Systemic Development > Bipolar System Disorders

Audio Fantasy Ads

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richidoo:
Ever take a close look at the audio magazine ads? Yesterday Stereophile came, and I was glad to see some nice preamps on review. While flipping through on my first high altitude pass, I started to notice how silly most of the print ads really are.

Speakers with no wires, rooms with no furniture, people with no faces but beautiful bodies. AV systems setup on a mountain cliff, little speaker balls splashing into water at night with a very bright full moon. Finally halfway through the mag, there is a picture of a PrimaLuna amp innards. OK, I can deal with that. Then right back to components floating by themselves in homogenous clouds of white, blue, gray/black. Systems are made of a pair of speakers, not connected to anything, no electronics seen anywhere, but the people are obviously enjoying themselves. Electronics float in space with no people, speakers or connection to reality, like they are time travel machines.

Are we really this gullible/stupid/impressionable? Or has our attention span narrowed so much from overexposure to these hype ads that it has formed a vicious cycle where advertisers must do it just to draw our attention? Is reading ads a form of entertainment in itself?

Howbout a picture of a 40 something regular guy in jeans and T shirt, pot belly and day old beard, coming home after work, sitting in his overstuffed chair in the living room cluttered with kids toys, audio components, piles of mail and a beer in his hand while he catches a few minutes of sound before the chores. Wouldn't that more accurately portray reality for most of us, and wouldn't that resonate better to sell the gear? Show his face, show the smile and the relaxation, show the inspiration, show the tear of joy, his best moment of the day before bathtime and bill paying. Show the gear on a sturdy wooden rack shelf with the wires hanging out all over the place and stacks of CDs piled high. Show him yelling over the music for his 4yo to not block the tweeter, or don't touch those tubes. How bout wife's blurry shadowy silouette from behind with hands on her hips with attitude looking into the listening room at the man sitting in his listening chair from behind. His one hand holds a beer, the other hand flips her the bird while the speakers tower above in the blurry distance in front of him, holding his attention to the exclusion of everything else.  :lol:

What kind of an ad would resonate with you, selling what kind of product? Let's hear your best fantasy audio ad?

Rich

Carlman:

--- Quote ---How bout wife's blurry shadowy silouette from behind with hands on her hips with attitude looking into the listening room at the man sitting in his listening chair from behind. His one hand holds a beer, the other hand flips her the bird while the speakers tower above in the blurry distance in front of him, holding his attention to the exclusion of everything else.
--- End quote ---

This is just a little 'too' real for me.. :(  I think somewhere in the middle might be better.... ;)    I don't want to be reminded of how much my wife hates that I waste so much time listening to hifi...

I also don't understand the speakers and electronics floating disconnected in a fantasy world.  I think that's the product of CEO's thinking they're art directors.  They'll say "Well, you've gotta see my gear to want it!  Make the GEAR look good... and just the gear I SELL, DAMMIT!"  I've been a photographer too long not to experience this over and over...

As a marketer you try to convey the experience of the product... To me the "product" of hifi is a satisfied listening experience.  To the manufacturer, the product is a hunk of pretty metal... and there's no way to come together on that.

As to people's bodies with no faces, that sounds more like porn than hifi... you sure that was Stereophile and not that 'other' magazine?  :lol:

I like to see a properly setup room but I would wager I'm not the usual shopper.  I've flipped through Stereophile maybe 3 times in my life.  I'm not their market so my opinion doesn't 'count' to them.  

If you want to see photos of rooms that hurt your ears just to LOOK at, check out B&W's brochures... all concrete, hard walls and sparse furniture in lofts... which I know from experience will sound like an empty warehouse... ack.

-C

mdconnelly:
Rich... wait... I want an ad that markets the kind of system where I'm sitting there listening to heavenly music in an idealic setting *and* my beautiful spouse is bringing me a beer and talking audio with me.

That's the kind of system I'd buy  :lol:

miklorsmith:
Nice post, Rich.  I don't read Stereophile but have and know the ads you're talking about.  I tend toward lesser-known brands with little to no adertising.  I align myself more with passion about the art of audio design inside than the cases outside and ridiculous, glossy photos.

Those guys have a good business model though - they advertise in Sphile, get reviewed by same, are discussed by wealthy folks on Agon, and get lots of "cred".  They're probably making more dough than the little guys and maybe the pure marketing aspect is an outgrowth of that.

I guess my best "ad" is a recommendation from a person whose ears I trust.

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