Rode - Yo-Yo advertisement

[Gebo]

1) there is something about the guy in this add that freaks me out. He looks like some sort of weird CGI thing, but kind of real at the same time. He has a super weird look on his face too.

2) I dont understand what exactly Rode was thinking with the whole yo-yo thing. The fact that they can afford to mail a yo-yo to anyone who subscribes to their newsletter tells me that they MIGHT be selling your info, so maybe thats it? I dont see the correlation at all, it seems so nonsensical.

This isnt a dig a tapeop, Rode makes products a lot of us use, I have no problem with the add actually being in the mag. I just curious if others had the same WTF? reaction that I did.

[Ryan Silva]

Well not sure if they have an Australian ad firm, but to my American eyes most Aussie advertisements are a bit odd.

I own a pair of Event Opals (Awesome by the way) and as you may know Event is now owned by Rode. The worst thing about the whole buying experience was looking at the CEO in his Guido suit, in the advertisements. Not sure why they thought it would be anything short of creepy, but they did it anyway.

[agrpap]

It took me a long time to realize it wasn't Jarvis Cocker. My head was really swimming.

[Snarl 12/8]

There's a whole "school" of advertising that is all about just getting people to notice the ad. They don't really care that much whether it's creepy, funny, odd, crazy, disgusting, whatever. Just that somebody will be interested enough in it to post something about it on a messageboard. Mission accomplished.

[Gebo]

There's a whole "school" of advertising that is all about just getting people to notice the ad. They don't really care that much whether it's creepy, funny, odd, crazy, disgusting, whatever. Just that somebody will be interested enough in it to post something about it on a messageboard. Mission accomplished.

So true.

[Brett Siler]

This ad is really irritating. I hate the guys pseudo hipster ironic revenge of the nerds look. Plus who are they trying to market this to? Why would people who want recording equipment care about fn yoyos?

[plurgid]

yes, it's wierd and creepy. clearly they were going for the Napoleon Dynamite aesthetic ... and yet ...

here we are talking about it, and mentioning their products on "teh intarnetz" ...

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED, LOL.

[chris harris]

I think that their yo yos are kinda harsh in the top end.

[Gebo]

I think that their yo yos are kinda harsh in the top end.

I agree, although the Joly mod really unlocked the hidden potential of this yo-yo.

[Nick Sevilla]

Does this Yo-Yo record in Stereo?

[DrummerMan]

Does this Yo-Yo record in Stereo?

no no no no no no no.... C'mon man. This is a HIP yo-yo for HIP people, it obviously records in M-S and Glyn Johns simultaneously somehow, all the while making you sound automatically like (insert currently popular hipster record/artist here).

[Gorilla]

I didn't find it that bad as a consumer, but as an advertiser I did cringe.

The visual did get me to read the ad (good for them). But the content (you give us your email and we'll give you a yoyo) was disapointing.

Okay, I know who you are and what you do, and I get that if I sign up for the newsletter, you send me emails promoting your products. I get a lot of those already.

As a reader, I'd be a bit more interested in why I want your news letter. Information on new products? Right... I know that, just like on your website, facebook, twitter, or at your retailers websites. From my perspective, I don't lack information on Rode. But (as many companies do) if you had content related to recording and microphones (interviews, profiles, applications, etc) I would check it out and maybe read it on an ongoing basis, where in turn I continue to learn about rode. All I get out of this is, we'll send you a yoyo so we can send you more ads.

I'm not saying this kind of thing can't or doesn't work -- trinkets and trash and schwag can work -- but it just seems unsophisticated, when you are trying to reach a highly engaged audience. Tape Op readers almost by definition want to know about microphones and here we are saying, "no thanks, pass".

On the other end of the spectrum, you have companies like presonus that just stuff their ads with so much detail and present it in a completely unappealing "we gave the intern pagemaker '98" kind of manner. That doesn't really work for me either, as it's too headache inducing for me to even read.

I appreciate that they advertise here (as I don't pay for the magazine as a result) but very little "pro audio" advertising is balanced in terms of gaining active attention (even more important in print than elsewhere) and presenting motivating messages -- as a result, I bet most of the CMOs don't find it very successful and probably blame the publication (Tape Op sucks, our ads never generate anything there) instead of looking at their own sub-optimized ads.

[tdbajus]

What is up with people trying to label their customers as odious?

I see this ad all of the time:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQCTIo1YlNE

I'd like to meet the person who watches this ad and thinks: "Hey! they really have me nailed! I like an aged cognac!"

[DrummerMan]

What is up with people trying to label their customers as odious?

I see this ad all of the time:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQCTIo1YlNE

I'd like to meet the person who watches this ad and thinks: "Hey! they really have me nailed! I like an aged cognac!"

OK, I moved out of Red Hook like almost 3 years ago now, but I've been back to visit a few times and I don't remember seeing 85 acres of anything except shipping yards last time I checked. I know the park was in the plans, but have they actually done it yet?

[lsn110]

If it records in stereo, you could get a cool leslie like effect.