PHD attracts web's scorn for promo video
Most media and marketing agencies are used to receiving a little light ribbing from their peers. But spare a thought for PHD Worldwide which has become the talk of the internet over its controversial promo film.
The We Are The Future film, which shows a group of teenagers earnestly spouting trendy media lingo, has been watched more than 30,000 times, 'disliked' 772 times on YouTube and even spawned spoofs.
PHD can at least legitimately claim that it has gone viral.
But waves of negative comments have flowed in on YouTube and Twitter, and not just from peers in the marketing business. The comedian Dave Gorman tweeted: "This marketing vid is a spoof, right? It can't be real can it? Where's the reveal? Oh. It's real. We're doomed."
As Econsultancy writes, the media giant has been been accused of taking the criticism badly after censoring some of the negative comments posted on YouTube.
But it now appears to be mounting something of a fightback, taking to Posterous to respond to the criticism and take part in the debate.
In response to the suggestion that it took the abuse badly, PHD says: "To be honest we were taken by surprise at exactly how quickly the video spread (however ironic that might sound given the subject matter!)."
You can see the video for yourself below
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Comments
I certainly hope those kids aren't the future - posh precocious little tykes.
Exactly my thoughts on watching this... think it would have worked (marginally better) had all the kids not sounded as if they had been plucked from a top Swiss finishing school...
Yet another reason why media agencies shouldn't be allowed to do creative work. Ever.
Ill advised - the thought behind it that the kids of today will be the demanding consumers of tomorrow is sound enough, but the execution. Dear oh dear oh dear.
Looks like it could have been conceived at STV. Except that it's mostly in focus and has better production values.
Please someone get me some more nappies! I cannot stop pissing myself!
Posh isn't the issue, although it's annoying. The issue is agencies and agency types thinking the real world talks in the same self absorbed language they do. In a world where kids create their own rules as well as their own content, how can agencies pump out this kind of contrived shite and expect it to have any kind of impact?
It's not for punters though is it, it's for marketing/adwanks like us.
Everyone in this comment feed should pipe down and stop taking their profession so seriously.
Anon 15:20, it's meant to be the voice of the punters of the future though, isn't it??? That's the whole idea you halfwit.
Kids eh? I'll never understand them.
D&AD should have a new category - Best use of child abuse in advertising. Poor sods having to spout that load of twaddle. I hope they took the money and are now sat in front of their computers knocking out logic bombs to send to PHD.
As I've said before, kids voicing caution to the ageing marketeers, scripted by ageing marketeers, directed by ageing marketeers and manipulated by ageing marketeers. Looks to me like the ageing marketeers are very much in control here.
comments
Chris Morris has to be involved in this somewhere. Surely?
Bit like the Windows 7 "Party" film from last year
what a load of almighty bollocks.
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