What is that in your hand?
There is a TV ad running now in Japan, by one of our cell phone companies, that I find very interesting. Here's what it looks like:
A bearded man looked out the window. He tugged at his vest, and adjusted his watch chain. The door behind him clicked and opened. Without looking, he said, "Watson?"
A man in blue jeans and a T-shirt came in the door. He looked around and said, "What year is this?"
The bearded man turned, stood up, and looked the man who had come through the door over, from head to foot. The bearded man shook his head and said, "1876."
Then the bearded man looked at the man in blue jeans and said, "What is that in your hand?"
The man in blue jeans chuckled. He lifted his hand. "This? This is a telephone."
The bearded man looked closely at it. He lifted the little box and said, "But where is it connected?"
The man in blue jeans shrugged, and pointed out the window. The bearded man looked where he was pointing and said, "A cloud?"
Just then, the door opened again. A slight figure stepped through, and looked at the two men. The short figure, silhouetted against the light, said, "What year is this?"
The bearded man said, "1876."
The slight figure stepped forward and said, "300 years!"
The bearded man and the man in blue jeans looked at the slight figure and said, "What is that in your hand?"
That's the end of the ad. From there, they simply go to the name of the sponsor, one of our large cell phone companies. But the thing that I love about this ad is the sequence. First we have Alexander Graham Bell faced with someone who stepped through time and shows him a cell phone. And then we have one more figure, who has something in their hand. That last little bit is the part that I really love about this ad. 300 years -- 2176? What will they have in their hand then?
A bearded man looked out the window. He tugged at his vest, and adjusted his watch chain. The door behind him clicked and opened. Without looking, he said, "Watson?"
A man in blue jeans and a T-shirt came in the door. He looked around and said, "What year is this?"
The bearded man turned, stood up, and looked the man who had come through the door over, from head to foot. The bearded man shook his head and said, "1876."
Then the bearded man looked at the man in blue jeans and said, "What is that in your hand?"
The man in blue jeans chuckled. He lifted his hand. "This? This is a telephone."
The bearded man looked closely at it. He lifted the little box and said, "But where is it connected?"
The man in blue jeans shrugged, and pointed out the window. The bearded man looked where he was pointing and said, "A cloud?"
Just then, the door opened again. A slight figure stepped through, and looked at the two men. The short figure, silhouetted against the light, said, "What year is this?"
The bearded man said, "1876."
The slight figure stepped forward and said, "300 years!"
The bearded man and the man in blue jeans looked at the slight figure and said, "What is that in your hand?"
That's the end of the ad. From there, they simply go to the name of the sponsor, one of our large cell phone companies. But the thing that I love about this ad is the sequence. First we have Alexander Graham Bell faced with someone who stepped through time and shows him a cell phone. And then we have one more figure, who has something in their hand. That last little bit is the part that I really love about this ad. 300 years -- 2176? What will they have in their hand then?