You Decide: Smackdown!

Let's get ready to ruuuuuuuuuumble!
    Take a good look at these two campaigns. Two totally different products. Yet one eerily similar concept.
    The top campaign is selling coffee. The bottom, wasabi chips. In both cases, the basic idea is that this product will wake you up. Accidental or otherwise, these campaigns are way too similar for my liking. I have decided one must go. It is up to you to decide which.
    I don't care which idea came first. I don't care which product you would most likely buy. I only care about the execution you like the least. The campaign you vote for in the comments will be smacked down. Hard.
    So it's subtle racism versus overt creepiness. Which one survives?

Via I Believe in Advertising.

Comments

[Justin Kownacki]

I like the concept of the first one, but the execution of the 2nd one... Oh the choices...

In the end, I side with... the first one. Even though the second one seems JUST a bit more effective, I actually like the first one better in spirit.

[Hooeyspewer]

I think the wasabi chip ad should go because the effect of the morphing of part of your own body into an abusive hand/arm is a little disconcerting. The graphics are well done, but the idea is bothersome.

[Chumworth]

the wasabi ad loses because that last picture with the little hands holding that woman's eyes open is creepy and will be keeping me awake tonight. at least the coffee ad doesn't give me the heebie jeebies.

[jon glassett]

Tough call. Each is pretty disturbing in its own right. Still, the "appendages spontaneously morphing out of one's neck and face" does seem a touch more gruesome than the coffee ad. It's reminiscent of the mutant village in the Schwarzenegger classic Total Recall.

"Open your mind to wasabi chips. Opennn your miiiiiiiinnnnd..."

Kuato lives, indeed.

[Doug Meacham]

In the Coffee ads, the punch is coming from the coffee. I get it. On the other hand (no visual pun intended) the Wasabi Chips ads are just creepy. The message I get from them is your body telling you not to eat those damned Wasabi Chip or you's get punched, pinched or some sort of eye torture.

Wasabi Chips are goin down!!!

[Connie Reece]

Smack down those Wasabi chips. A little too weird. Maybe a lot too weird.

[Scarlet]

Ugh! Wasabi chips has to go. Didn't I see an X Files episode similar to this in the 90s? You know, the one where the guy had his "brother" growing out of his back..... you get my point. Smackdown the Wasabi Chips.

[Pieter Ardinois]

I vote coffee

[Adnohr Yak]

So, what do I think? Hmmmmm....

I think they both should stay.

Perhaps (somewhat) similar when put together on the same page, I think that when separated they may tend to stand on their own "made you look" marketing reaction. To me, coffee and chips are two different breeds of purchases.

I like the idea of the black coffee slapping you in the face. If anything this advertisement is similiar to, "Wow! I could have had a V-8". The subtle racism? I don't see it. It is just clever.

The Wasabi chips: very cool, "freaky" and now. The generation that doesn't have to count calories will love it. Especially college students trying to stay awake studying. ---

And if a student is really cramming for finals, just add a slap in the face coffee! ;)

[Mike Neumann]

The coffee one stays, the wasabi ad goes. I don't see the racism (why is everyone _trying_ to find racism where there is none?!) in the first - it just a strong cup o joe. The wasabi bit is creepy. Just creepy. Disturbing. I don't want to eat 'disturbing'. kthx

[amy louis]

Both creep me out. I wouldn't buy either product after seeing an ad like that. Too much bad photoshopping, and reminds me of Alien.

Back to the drawing board!

[Len Edgerly]

I agree the coffee ad is less disturbing, but I don't find it an appeal image, either. Is there any way the hand coming out of the coffee can perform a more appealing jolt? I'm imagining how you sometimes hod the chin of someone and shake it back and forth, saying "come on, shake out of it! things are going to be fine." Or if the person being jolted doesn't appear in such pain or discomfort. I'd want a facial expression with eyes popped open in near delight, as in, "thanks! I needed that!" I have to say the originality in both of these is off the charts, and I like that! Good luck.

[Dan N-Smith]

Major league smackdown on the wasabi chips - The coffee one has logic because it's the coffee doing the smacking/waking up. In the wasabi chips ads why are the body parts hitting themselves...? I don't want a product that would make my neck punch me. I think the visual metaphor in the former works best for me..