Good and Bad
/Good Advertising
This is probably the best ad I’ve seen for a magic product this year. It’s artfully shot but that doesn’t get in the way of the ad being informative. Every few seconds you are seeing the trick, seeing a reaction to the trick, or getting information about the trick (or—more accuately—getting information about the upgrade to the previous version of the trick).
You might say, “I just want to see a demo performed straight to the camera.” Fair enough. But I’m drawing a distinction between a “demo” and an “ad.” As far as ads go, I think this was the best one I saw this year.
Bad Advertising
Contrast that with this ad, which is three minutes of nothing, followed by the guy talking straight to the camera for another minute.
Here’s the thing, if you want to make an ad, make an ad. If you want to make a short-film, make a short-film. Don’t try and do both, because your magic product isn’t an interesting subject for a short film.
I’m not commenting on either trick (because I don’t own either one) just the advertising. Why work so hard putting a trick together and then stumble at the finish line with an ad that doesn’t showcase the effect in any way that would make someone want to buy it? You see this constantly in magic. I don’t get it.
Good SansMinds
SansMinds gets a lot of shit, but I will give them some credit where it’s due. On their youtube channel they are providing “full performances” of some of their new releases. So you get to see the effect in one take, as you would if you were the spectator. For a company that has been called out for its deceptive advertising in the past, this should be seen as a positive step.
Bad SansMinds
They also recently released the least convincing illusion of the 21st century where you jam a pencil through your hand, which is in a paper bag. You “prove” this as you put your phone’s flashlight behind the bag so you can see the shadow of your hand.
If you wondered if it’s possible to tell that an item casting a shadow was 2-dimensional, it turns out the answer is yes. It also doesn’t help at all that the shadow has no life to it whatsoever.
Don’t expect them to do a “Full performance” of this one.
I’m happy to say their ad copy maintains that bizarre quality of meaningless word salad that bears the stink of having cycled through google translate a few times.
Some say the concept of illusions is the core spirit of magic. The wisdom of illusion effect not only fools the eyes but also fools the mind.
Audiences love the visual, more so, the process of witnessing the impossible that defies their sense of reality built upon experience learned over their lifetime.
A piece of knowledge any miracle worker will be able to master and perform in no time.
“Piece of knowledge”? Hey, whoever is reading this from SansMinds. Take your phone to the Apple store. There’s something wrong. It’s auto-correcting “shit” to “knowledge.”
Good Clown
Congratulations, Jane! We’re all very happy for you.
Bad Clown
Fortunately, there are no bad clowns. Clowns are simply happiness manifested in human form! Special people who would never do anything to——
Ah, sweet shit, goddammit. What the fuck is wrong with you maniacs?
This loser would have been suspect in my eyes all along. Look how lazy this cunt is with the makeup. Two white rectangles above his eyes and a dab of make-up on his nose that looks more like he got a little on him while sniffing a discarded maxi-pad than it does anything like a clown nose. This is clearly a guy who didn’t get in it for the love of clowning. No. He thought, “What type of job could I get my hands on pre-teens?” And then worked backwards.
Well, rot in hell, bitch.