Last night, after a long days work, I sat down in my TV room with my cat (Shrimpy) and decided to browse through the channels and find something good to watch. While doing so, I landed on a commercial that immediately caught my eye due to its simplicity — “Exclamations” by PUR Water.
The commercial begins with a monotone color scheme and a stereotypical glass filled with water. No text, bright colors or corny bs. This lack of information captures and intrigues the viewer (myself in this instance) and induces longer viewing times. For example, if one were to land on a commercial and realize exactly what it is, and there’s no cool factor, they will simply switch channels. But, this PUR Water commercial is different. Very different.
As the glass of water is being showcased like a work of art, a voice comes in and says:
“Hey! It’s me, water. So you want me to be super amazing right from the faucet, but you think home filters can be a pain in the tookus. Well check this out: Booyah! Shazam! H-2-Ohhhhhh! Hydrolicious! Look what I can do! Magic bananaaaaas! Adios contaminos!”
After the humor subsides and viewers are hooked, a narrator interjects the following:
“Introducing the first faucet filter that installs with just one click, and removes 99% of lead and microbial cysts.”
Advertising Critique
This TV spot is a perfect example of how the simplest commercial can become a winner when matched with creativity and a sense of humor. Without the hilarious commentary (e.g. magic bananaaaaas!), this commercial could very well be a failure. But it wasn’t; not in the least.
Additionally, I love how the commercial focuses on the product and nothing but the product. It’s a gorgeous piece of work and, in reality, is what should be showcased. Many companies strive to create funny, catchy commercials, though in doing so they think too far outside the box and end up moving away from the real purpose of the commercial: Showcasing their product. This lack of information and direction, in many cases, leads to decreased ROI.
Please find the PUR Water commercial “Exclamations” below and be sure not to laugh too hard.
Aaron Schoenberger
The Brainchild Group