The Palm (NSDQ: PALM) Pre TV commercials are definitely strange. While the iPhone informs users how to use apps and while BlackBerry is showing you how to manage your life in the palm of your hand, the latest Pre ad features actress Tamara Hope speaking directly to the camera, musing about observations about traffic lights, jugglers and reincarnation.
The consensus? They are creepy.
So, what was the creator going for? AdAge asked Gary Koepke, co-founder and executive creative director at Modernista, who created the ad. He said: “We weren’t trying to creep people out, but one thing I have learned now in this digital age is people can be as rude as they want as long as they don’t have to look you in the face. The Pre is probably being talked about more than other phones right now because of the marketing and advertising, and that’s a good thing. Could the ads work harder to show exactly how the phone works? Yes, but we knew it would be polarizing people to have a woman not shout at them and tell an interesting story.”
So, they are working?
Sort of. According to YouGov’s Brand Index, the No. 1 smartphone is still BlackBerry, the iPhone is No. 2, and the Pre spiked in buzz among adults 18 to 34 around July 9 when the ads started airing. On the scale, the Pre rose from 10 to 15 while BlackBerry dipped from 30 to 25 during the same period.

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