A Fish Called Lucent
Underwater Alt ,
produced by McCann-Erickson for Lucent Technologies.
Underwater Alt (the
"alt" in the title is for "alternative"--the client saw several executions of
this spot) is the newest ad in a series by advertising powerhouse
McCann-Erickson for Lucent Technologies, the company that was once Ma Bell's
lab.
At the most obvious level,
Underwater Alt is just chyron writing on a computer screen. As the
tap-tap-tap of the spot's message glides across the screen, the keyboardist
provides the voice-over at the same speed he types. We don't see the
keyboardist--we intuit him based on the visual and audio clues.
"This is a demonstration,"
our narrator types. A demonstration of what? The screen and the clacking keys
suggest it has to be something high tech. As we cut from a close-up to a wider
view, we're informed that the product is "Lucent wireless systems and
technology." In fact, no one specific product is hyped.
Water edges into the frame
from below, as if the computer screen is not just a computer screen but also a
big, clear bowl. The rising tide distorts the words ("this is now just about
the only place") and then swamps them ("where you can't stay in touch."). As
the water fills the screen, a goldfish swims by.
"Any questions?" our
narrator types. The fish turns to face the camera, as if it might have one, and
then swims away because, of course, we can't communicate down here. The fish
swims into the next scene, across the company name and into the last frame,
complete with name, logo, and a reference to "Bell Labs Innovations" (there's
equity left in the old corporate identity).
Finally, the spot delivers
an explicit message: "We make the things that make communications work," says
and types the keyboardist. At the same time, an air bubble burps over the fish,
making it seem as if we're listening to the fish's thoughts.
The brand-name advertising
of Underwater Alt aims to associate Lucent with the futuristic, high-end
segment of the communications web. And by soft-selling the idea that Lucent is
inventing the future for everyone (except for fish), the spot disarms potential
technophobes by banishing techy talk and visuals.
--Robert
Shrum
