Edition: U.S. / Global

The Unruly Ads That Made an Art Of Smart Alecky

Published: September 28, 1990
(Page 2 of 2)

But the Apple campaign also includes one of Chiat/Day's few duds. The ''Lemmings'' commercial was a sequel to the ''1984'' spot. It shows another long line of people, this time men and women dressed for success, who are wending their way up a hill. When they reach the top, each jumps off the edge of a cliff, representing business people blindly following the leader. The commercial lacked the startling drama of ''1984'' and so all it was left with was its overpowering bleakness.

Widely Discussed

Whether the agency's work succeeded or failed, it was always widely talked about in the industry - and outside of it. Its surreal commercials for Reebok athletic shoes were riveting, but the campaign probably did not sell any shoes. Chiat/Day's ''U.B.U'' Reebok commercials, well represented at the exhibition, are the kookiest the agency ever produced. While an announcer quotes the philosophy of Ralph Waldo Emerson - ''To be great is to be misunderstood'' - a series of zany, unrelated images flash on the screen. There is a punk-rock version of Jack and Jill, a three-legged man who cannot decide in which direction he should go, a woman in a tutu vacumming an Oriental rug in her front yard.

But Chiat/Day's iconoclastic vision often clicked. Some of its wittiest commercials are the oddball ''Human Cartoons,'' which give comic renditions of the listings in Nynex's Yellow Pages. There is a chair shedding its upholstery for ''Furniture Strippers.'' An orchestra leader stands on his head in front of his musicians and waves his feet around for ''Conductive Shoes.'' And in one of the funniest, some railroad engineers seated on chintz-covered chairs make polite small talk - ''This fabric would look well in my caboose'' - while they sip tea to illustrate ''Civil Engineers.''

One of Chiat/Day's early commercials is an example of how the agency could turn the obvious into something more, through the execution. Talking-head testimonials are nothing new to advertising. But Chiat/Day gives the device a gritty twist. In a commercial for a savings bank, an unmoving camera photographs an old man sitting on a sofa, telling a sad tale.

''I'm not an actor,'' he explains. He tells viewers he is a 74-year-old man who is in financial difficulty. When he retired 10 years ago, he thought he would have enough money. But he didn't. He urges people to start saving while they are young. ''I'm glad I made this commercial,'' he says in closing. ''Because I need the money.'' It is a sales pitch, no doubt about it, but the commercial message is also a believable mini-drama.

The Cost of Daring

It was often not enough for Chiat/Day simply to create good advertising. A lot of agencies can do that. Chiat/Day rarely played it safe. And the agency paid. Over the years, Chiat/Day's determination to be different has cost it the clients who helped make it famous: Nike, Apple, Reebok have all left over creative differences.

But in return, Chiat/Day has a packed trophy room and the knowledge that when one of the agency's commercials flashes on the television screen, instead of zapping it, people are probably going to pay attention - if for no other reason than to try to figure out what in heaven's name is going on. Nothing makes that more emphatically clear than sitting through 45 minutes of advertising at this exhibition without wishing you could see just 5 minutes of ''Murphy Brown.''

The Museum of Broadcasting, 1 East 53d Street, is open Wednesdays through Saturdays, noon to 5 P.M., and Tuesdays, noon to 8 P.M.; closed Sundays and Mondays. Admission is $4 ($3 for students; $2 for the elderly and those under 16). Screenings of the Chiat/Day commercials are Tuesdays through Fridays at 12:15 and 4:15 P.M. and Saturdays at 2:15 and 4:15 P.M. through Dec. 15. Information: 752-7684.

Photos: The bodacious drum-beating bunny - A sendup of Madison Avenue created by Chiat/Day/Mojo. (pg. C1); ''1984'' firmly established Chiat/Day's influence on ad makers. (Chiat/Day/Mojo) (pg. C22)