Ambra: Killer video, fatally wounded execution
It’s funny how sometimes you can come across the best idea in the world, and it’s ruined by the final 5% of execution.
That’s the situation in the case of Ambra underwear’s dark new film, which we wrote about a little earlier today.
(Spoiler alert: watch the video before you continue reading…)
Was the twist a shock? Not too much if you’d looked at the preview image, I’m guessing, which made it pretty clear that it was a vampire astride her prey.
Which is a shame, because the idea really only works if you don’t already know you’re about to watch a vampire film.
Yet it’s a tiny detail – and YouTube gives the poster three screenshots to choose from, so it’s one that would have been (or still could be) easily fixed.
But if viewers don’t get surprised by the twist, they aren’t going to pass it along to their friends – which will limit its chances of going viral.
Or at least, they won’t pass it on to their friends voluntarily. Which brings me to a second failure of the Ambra web site (well, second, if you don’t count the fact that the press release gets the website address wrong).
And that’s the crude call to action: “For your chance to win 1 of 5 $300 packs worth of Ambra product (legwear, underwear and bodywear) watch the above video!”
And what happens when you’ve watched the video? It gives a link to another page where the message is this: “For your chance to win $300 worth of Ambra product please fill out your details, and then four friends to enter you into the draw!”
Which is where it all starts feeling vaguely spammy.
Buried away in the Ts&Cs is a condition saying: “By entering the competition, entrants consent to receiving Ambra Corporation communication in the future. Entrants must nominate four (4) friends in order to gain entry to the promotion. Entrants should only nominate friends with whom they have a direct relationship and who consent to receiving information of this type.”
I asked the PR agency what this meant. A spokesman told me: “It’s really a means to get people to forward it on, I guess. When people enter, their four friends are then sent an email and then watch the video.”
Asked whether this might breach the Spam Act, she said: ‘Not that I’m aware of.”
She added: “They’re not doing anything with the friends’ data. It’s not considered spam because they are only passing on friends’ addresses so they can see the video.”
Asked whether the entrants should be told that their friends would be sent an email telling them to watch the video, she said: ‘I’m not sure – perhaps it could say that.”
She added: “I’m really not across this. The person who knows is in Buenos Aires this week.”
Update: After this article was posted, the site was amended to read: “Please fill out your details, and nominate four friends to receive a link to the video, where they can also go into the draw to win!”. The preview image has also been switched to a less revealing one.
Tim Burrowes
Linkedin
Interesting, I wonder how peer to peer communication that is encouraged by a commercial intent is dealt with under the Spam Act.
Personally not a big fan of the ad anyway, but such an obvious with the preview.
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hmm – it smells like spam to me – anyone who wants 4 of my friends’ emails is going to be told where to go – and not in a nice, “that’s the way to the zoo” way.
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First Post.
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I just thought it was a pretty boring video.
One word.
Lame.
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Technically it’s not spam if the email comes from the entrant and not the company. The Buenos Aires bound staffer would probably know if the data capture client just fires off the email to those 4 friends without storing any of the other contact details. The permit office should have checked the rest of the entry mechanics to ensure they are compliant. So hopefully it’s all legit even if not the best way to do it
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Another failure by a company that doesn’t understand social media and is trying to up on the bandwagon of viral marketing without knowing the target audience that’s likely to help by passing it on.
I think this ad is a massive failure. It’s boring, unimaginative and I wouldn’t pass it on to anyone, even for the chance to win some undies.
It doesn’t really promote the product to me either. I have absolutely no desire to buy anything in the ad. It’s not sexy, it’s not even very nice looking. The acting is bad and the product is unappealing.
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Yeah, I liked the technical level on the video – it looks pretty enough – but it certainly didn’t surprise or entertain me. I guess I’m not the target market though – not because I’m a man but because my butt already looks amazing.
It might not breach the Spam Act but it certainly harkens back to people who pass on chain emails or ask you to fill out quizzes on Facebook. I say harkens back as anyone who does this to me get’s blocked, and anyone who sends me the Ambra add would be too.
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Smells like a ‘greedy’ client who wants an instant mailing list, who isn’t willing to spend the time building a quality list of their own via marketing campaigns that have integrity and creativity. Good one Tim for prompting the advertiser to change the competition rules.
Campaign #fail.
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I’m surprised nobody else has mentioned this because the thing that stood out most about this ad to me was SHE SAID NO! And he got out of the car and started touching her anyway, which she allowed. Wake up, Ambra, it’s not cool to reinforce the idea that when a woman says no, she really means yes.
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