subject: Verizon Droid X Eagle Eye Commercial Problem [print this page] The new TV commercial by Verizon for the Droid X has a split personality: It does some things really well...and screws up other parts.
The commercial begins strong, with the establishing shot of the office.
Then they make a strong claim: This "will change the way you do movies." And they proceed to SHOW you what they mean. We see how easy it is -- at least, according to Verizon -- to get from "hard at work" to "watching a movie on demand."
And doesn't THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM look great on that little phone? Those are the parts they did well.
Of course, if you manage to read the fine print at the bottom of the screen you'll see that the great-looking video is "simulated" and that the "sequences" have been "shortened" -- apparently meaning that going from "phone on desk" to "movie playing on your phone" isn't quite as fast & easy as the commercial makes it appear.
But almost no one will see that fine print, and the images are very effective.
Here is where the advertisement falls apart: when the announcer refers to the 4.3-inch screen as "so big."
Consumers ARE willing to believe they can enjoy watching movies on such a small screen. But when you describe a 4.3-inch screen as being "so big," you create a state of cognitive dissonance for the consumer:
Is the screen 4.3 inches? Or is it "so big"?
It's at that point that the commercial screeches to a halt, and then it resumes in a completely different direction. The visual implication is that you need artificial "Terminator" eyes to enjoy that little movie on that little screen.
But the message should have been, "Movies look so good on the Droid screen that you'll love watching them. Without being bionic. Or, perhaps, being an an-droid.
