
    20 Oct 09
    5:35 pm

    22. Oh what could have been. I’m feeling a bit embarrassed right now.

  22. westernluke
    23 Oct 09
    2:28 pm

    23. Is this for real? Just when you thought shows like this were things of the past, you turn on your tv to this rubbish.

    Seriously, every time I watch the tv and hear that lame ass intro rap music, I scramble around ripping apart the living room searching for the tv remote.

    I feel for the poor kids who do the “acting” (and when I say acting, I use the term lightly) They probably think they’re doing a great job, and that they’ll be the next big thing, reality check… Stick to selling isurance or what ever you do in real life, never try acting again, or rapping for that matter, you’ll probably earn more money in your life time selling insurance than trying to make it big as a rapper.

    Still, I feel a little responsible in the whole thing. If I didn’t buy Optus credit or pay an Optus bill my money wouldn’t fund such rubbish. Perhapse a change to Telstra is in order???

    Oh, and Optus… FYI… Next time you need an idea for a marketing technique DO NOT… and I mean DO NOT hire some lame ass marketing firm to come up with a “cool idea” aimed at a demographic twenty to thirty years their junior. It doesn’t work, It has never work.

  23. Brendan
    24 Oct 09
    11:34 am

    24. I think some might be missing the point. I am 21, I love this campaign, it’s hilarious. The terrible acting has surely got to be intentional. A slick production with David Wenham and Geoffrey Rush isn’t gonna work here. It’s part mockumentary, but just a hint of it, the aim is for my generation to be like “are they serious…this is terrrrrrilble….but I like it, it’s addictive” that kind of thing. The bad acting works.

  24. Art Vandelay
    26 Oct 09
    1:16 pm

    25. Brendan, you’re an idiot.

  25. Brendan
    26 Oct 09
    4:37 pm

    26. Art Vandelay, you’re clearly as pretentious as your name and have no idea what market you’re dealing with. You will never be able to say you know the demographic I am part of better them me, no matter what data you have. I’m not saying what the agency did here was ingenious and intentional, I’m just saying it works for what it is. You shouldn’t stray from the children 7-12 age market, by the sound of lame insults like that.

  26. Brendan
    26 Oct 09
    4:41 pm

    27. and why hide behind Seinfeld aliases anyway? How weak are you? do you just do this to any forum, just go around bagging people?

  27. Art Vandelay
    26 Oct 09
    4:47 pm

    28. Brendy boy- did you just quickly google my name and realise it was a Seinfeld character instead of my real “pretentious” name? Whoops!

    You better get off mummys internet now and get back to the latest episode of Dutch’s Destiny… You never know what will happen next!!

  28. Graham Welch
    26 Oct 09
    8:14 pm

    29. ‘Art’, it seems like you’re the one who is using your mother’s internet. I think this young fella has actually said something interesting that marketers may overlook, but you haven’t really shown any qualification at all to understand any of this discussion so this might be wasted in you. Just stay off this forum or grow up.

  29. Art Vandelay
    26 Oct 09
    8:29 pm

    30. And please welcome to Mumbrella, the creative mastermind behind Dutch’s destiny, Mr Graham Welch.

  30. Simon Julian
    26 Oct 09
    9:42 pm

    31. I have to say ‘Art’, if you’re going to treat the discussion in this way at least do so under your own name, then we at least all CAN google who you are (if only to avoid you in future!).

    If you can’t do people that courtesy then I doubt anybody is going to pay too much credence to your comments…

  31. Art Vandelay
    27 Oct 09
    9:09 am

    32. Simon Julian, I’m not here to service some sycophantic desire for my peers to accept me (or take credence)

    But maybe you’re right….
    Maybe I should post under my real name….
    Maybe I should even link to my own half baked industry blog…. Surely someone will take me seriously then right??
    Aaah, I know what’s missing, attaching my CV to my blog. There.. All set. Online acceptance here we come!!

  32. Brendan
    27 Oct 09
    4:38 pm

    33. why ARE you here Art? You’re here to hang shit on others from behind a blanket. You’re not adding anything interesting. And congrats on your comment “This is on par with watching a video of a dog taking a steaming hot turd in the park”, that is a really lively and original analogy.
    Say what you want now, and you will, and you’ll stew over it, because you’re pretty pathetic and none too clever, but I’ll jump off the hate ship at this stop because I’ve got stuff to do. I’m not coming back to this page again.
    ciao Farty

  33. Art Vandelay
    27 Oct 09
    4:50 pm

    34. Now now Brendan, no need to call me ‘farty’, that’s quite mean.

    Anyway, since you wont be reading this, nice to chat, enjoy the rest of Dutch’s hilarious antics and exploits.

  34. Simon Julian
    27 Oct 09
    8:03 pm

    35. Why Art, you visited my lil website *blush*

    Why someone with sooooo much valuable insight and knowledge would grace me with their oh so interesting feedback is just beyond me…thank you just so much, I really mean it.

    Seriously, send me your contact details, I’d just love to catch up and trade way interesting thoughts and stuff with you

    Anyway, bored now, you’re a one trick pony buddy :)

  35. Art Vandelay
    27 Oct 09
    9:13 pm

    36. What a shame you dont overuse the same sarcastic creative license on your blog a bit more Simon.

  36. Simon Julian
    27 Oct 09
    9:36 pm

    37. I’ll take it under advisement, if only I had met you sooner.

    I take back what I said before, you get more interesting as time goes on. Nice to see we’re on a first name basis now, I feel so much more comfortable

  37. kreek
    4 Nov 09
    2:50 am

    38. i agree with brendan, its hilarious and is intentionally mocking, jeeze people