I just saw this post on some VW ads and it like an interesting trend at the moment. MTN was the first one that I saw where they took the OK Go video, and made a 45 second ad out of it. The OK Go video has been viewed almost 18 million times on YouTube, the MTN version 389. Now, VW take great but old AngryAlien clips, and stick a pay-off line and logo on the end.
The optimist in me says well done for rewarding companies like AngryAlien and pushing them more into mainstream media. The cynic in me keeps asking if it isn’t just easier to take something that we know has already worked online and just brand/repackage it. I sure hope the cynic is wrong.
It’s an innovative idea to be sure. They recognize something good when they see it. While it’s also a safe bet to use something that has already worked in the past, the fact that they repackaged it somewhat should count for some points. I just hope not more companies take this road or else advertising is going to lose its excitement.