You are Don Draper: Pick the ad

You can be Don Draper and help pick an advertisement. I can’t offer you bourbon or a smoke, but you can weigh in and give judgment, which might be a fun break on a boring day.

Some books on amazon.com are allowed to put a video ad on the book’s page to help promote the book. Myths of Innovation is one of them. The current video is broken and was mediocre anyway.

To help promote the paperback edition of Myths, I hired Bryan Zug to make a new video to appear on amazon.com and on youtube. We edited two different versions and wanted your feedback: which is stronger? Which will get more people to watch all the way through and seek out the book?

If you have 3 minutes to opine, please do the following:

  1. Watch both videos. They’re similiar but different.
  2. If you were born on an even day (10, 12, etc.) please watch B first, then A (to help counterbalance order bias).
  3. Vote below on which version is stronger

Version A: TJ

Version B: Spike

Vote

21 Responses to “You are Don Draper: Pick the ad”

  1. SDiMeglio

    I found Spike’s version to be more interesting visually and to be more illustrative of the argument you were making in your video. Including some of the “making of” footage reinforces the message that for someone who is interested in the process of innovation and creativity it is important to understand the work that went into the final product.

    Reply
  2. Carolyn

    I strongly prefer A. I feel like it gives a coherent message, rather than skipping around and editing the message. While I think the B-roll of being silly on the escalator paints you as a fun guy, I don’t think it makes you look like an authority in your field, especially when you’re sending the message that you have to do work to be innovative.

    Reply
  3. Jakob Buis

    Watched A, then B; decided that A is better, and both are too long

    Reply
  4. whistler

    prefer b, but don’t feel that it works too well. i get the idea of it, but it just seems that the cuts are too staccato-like and ultimately confusing…

    Reply
  5. Ray - Pure Spontaneity

    I thought both were long and lacked in hooking me with a first thought(“Milton Hershey declared bankruptcy 7 times before his chocolate bar took off”) and I didn’t care for the ads/reviews at the end. I watched “B” first and then picked “B”. Still a good add.

    Reply
  6. Adam

    I preferred B slightly, but I think mostly because I saw it first.
    I liked the beginning. I didn’t understand why the video editor chose a shot of you looking at the escalator, it seemed disconnected.
    Overall it made me want to read the book, it’s sitting on my business partner’s desk :).

    In any case good luck!

    Reply
  7. Andi

    They both start off kind of disappointingly, but then it builds up.

    Reply
  8. Karlis

    I am not shore why, but the A version seemed more convincing. The B somehow gave a me a bit more chaotic feel, altought that may be because I watch it first.

    Reply
  9. Del

    Watched B then A, I preferred A as it was more focused. I didn’t think the cutaway stuff in B spoke about innovation or your work process and was more “hey we could chuck this in there”. Not sure on the music though.

    Reply
  10. Shahram khorsand

    Saw A first, have read the book. None of the videos are good. They dont make the book any justice. Sorry but my vote goes for not having the video rather then choosing one of them.

    Reply
  11. Charlie Hitchcock

    Were they really different? I honestly didn’t notice any differences.

    Reply
  12. Ralph W

    The voting process was notably unDraperian. But if I wanted to be an ad innovator, I’d be working hard at it, not just voting in a poll.

    Reply
  13. Gordon

    I watched A first – prefer A. Great book, Scott.

    Reply
  14. Pedro Custódio

    I think the Spike is somehow more visually interesting, as you spend less time in camera, but in both of them I believe you should correct the following:

    – look to the camera ;)
    – shorten the films, they’re both a bit too long I’d say.
    – picking up the idea of movie B (spike) adding even more visual clues and letting your voice simply over might actually make it more interesting.

    hope this helps! ;)

    Reply
  15. hltoboni

    The first 15 secs of A dragged w/o the addt’l B-roll images of B. But then I realized: that’s not the problem. The problem is the script at the opening–you need to get into your good stuff faster. Like another commenter said, they’re both too long.

    Edit the opening some. TO CUT: talking about looking in the media. TO KEEP: If you want tok now about innovation, questions to ask succesful innovators is how they got to get from idea to protype,prototype to next gen; the parts about the great innovators of history & how they had to WORK; the book blurbs at the end (great ones, btw).

    (Full Disclosure: I run a branding company and do this stuff a lot; actually on your site tonight doing research for a client and got interested in your content.) BTW, nice points and style in homepage of CM talk. don;t get me started onediting that one. :-) Good luck.

    Reply
  16. hltoboni

    Ha ha ha. Sorry about all the typos in my comment. Was working fast and expected to see a proofreading screen before posting. Good luck with the book.

    Reply
  17. Alexis Raphael

    It was jolting to hear daVinci and Steve Jobs used together – it just doesn’t work.

    Reply
  18. Matt

    Version A, because it’s a little more serious. Although using da Vinci and Steve Jobs in the same sentence is blasphemy… Gotta add too man, that beard totally makes you look like a used car salesman. Sorry dude, but you look much better and more respectable without it.
    Bottom line: these videos just do NOT do the book justice.

    Reply

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