You may or may not have noticed that MissPreservation.com does not run ads and this post is not an endorsement of any product or service. But that doesn’t stop me from being interested in the workings of marketing and how it affects preservation. So while watching TV last week I saw an advertisement that made me excited, not for the product but for how it was presented.
The ad created for AT&T by Biscuit Film Works and was directed by Aaron Stoller. On Biscuit Filmworks website they describe the 30-second commercial:
aaron stoller – at&t “apartment”
aaron stoller’s newest spot via bddo ny shows how at&t enables simultaneous talk and surf on the iphone 5. an eager apartment hunter sends his girlfriend pictures of a prospective pad while talking through some of its more notable features: chilean granite, floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, original windows—and a fireplace face. yes, a fireplace face.
At&T “Apartment” advertisement video still. Courtesy Biscuit Filmworks retrieved from http://www.biscuitfilmworks.com 11-14-2012
If you’re not paying attention you might have missed it. The Realtor in the ad was highlighting the fact the apartment has the original windows! The ad inferred (to me at least) that the person AT&T is feels is a valuable market demographic to capture with this ad would be interested in an apartment in which the original windows are a marketable feature. Additionally the market demographic would be adverse to bizarre remodeling/remuddling.
In 2011 AT&T had an advertising budget of 2.4 billion dollars, which was the nation’s second largest advertising budget (Proctor & Gamble was No.1). I don’t have a breakdown but one can draw the conclusion that they have spent a great deal on market research and have certain things they find should be included in their advertising to appeal to folks. This market research might indirectly show that a greater number of older housing rehabs are retaining their historic windows, and consumers are inclined to see original windows as desirable. Let’s hope that this is a sign that preservation understanding is creeping into the mainstream and everyday lexicon of the average person.
Categories: Historic Preservation, Renovation Projects
Preservation in Mississippi 
I saw this ad last week as well but didn’t even think twice about it as you did except to raise an eyebrow at that fireplace face. Good job staying on the look out!
Cindy Hornsby
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I remembered the ad, and I don’t even own a television. The fireplace face is the element I probably carried away from it, as did most, I would guess. Excellent observation you have made here.
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Thanks for the comments. While I was so distracted by the Realtor’s comment about the windows that I couldn’t tell you who the ad was for or what the topic was the first several times I saw the it. It took a lot of internet searching to find what product was being promoted.
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The fireplace face caught my eye the first time I saw the ad especially since I was watching the New Orleans Hornets game with the sound off and the radio on.
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