As a general rule, television ads suck. They’re badly written, boring and distract you from what you want to be enjoying. That’s why so many people now download TV shows from the internet.
But every so often, you get an ad that’s actually entertaining. Like the BigPond broadband ad about the Great Wall of China. I actually laughed out loud when I first saw it (although subsequent viewings have taken the edge off it).
However, as good as this ad is, I can’t say I’m convinced by the prospect of Telstra developing a sitcom around it, which is exactly what could be happening according to the Australian.
The idea for a sitcom has been pitched at Telstra, along with interactive games and other engaging experiences to try and promote their broadband offering. Both ideas would revolve around the father and son featured in the original ad.
Given the large amounts of negative press Telstra constantly seems to attract, I can’t imagine a sitcom would be the best branding exercise, especially considering how bad Australian sitcoms have been since Hey Dad! was taken off the air. It would probably be safer to just try and develop more entertaining ads.