Allen WeinerI have watched Hulu’s coming- out party ad (see here) several times, both live during the heartbreaking SB 43 (yes, I live in Arizona) and then online where it will live forever to be cheered, jeered and even possibly revered. As someone who has followed Hulu since before this forward-thinking online venture between NBC and Fox (and a few major investors) even had a name, I am still waiting to “get it.” Proclaiming Hulu as “an evil plot to destroy the world” while poking fun of television’s inherent narcotizing property doesn’t speak to any of Hulu’s core benefits such as catch-up TV and the furthering of the consumer-in-control social media evolution. I am still wondering who Alec Baldwin was speaking to in the commercial: young viewers who already know about Hulu and probably laughed it all; older viewers who wonder what the heck Baldwin was talking about or all of those folks in-between who are more concerned with the state of the economy than being able to watch reruns of “MacGyver” on their PCs.
What makes me doubly perplexed is that 2009 will be a crucial year for Hulu as it faces the YouTube juggernaut in a race for online TV audiences and ad dollars. In the past several months, YouTube has made efforts to rid itself of inappropriate and unauthorized copyrighted content and improved its viewing experience by offering HD content. Hulu should have taken the time and money simply telling the world it is better than YouTube. Curiously, this raises the interesting juxtapositions of mantras as Google (YouTube’s parent) proclaims “don’t do evil” while Hulu sneeringly says it’s an evil plot.
I admit I often am in the dark as to the intent or goal of both networking programming as well as TV ads. My sense here is that the brains behind this spot was the same person (or persons) who believed a weekly eponymous sitcom starring Emeril Lagasse would be a winner.
Note: Sorry: The Hulu ad is not viewable outside the U.S.
Category: advertising broadcasting citizen media social media Television Video Tags: Alec Baldwin, Google, Hulu, Super Bowl, YouTube
11 responses so far ↓
1 Brian Hayashi February 2, 2009 at 4:43 pm
The spot was funny, but even more importantly, memorable.
I heard the host of a local radio talk show discuss it with his listeners today. The commercial was played back and it got a lot of conversation. While the host didn’t get it there were a ton of callers who provided invaluable anecdotes about how they used Hulu, all of them overwhelmingly positive.
I can’t believe that KOA 85 was the only radio station in the nation to talk about the Hulu spot. Were there any other memorable spots from new advertisers??
Nope, didn’t think so.
***** (out of 5)
2 Allen Weiner: Hulu - Evil Plot or Misguided Marketing? February 3, 2009 at 11:59 am
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3 Abigail Hamilton February 11, 2009 at 10:17 pm
You’re right the ad was a mess. But I’d argue it is a functional mess!
IMHO the ad was good in the sense that it caught the sarcastic vibe that appeals to under 40s, and captured the glossy appeal of professionally produced TV as opposed to UGC. Those are two “bigs.”
As you mention, a lot of young people are on Hulu already, so maybe this was a ploy to build on the WOM among those who don’t g to Hulu, leveraging the “cool” and “you just don’t get it yet” around the brand.
And Alec Baldwin is a big deal for a lot, a lot of folks: He as especial clout and character, kinda like William Shatner.
That said, the ad lost me when the alien arm or whatever came out. Too many ideas, too much going on. But the impression was made and people are talking about it.
4 Denise February 13, 2009 at 7:56 am
I thought the ad was brilliant!!
Never heard of Hulu and the services it offers until I caught this ad. Now I’m surfing the net to learn more and I wind up here by accident — thought I’d leave a quick comment.
I am not an enormous Alec Baldwin fan but I thought his irreverence and charming voice lent much clout to this ad. The cherry on top for me was its tagline: “An evil plot to destroy the world. Enjoy.”
Brilliantly clever and funny!!!
5 camilo February 18, 2009 at 2:10 pm
hulu is hulu – premium content submitted by production studios
youtube is youtube – user-submitted content
there is no competition
as far as the “do no evil” vs “we are evil”
yes that’s a joke. i thought it was cute. hulu is very open in it’s communication with it’s audience. there is no room for “evil” when there is transparency. google is becoming less transparent every quarter.
so the joke has another dimension…
6 Joe Pemberton February 19, 2009 at 4:34 am
Allen Weiner wrote: …2009 will be a crucial year for Hulu as it faces the YouTube juggernaut in a race for online TV audiences and ad dollars.
Hulu is not competing with YouTube. Hulu (e.g. the networks that invested in Hulu) is competing with free, bootleg internet downloads of their own content. By making it more convenient for viewers (users) to watch from a centralized site Hulu is holding onto its ability to monetize its content.
Hulu is network TV’s push to keep TV advertising relevant. In the age of the DVR (PVR) and internet TV, sites like Hulu allow the networks to maintain control over how content is viewed in an advertising subsidized model.
Hulu will not be competing with YouTube for ad revenue but from broadcast television, which is already in major decline.
I’ve posted my response at my consumer-focused user experience blog. http://idlemode.com/2009/02/18/hulu-plus-boxee/
7 Penaut Galree March 5, 2009 at 7:26 pm
Oh come ON, you don’t “get” it? Yet it’s *doubled* Hulu’s traffic in 10 weeks? It’s not that difficult to understand the appeal – admit it, you laughed – nor does it warrant as many words as went into your analysis here.
Stop overthinking, and enjoy it for what it is: a rarely ingenious and genuinely funny spot.
8 Surprised you don't know March 15, 2009 at 2:01 pm
Hulu’s ad was a definant crack to the theories behind the notorious prject blue beam, folks! google that.
9 Surprised you don't know March 15, 2009 at 2:02 pm
oops–mispelled–project blue beam
10 Paranoid? May 27, 2009 at 7:18 am
The “evil plot” line is obviously a sarcastic comment somewhat directed towards current mainstream media delivery, “the world.” They’re basically saying that they’re out to redefine television; specifically allowing advertisers and viewers a more on-demand approach to our favorite shows. Following this line of logic demands an acceptance that choosing what you want to watch when you want to watch it is superior than being spoon-fed reruns and hype.
Also, don’t buy into Project Blue Beam. It’s fodder for paranoiacs and religious fanatics – anyone who knows anything about social ontogeny realizes that education and a world community (interwebz?) rushes towards this goal in any case, without sacrificing individuality or culture.
11 Sheherazahde October 21, 2009 at 2:56 pm
I loved that ad! I thought the message was very clear.
Hulu offers yet another way to watch TV. People have been complaining for decades that watching TV rots your brain. Hulu is deliberately trying to rot your brain because they are evil aliens who eat human brains and mushy brains are tasty. And, even though they have just told us this, we will still choose to watch Hulu.
Hulu is so addictive that even though they have warned us that it is a evil plot to destroy the world we can’t resist watching. “What are you going to do? Turn off your computer?”