The rule used to be never to confuse the viewers with obtuse messages. They just don’t have the time. But yet, more and more people (Generation Y and younger in particular) enjoy “filling in the blanks”, and take great pride in the feeling that they themselves have discovered something hidden from popular view. Jones Soda is a great example of being a successful early adopter of this principle. When they started up, the only place they marketed their soda was in fridges in skate shops and the like. No advertisements. They also promoted interactivity by showcasing customer-submitted photos on their bottles. It wasn’t until their identity and brand had developed enough trust with core, “outsider” consumer groups that they started going mainstream and hitting major grocery chains.

Gen Y doesn’t like feeling being marketed to. They react negatively to things layed out right in front of them. Hence, the ongoing ____ of advertising becoming more and more abstract, until the actual subject of the advertisement becomes an undertone in the 30-second spot, with only brief (but unmistakable) nods to the brand or product. However, these spots must still be cohesive and maintain a consistant style so that they can be readily identifiable.

All that to say, this is definitely not focused at the demographic that Bonnie is a part of. My mom and I recently went to see MI:3 and the 60 second advertisement was on. My mom was completely unimpressed, while I was totally engaged (I am 24). Now, granted, I cannot blanket a whole generation with saying that “they don’t get it.” There are some people of my parents’ generation that totally love these television spots. However, as a whole, they are not nearly as receptive to these “left-field”, boundary and expectation-bending media presentations. I think this can be translated into the movie realm and explain why Napolean Dynamite is such a big hit with the 30-something-or-less crowd (but not universally so). The movie completely re-defines what a movie experience is all about, at least one that is presented nationally. Ebert gives it low marks, yet it is now entrenched in cultural media. Not yet as time-honored as Office Space, but it has a place in the same category as a necessary piece of Americana to imbibe.

Bottom line: New viewers, jaded with current media offerings, necessitate the development of outside-the-box thinking and marketing development.