In an attempt at humor, the spot portrays a fellow struggling to lug around his degree because it “carries so much weight.” The concept, not exactly a knee-slapper in the first place, is woefully overplayed. It goes on ad nauseam, like an inept joke-teller who says, “Get it? Huh? Huh? Get it?”
But that’s a side issue. The real problem is the concept itself. Though the spot conveys its claim, it fails to convince.
The spot could have used the time spent playing with “carries weight” to back up the claim. The fact is, grads from this college really do stand out. Creativity’s job is to underscore that, not to go off on a wordplay tangent.
Perhaps the humor-attempt is attention-getting. But when it comes to attracting the right kind of attention, relevance beats silliness.
—Steve Cuno