Loud music. Bright lights. A nauseating strobe effect. This ad for the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas has it all, if "all" referred to a total barrage of the senses. The hotel is trying to brand itself as a distinctive and unique option in Vegas and they believe a stream of nearly incoherent images and text is the way to show it.
I caught this commercial late one night right as I was about to fall asleep. My immediate reaction was along the lines of "What the hell did I just watch?" I know that's the entire point of the commercial, but I found the ad made me want to close my eyes (stupid strobe effect which lit up the whole room) more than it made me want to learn more about the property.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=LCeDi-d5CRg?rel=0
The message here is clear. In fact, the Cosmopolitan of Vegas even outlines their strategy on their YouTube page. The ad is "intended to pique the curiosity of our guests and stimulate conversation." Well, it definitely will attract eyes when it airs on TV, but the odds of a positive message being conveyed are fairly slim.
The ad isn't all bad. Their tagline of "Misfit Right In" is actually pretty solid. Unfortunately, it's wedged into 30 seconds of nearly unbearable video.
