Addendum to Commercials as Art

This occurred to me several weeks ago, but I forgot to post it:

It is important to keep in mind that some forms of art are meaningless to a person regardless of the quality of the art when compared to other pieces in that format. In other words, some people just don't get it. I don't get dance as a performance art. This isn't to say it isn't beautiful or difficult, or that it's not a valid art form--it just means that the beauty and difficulty of dance are wasted on me, because that art form doesn't speak to me.

Commercials, on the other hand, do. And I'm sure my wife wishes they did less so, less often, and that I responded with less enthusiasm.

In any event, I say that to say this: it's OK for someone to dislike commercials because it's just not a form of art that means anything to them. But if they try to raise other arguments, particularly the arguments I addressed earlier, they're going to get an earful. Keep it simple--just say you don't get it, and I'll say "that's cool, I don't get dance" and we can move on to some other topic.

Additionally, here is a commercial starring my best friend, Garrett:

Olympic Teasers and Why Yahoo! Beats MSN, Hotmail

Teasers are those things news people do to get you to come back after the commercial break. As Brian Regan put it, "There was a huge fire downtown ...maybe!" They're annoying like those reality TV shows that wait an unnecessarily long time to reveal who is "going home" that week. It's withholding information you want to know so that you'll stay sucked in longer. It's just plain mean.

However, Yahoo! has found the right way to use teasers during these 2008 Summer Olympics. Simultaneously, MSN.com and Hotmail have failed on a massive scale.

When my wife Katie logs out from Hotmail, the browser brings her to the MSN.com page, which has the most recent Olympic results displayed. However, because the U.S. televises the events after they happen (we're on the West Coast, so we've seen ZERO live events; thanks for nothing, NBC), she's seeing Olympic outcomes sometimes more than twelve hours before she'll have the chance to watch the contest on TV. And since we both love the Olympics, it's really frustrating to have the outcome spoiled. She saw the results of the 100m Butterfly just minutes before the race started thanks to MSN.com, and she already knows the outcome of the balance beam that will air tonight. All this because she wants to check her email.

Some might argue that, now that she is aware of this, she should stop checking her email, or she should close her browser rather than sign out. I think that is a ridiculous requirement; she shouldn't have to think "Am I going to spoil my Olympic viewing by checking my email?" No one should have to think about that--it would be like making sure not to answer your phone because someone might blurt out Olympics results as they're saying goodbye: "I love you sweetie, have a good day tomorrow, OMG DID YOU SEE THE U.S. SWEPT THE FENCING PODIUM??"

This is where Yahoo! gets it right. When I go to my Yahoo! home page, I see what events are coming up, and a hint at a potential outcome--basically, it's a teaser. For instance, today's headline read "Shawn Johnson's last chance for gold." I see that, and I remember "Oooh! I'll make sure to watch that!" AND if I want to know the result right now, I can click on it and find out whether she won already. Two days ago, the headline read something like "Controversy for Liukin on the Uneven Bars." It didn't tell me what the controversy was--it reminded me to watch. It's the best of both worlds, really.

Keep this in mind as well--Yahoo! has no vested interest in getting me to watch the Olympics, at least not on the same level as MSN.com, who is broadcasting some events on MSNBC. Doesn't it make more financial sense for MSN.com to use teasers instead of actual outcomes so people will watch their coverage? Yet Yahoo! knows not to spoil the Olympics for potential viewers, while MSN.com has no problem with spoiling the outcome for my wife.

Kudos to Yahoo! and shame on MSN.com and Hotmail.