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Comment by willhinsa | Hacker News Reader

What reasons made the FTX ad a big mistake?

FTX got the nature of Larry David completely wrong. He is an enormously successful, extremely wealthy man who, subconsciously, all of his fans love to cheer on and with whom they agree. Larry is socially awkward, but in a way people envy -- he goes right up to hypocrites and challenges them to their face. You don't stay on air for 10+ seasons without being the protagonist hero the audience wishes they could be. He is not, in any way, a buffoon or an idiot. But the takeaway impression from the ad is Larry David saying "naaah". That's it -- that's what people remember. Just throwing a tag up there, "don't be like Larry" isn't going to flip an internal emotion people have held for two decades. The affinity people have for "Larry David" the character or Larry David the person is far too large for that.

Even in the focal point of the commercial itself, LD is the alpha with the office, the desk, the awards, the guy being pitched to... and FTX expects me to instead side with a random nerd with a cell phone? Oh, and the call to action is terrible -- FTX is hardly even mentioned. I would bet 9 out of 10 regular Joe's have no idea who the Larry David ad was for.

postscript - the ad could have been saved, if the pitch was delivered by someone familiar, with equal stature and affinity. Because we always see Larry arguing with his closest circle -- and because they are also wealthy and successful (which, subconsciously, provides credibility). If it was Cheryl trying to get him to invest? Definitely. Leon? 100%. Jeff? Maybe. Richard Lewis? I think it would have worked great. Ted Danson? Possibly, hard to tell how that would go emotionally. Jerry, Jason or Julia? Could have been amazing. But some random guy with zero credibility? It's just a fatal error, self-imposed, no way around it.

Got to give credit to Larry for conning a cryptocoin startup into paying him to shoot down their offering. Out there scamming the scammers.

This is exactly how I'm reading this ad, but I also wonder if you have to be very familiar with Curb to see it.

Larry: You mean to tell me, that I'll get paid $$$$ and all I have to say about their product is "nah"? Sure, I'll do it.

Jeff: GREAT! I'll send the paperwork over first thing tomorrow. This is going to be good, you won't regret this.

theme music plays

Why did he do this ad? He seriously can't need a few more million?

Julia is maybe worth even more with family money?

I would have loved to see a Leon bit though. That's a great idea. You got to get in that Ass... er NFTs i guess were slinging now

Maybe equity or a large crypto position himself? I had the same questions.

Larry David "fans" make up a minority of viewers. The majority of viewers just see him as a recognizable, funny face. And, to this majority, his character in the commercial was a great fit.

A quick glance at Youtube view counts shows FTX commercial ahead of BMW's Zeus/Hera commercial which was supposedly ranked #1 by a number of online publications -- make of that what you will, but calling it a "big mistake" seems highly subjective, unless you've actually obtained viewer engagement metrics.

Larry David and his persona are more widely known that you think. Curb memes are all over social media, he did a bunch of SNLs very recently, lots of people know he's the Seinfeld guy, and he's been on HBO since 2001 -- even if you aren't a current subscriber there's a good chance you once were.

But it doesn't matter. In the FTX commercial, he's the likable one. Maybe he's saying dumb things but he's the one the viewer bonds with. There's a long history of lovable, well, "losers" is the wrong word, but perhaps "serial mistake-makers." Ralph Kramden, Archie Bunker, George Jefferson, Jack Tripper, Tim Allen on Tool Time, Homer Simpson, Michael Scott. Having any of these guys, even Michael Scott, saying "naaaah" to your product would be an absolute disaster for a commercial. You can't just put a tag line at the end and say "Don't Be Like _______." The human brain doesn't work that way.

I have no doubt that FTX's commercial has a lot of views and that people rate it highly. It is a funny commercial. It's interesting and compelling to watch. But it still ends in a very successful Larry David, in his big office, behind a big desk, surrounded by tons of accomplishments, saying "naaaah" to a guy who, frankly, does not have a compelling pitch, is not particularly likable or relatable, and who just about anyone would want to throw out of their office ASAP. And although lots of people may be watching the ad and praising it, I feel very confident in stating that few of them are compelled to sign up for FTX.

epilogue - Technical note #1, I just checked the extended version, FTX guy is on-screen for 3 whole seconds -- not a great way to make a strong, memorable impression. Technical note #2, the call to action "Don't Miss Out" is also on-screen for 3 whole seconds, no URL, even FTX is in tiny letters, and is followed by an epilogue with Larry. So the commercial isn't even over and people have become distracted and already forgotten who the commercial was for.

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