I didn't actually think the URL was for real, but such is the new media synergy that websites mentioned on parodic commercials actually sometimes exist.
I'm talking about www.preventtasteloss.com, the website that is associated with the current Miller beer advertising campaign. You follow the URL and you come to a pseudo-medical site with a creepy/funny Pixar-esque doctor talking head. It reminded me of the faux infomercial that was part of the trailers for Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (which did not get enough Oscar nominations--c'mon, Jim Carrey should have got a nod).
I'm normally suspicious of entering info on websites for advertising purposes (why else would they want the date of my birth), but it was worth the price to be able to play around and hit all the jokes.
I think it would be a lot funnier, however, if they kept the sweepstakes further away from the main page and the interactive Taste Lost Prevention Guide. A little more verisimilitude, even at the price of a tiny dip in revenue, wouldn't hurt too much.
I'm here to tell you that, when it comes to advertising, humor works. I mean, look at me, I hate beer, and I'm surfing their site and blogging about it. Next time you see me, ask me if I want a Miller--I might accept. Probably not the beer, though. Don't they have one of those vodka cooler things?
Posted by jeb at January 26, 2005 10:39 PM | TrackBack