J. Walter Thompson’s ‘intelligent peg’ branded not so intelligent
J. Walter Thompson has gone silent on its Peggy prototype for Omo after the publicity stunt was called out by adman Rob Campbell in his blog.
The agency announced the weather predicting, app driven device which would tell people when to hang out the washing with a release last week.
The peg is a prototype with no date for a public release set while the Omo website simply takes expressions of interest from people.
The post, headlined: Dear adland, we’re about solving problems that help business & society, not problems that help us put out another pointless PR article about another pointless, over engineered product, argues ‘Peggy’ is just an attempt by an agency to look interesting.
“I’m pissed because an agency have launched an ‘intelligent peg’ to help people know the best time to do their washing … based on a bunch of weather indicators,” Campbell wrote.
“This is not a problem that needs solving … or at least not via a fucking peg.”
“This is just another tragic and desperate attempt by an agency – and client, a client who has actually done really good work in the past – to look interesting.
“Well guess what, they don’t. They look desperate.
“Oh I’m sure they can make it sound great in their agency credentials …
“And we developed a peg that empowered people to maximise their day through weather aggregation technology.”
“… but anyone with half a brain will just snort in derision, that is if it ever sees the light of day because I have a sneaky suspicion this is more for award shows than anything the mass market will ever encounter.”
When approached for comment on Campbell’s criticisms and whether the campaign would be entered into award shows and when Peggy would be made publicly available a spokesperson for J. Walter Thompson said: “JWT declines to comment”.
In the release announcing the peg, JWT Sydney group digital creative director Jay Morgan said the device was a display of the agency’s innovation.
“Ideas like this not only garner interest and engagement from our client’s customers but they add new value to their business outside of successful marketing campaign,” Morgan said.
“It’s been a great journey developing the product with our client, who are excited about the future potential of Peggy and the role she plays in the home.”
I love innovation that makes simple things slightly more complex. What’s wrong with the current system:
Step 1: Look out window
Step 2: Check weather app for afternoon rain
Step 3: Do the washing. Or not
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Rob works for Wieden not Weiden
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Hey Peggy, call me when you can actually hang out the washing, take it down when it’s dry, fold it, and put it away.
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This kind of idea sickens me. Seriously
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Really want to support these innovation ideas, but when you break some of them down (like this one), quite honestly what you get is a waste of time and money. A gimmick.
We are still human after all.
And while we are still human, we can look outside. We can touch the washing to see if it is dry.
Those that come from a digital background would like to believe that consumers are going to adopt these digital devices to replace their current behaviour. Yes they will…. But not like this.
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I know where this peg belongs.
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Pioneering solution? Data needs to add REAL value to people’s lives pls
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