Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to present to you two brand videos. One from LG Mobile, for the new LG G Flex (actually quite a good phone) and the other from Sony Mobile, for the QX100 lens/camera mobile accessory (a fantastic, if little bulky, hardware add-on).
One of them is the worst piece of branded content I’ve ever seen and the other is quite possibly the best piece of branded content I’ve ever seen.
Around London of late, LG has been rolling out some rather large adverts for its latest low-to-mid range device – the catchily-named LG GD510.
The first time I saw the ad, I chuckled, brushed it off and moved on. The second time I saw it, I was with company and asked out loud; “Look! What’s wrong with that picture? And that there – what does that even mean?!”
What am I talking about?
This:
Have you seen this poster?
The headline promises a ‘small phone, big experience’
Well yes, quite.
While I am still yet to experience any of the promised big experience that the GD510 keeps in its little pockets (the phone might be amazing, it probably isn’t), I really must take issue with a couple of things here.
Hands up, I’m a mobile geek. There are some things that such an affliction a gift can help with and some not. While it’s great being able to spot and name 90% of mobile phones from a standing start, said geek-brain can’t help itself when it looks at a poster like the one above.
My first thought is; where are the third party apps? There isn’t a single application shown on that handset that speaks to me as a consumer. Where’s Spotify? BBC iPlayer? ANYTHING that an everyday chap looking for a phone might want.
Sky TV maybe?
No. Nothing.
Look, LG. If you’re going to show off all the ‘apps’ (if we can call them that) on your new device, at least put some in there that we might recognise. I know what’s on show isn’t technically an app-based phone, but the way it’s pitched says otherwise.
“But James! Look at the poster again, can’t you see it says ‘Facebook’ on it?”
Yes, I know it does. And that brings me to my second point.
WHAT THE HELL DOES THAT EVEN MEAN?!
Seriously. Think about it.
Why is there what can only be described as a Facebook sticker just thrown on the end of that ad? Does it mean that the phone is presented in association with Facebook’? Or maybe… no, maybe what? There’s nothing it could mean!
Stupid, stupid, lazy advertising.
Dear LG,
Your Facebook reference is meaningless.
Do better.
