Opinion

BMX ad was clever, but it was like accidentally sleeping with a hooker

This story begins in February. Like many offices, I’m sure you get various random links forwarded of stuff your colleagues have found on the interwebz, or more likely had forwarded to them.

So I was one of thousands to see a hilarious ad on eBay for a BMX:  

Max wicked sick BMXThis is a max wicked sick BMX. It’s a Reliance Boomerang and it’s done heaps of maximum extreme stunts.

 I have mostly done stunts on this bike since forever. Once I did a boom gnarly stunt trick on it and a girl got pregnant just by watching my extremeness to the maxxxx.

Some details about sickmax BMX: Comes with everything you see including:

  • TOPS AS SUSPENSION REAR FORKS!!
  • 2 x wheels 1 x seat
  • I will even thrown my sick BMXing name for FREE – Wicked Styx.
  •  Has minor surface rust on handlebars and front forks (easily removed). More rust on rear forks (as shown in pics).
  • Tyres hold air but are pretty old.

Basically, it’s an old BMX, but it’s radness is still 100% in tact.

Tricks I have done on this BMX:

  • Endos – 234.
  • Sick Wheelies – 687.
  • Skids – 143,000.
  • Bunny Hops – 2 (Bunny Hops are gay and my brother dared me to do them, which I did because I’m Rad to the power of Sick).
  • Flipouts – 28.

Basically if you buy this bike you will instantly become a member to every club that was ever invented, worldwide, because you will be awesome.

Pick up from Richmond in Melbourne.

Throw your hands in the air like you just don’t mind.”

Entertaining stuff. After an enjoyable 60 seconds or so, I thought no more of it until a few months later.

That was until I had coffee a few weeks back with Nigel Marsh, the CEO of Y&R Brands. He proudly showed me a video that Y&R Melbourne had made:

At the time it wasn’t on any of the video sharing sites, which is why I didn’t write anything then(hat-tip Zac Martin who blogged about it last week after finding it on YouTube), but I must admit I felt somewhat conflicted. My ad industry loving side was deeply impressed. It was indeed a great case study for creativty, a demonstration of a 500% increase in profit (if you don’t take into account the staff time involved).

It showed that good ads work – same product, same medium, different result.

So an excellent result for GPY&R.

And yet, and yet…

My first reaction was to feel slightly sad.

The small smile I’d had in the office a few months before had not been real. I had not been reading the joyful description of a much loved outdoor companion, but the inauthentic manipulations of a good copywriter.

I felt, I imagine, like someone who sleeps with a beautiful woman believing she’s enjoying his good looks and wit, only to discovers in the morning that they’ve accidentally bedded a prostitute who’s now waiting to be paid.

In both cases, the professional may well be worthy of respect and may have done a good job, but the punter would probably have wanted to be aware of it beforehand.

Not entirely sure if I was being reasonable, I shared the news with colleagues when I got back.

“Is anything real on the internet?” appeared to be the consensus.

And that’s the thing. From the fake tattoo girl  in the Tourism Queensland best job in the world competition, to Witchery Heidi’s hunt for the man in the jacket, to the ‘seeded’ ads for the Dorito’s promotion, to Ten’s “leaked” 7pm Project promos, to speculation over the Richard Branson airline food letter to fake NSW Police Twitter accounts, even David Droga’s wonderful tagging Airforce One stunt, this industry seems to be behind most of them.

Of course, each time a fake is exposed, the public level of cynicism grows. In each case, the letdown is small, but in each one we are left questioning our own judgement and feelings in a small way. And, of course, as punters get distrustful, it gets harder the next time.

It’s a cumulative effect. Wicked sick as the BMX project was, in its own small way it added to the problem.

Tim Burrowes

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