Xtranormal, Where Office Dissenters Skewer Their Bosses and Clients
If you weren't familiar with Xtranormal before GEICO's most recent ad campaign, you will be soon: The do-it-yourself animation site and its stock cast of office drones, robots and bears is spawning a growing subgenre of videos in which characters repeat the mind-numbing conversations that typify office life, much of it from the advertising and marketing business.
For management, Xtranormal is merely an amusing lunchtime diversion -- unless you recognize yourself in one of the videos. That will likely be happening soon to Apple (AAPL) CEO Steve Jobs, Microsoft (MSFT) chief Steve Ballmer and Google (GOOG) Android boss Andy Rubin, who all appear to be the inspiration of a new cast of non-generic Xtranormal characters.
If you're not that famous, don't fret. Your underlings are probably scripting one about you anyway. A YouTube search reveals hundreds of work-related Xtranormal videos, mostly revolving around the eternal struggle between those who get it and their bosses and clients. Here are some of the best:
The product launch meeting:
- This is probably the single most important marketing decision you will make. How much time do you have?
- 20 minutes.
- That's not very long
- Well, now I only have 19 minutes.
The client visits a big ad agency:
Let me explain something to you. My accent makes me smarter than you are. We are the largest ad agency in the world. Just give me your money.
The new campaign pitch:
I found it on the internet last week ... because we are getting a really awesome director to reshoot this cheap idea for $5 million, the spot will be even more totally wicked awesome.
Choosing music for the ad:
- Can you make my music sound exactly like this cool indie song?
- No, that is actually illegal.
The ad agency/sound engineer meeting:
We will be fucking about with the pictures pointlessly right up until the last minute.
Client meets with a graphic designer:
My friend's wife's daughter-in-law picked some nice curtains for her house so I thought I could show her your ideas and she could make some suggestions. She is really good with color.
The PR department alerts the media:
- I'm not interested.
- Can I still email you the details?
- If you must.
- And you'll honor the embargo?
- Yes, i'll honor the embargo. In fact I'll honor the embargo for the rest of my working life.
The client takes her business elsewhere:
- Do you play golf?
- My business has been lagging the rest of the market and we need some dynamic thinking.
- I shot a 76 last week.
And yes, I'm aware of the grimly realistic "So You Want to Be A Journalist."
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