Field Notes Inside an Integrated Communications Agency

HeadOn! Apply directly to the forehead. Repeat thrice. Become Internet meme.

The ubiquitous HeadOn ad is a 10-second destroyer of ponytail-pretenses that have gunked up the advertising industry for ages. Production values? Who needs ‘em! Persuasion? Emotion? Nah! Humor? Check. Especially if you find rubbing a gluestick on your forehead funny. I sure do.

In an interview with Slate Magazine assistant professor of marketing at Yale School of Management, Dina Mayzlin says, "Part of the charm is that it is so crude. The ad stands out in its repetitiveness. It's intriguing and breaks through the clutter."

Yes, clutter breaking. Like a fart.

That’s Badvertising at its finest. HeadOn sales are up 234% and will continue with an estimated ad budget of $30 million. Brilliant marketing I’d say. For every ad dollar spent they probably make back three because the ad gives viewers headaches, thus spurring demand.

We should expect to see two decades of homage to HeadOn ads. Axe body spray ads aren’t necessarily bad but they owe cultural debt to the B.O. (that’s Badvertising Original, what were you thinking?), Hai Karate aftershave. Sold from 1967 into the 1980s, Hai Karate’s creative strategy balanced on the notion that green gutter water could turn women into lusty cop-a-feel-a-holics. In a genius move, Hai Karate bottles even came with self-defense instructions to protect he-men from the onslaught of aroma-crazed women. Evidently the 1960s expanded the spectrum of advertising in both the good and bad direction.

Since the early 60s, the Godfather of Badvertising, Ron Popeil’s ads have littered the airwaves with their rat-a-tat, Sell-O-Matic goodness. Popeil’s first commercial costs $550 and soon appeared in 100 cities. Similar successes followed the Chop-O-Matic, the Veg-O-Matic. Mr. Microphone, Hair-in-a-can, The Pocket Fisherman, Inside-the-shell Egg Scrambler, Food Dehydrator and Showtime Rotisserie.

It got me thinking. What’s the difference between a bad ad and good Badvertising? I think it should be clear the marketer thinks it’s good, or maybe even not bad. Secondly, the script should rely heavily on mnemonics and repetition. Next, the production values have to be refreshing low and ripe for parody. Lastly, in spite of everything it has to work so well that it proves us ad snobs wrong.