Kayak Satirical Ads :: CGM and Ads May Sting
July 16, 2006 by Robert
When I first saw the new Kayak.com TV ads, my first thought was how different they were from other launch ads. They were intended, I believe, to be funny - sort of like the “Roaming Gnome” ads from Travelocity. However, as I saw more and more of them, it became apparent that these are more edgy than anything anyone has done recenlty.
The Kayak site introduces the ads with this: “We hope you’ll agree that we are equal opportunity satirists and will enjoy the ads in the humorous tone in which they were created.” Well, it hasn’t quite gone that way - for everyone.
Paul English, a co-founder of the site/company, has posted some of the more angry anti-Kayak.com emails they’ve received about the ads. (Danger, Will Robinson! Some pretty vulgar angry stuff in there.) The Alaska / Big Oil ad seems to have touched a nerve. OK, more like jumped up and down on it - with an ice pick.
Another aspect that interested me, even more, is how Kayak is incorporating consumer generated ads / media (CGM) in the mix via YouTube. David Weinberger, one of the authors of the Cluetrain Manifesto, has even joined in the fray with a Joho post about the ads and developing his own Joho Kayak ad.
You may see all of the Kayak produced ads here and all of the consumer generated Kayak ads here. As of this post, there are 132 CGM ads in there. That’s impressive. The viewing numbers are impressive, too. Many ads have more than 100 views.
My thoughts? It is a crap shoot. Be edgy, but risk hacking off a lot of people. So, contingency planning is key if this plan is going to be implemented. This is a perfect example of how a company might want to involve PR in their advertising campaign planning. Hey, if you’re going to run ads that will inevitably make people mad, then be ready with a planned response strategy and implement it real-time.
I searched Technorati for posts about the ads, but didn’t find any - other than Joho. The rest were about - gee, kayaking. There are not any posts tagged kayak.com. So, I don’t know if Kayak has such a planned response in action. The meme hasn’t developed (and may not), but better to be prepared than caught flat-footed.
Paul English’s transparent post of the email flames is a refreshing touch, in a way. He writes, “Our goal was to be funny, and controversial. We wanted to take some risks, we knew some people would be offended. The response has been huge with overall positive comments.” Well, where are the positive ones, Paul. I don’t doubt you have them - and some are available in YouTube - but how about sharing those, too. Some are posted to the CGM ads available in YouTube.
One of the comments on the YouTube Kayak Alaska / Big Oil ad actually claims that the Kayak site and ads are part of an astroturfing campaign. (That will fit nicely into my next post.) The comment, from TheOrioleGuy, claims:
Desire: I want to promote my liberal agenda about the environment, plus vilify the Bush administration and oil companies. Problem: I need to bypass the laws and limits that restrain political action committees. Solution: set up a simplistic “travel search site” as a front business, and use the television advertising for it to accomplish my goals… thus bypassing PAC guidelines. Pathetic.
So, do we really want our new company / site to be dragged into some wild “George Soros / Al Gore (kind of) conspiracy theory” meme online? Hey, stranger things have happened. And, TheOrioleGuy has just started it for Kayak.
This will be interesting to watch. I’ve written to Paul English to ask about the campaign. Something tells me the guy is getting tons of email, so I won’t hold my breath for a reply.
[...] Camp ASCCA Bookmark This Post - Social Bookmarks: Tags: astroturf, astroturfing, best practice, newprwiki, OpenPR, paull young, PR, public relations, Public Relations Education, Social Responsibility, trevor cook, Corporate Social Responsibility « Kayak Satirical Ads :: CGM and Ads May Sting [...]
[...] I’m next to join the Anti- Astroturfing Campaign Filed under: Public Relations — shelby @ 5:25 pm Astroturfing describes, “the posting of supposedly independent messages on Internet boards by interested companies and individuals In American politics, the term is used to describe formal public relations projects which deliberately give the impression that they are spontaneous and populist reactions. The term comes from AstroTurf — the fake grass used in many indoor American football stadiums.” This is the definition from Answers.com. Astroturfing is not only immoral, it is illegal, and public relation agents have been using this method as a means to publicize their product or organization. The Anti-astroturfing campaign began with Paull Young and Trevor Cook. You can view their campaign by clicking here. Paull and Trevor decided to take a stand against astroturfing after looking more closely into the PRIA. The anti-astroturf supporters and I feel strongly about this because it’s a practice that is in no way ethical and when it is performed under the guise of PR it makes our profession look terrible. For those who are still onfused and want to read examples of astroturfing, read Robert French’s view on the Kayak.com ads. Since I am a student and do not have the opportunity to take a stand within my organization, or company, this is my way of helping this campaign and getting the message accross to stop astroturfing. « Blogging and Public Relations Questionnaire [...]
Robert I have to say I’m glad I visited your site today. This campaign is a riot! I thought the ads were funny, unique and full of life. While I do agree that this campaign was a bit of a “crap shoot” ads today are all about taking risks right? There is the important info. to remember and that’s “ticking off alot of people/consumers” but hey if they are ticked off then they are paying attention. Which is exactly what the company wants. Attention for their ad campaign. Some people may need to develop a little thicker skin as this was a refreshing choice of advertising and did not offend myself.
Hey Meredith,
I’ve actually received emails back from Paul English about this campaign and I’ll be sharing them with you in class. I won’t be publishing the replies as they are private conversations. However, he has some interesting insights about how his company is addressing the potential issues.
I will tell you that he confirms that they did consider the potential risks of the ads and PR was in the room on those discussions.
We’ll have some interesting things to consider when we discuss this in class.
Take care.
Robert,
I read up on your “astroturfing” theory, and it is intriguing. Based on conjecture, I do apply that label to the “Kayak.com” television/ internet campaign. I simply can not see how it could be anything but astroturfing, as (despite claims to the contrary) the humor contained in these spots take a decidedly one-sided view of the controversial topics that are tackled. Given the rather simplistic nature of the website, and the temerarious approach that has the possibility of alienating millions of potential “customers” right out of the gate, I see the start of a disturbing trend here. I was riled up enough to speak out on the YouTube site.
-Todd
Thanks, Todd. Well, you seem calm and un-riled here. I can see how some might think the effort could be an astroturfing effort - left-leaning political messages (some, at least) in the ads of a small company (30 people) reaching big audiences (millions) through their ads and Web site.
I still kind of doubt it is an astroturfing effort based upon my email communications with Paul English. Paul is upfront about his own political views, but relates that the other founders and employees perhaps balance everyone out as a moderate company. After all, if the two top people are on both sides of the fence and they are the ones that make the decisions to run ads, perhaps this is all just an edgy satirical effort by Kayak.com.s
I will note that the campaign is getting them a great deal of buzz and the meme about the tone / tenor of the ads has not really taken off to wildly.
Guess time will tell.