Marketing

The Palm Pre Commercials are Terrible

Robb Sutton31.7K views

Labeled the iPhone killer from Palm…who just happens to be losing more and more marketshare by the day to Blackberry and Apple…the Pre is supposed to be the next level of technology advancements for smart phones through the use of numerous web based apps. Other than being tied to the worst carrier available in the US (Sprint), the Pre should show some sort of promise out of the ailing Palm lineup. To launch their latest technological wonder, Palm released a series of commercials in expensive time slots.

The Monk Commercial from Palm

I am sure most of you guys have seen this Palm Pre commercial before. Other than show us fantastic monk choreography…what on Earth does this commercial do to sell their phones? One of the beautifully fantastic features of Apple and Blackberry commercials is their ability to show you the phone functioning in a unique setting. In this commercial from Palm, we are far more interested in the monks than we are the phone! In this 1:00 minute slot, the phone is featured in about 10 seconds worth of footage. Now…I don’t know about you…but that does not make any sense.

This…among other things…is why the Palm Pre will never reach the Blackberry or iPhone level. Sad too…if you would have asked any smart phone user 5 years ago about Palm…they wouldn’t have forecasted this rapid loss of smart phone market share.

If you have not gotten a chance to check out the monk/Pre commerical…here is it for your viewing pleasure. Expensive and unique commercial…just doesn’t cell phones.

Related posts

Extending Beyond Your Blog: Stop The Fear Of The Real World

An Apple Obsession That Rivals That Of Steve Jobs

What Does Your Blog's Tagline Say About Your Blog?

3 comments

Vic of BusinessAccent July 31, 2009 - 10:46 pm
Wow that was a great choreography by the monks! And oh, I almost forgot this is an ad for a phone. Lol. I think the commercial would have been better is they use - modern teenagers doing the choreography.
Ben August 10, 2009 - 3:02 pm
MediaCurves.com just conducted a study with 305 viewers of a new controversial ad by Sprint promoting their new Palm Pre phone. The majority of viewers reported that “inspiration” and “happiness” were the emotions they felt most while watching the commercial. The study also revealed that the majority of viewers (67%) reported that the ad was either somewhat effective or extremely effective, while 16% of viewers indicated that the ad was confusing. More in-depth results please visit http://www.mediacurves.com/Advertising/J7490-SprintAd/Index.cfm. Thanks, Ben
Robb Sutton August 10, 2009 - 3:05 pm
Ben, I have no doubt that the commercials envoked "inspiration" and "happiness". The question is if those feelings convert into sales of a smart phone. One of the main of the reasons behind the iPhone success and the success of the Blackberry lineup is the unique ways in which they show the phone functioning...thus increasing sales. The Palm Pre commercials make us feel good...but not about our phone purchase.
Add Comment