Alright, before I start it’s probably worth stating again that this blog isn’t “TV’s Worst ROI Adverts” or “TVs Least Memorable Adverts” – it’s TV’s Worst Adverts. A subjective look at TV adverts in the UK based 100% on whether I think they’re worth their weight in cathode ray tubes or not.

So even though after seeing the live Honda skydiving advert you might have run straight to the nearest Honda dealer, pulled down your trousers, thrown yourself across the bonnet of an Accord and offered yourself to the salesmen because, gosh, you just love skydiving that much, it doesn’t mean the advert shouldn’t appear here at TWA.

Now that’s out of the way…

An awful lot has been made over the fact that this advert was shown *live* on TV. No, you’re not hearing things, I did say *live*!

Can you think of anything better than an advert *live* on national TV – without any retakes or editing or anything?

I thought not.

You’re not alone either. Some folks on the internet got so excited about it being *live* that they got that warm, tingly feeling down the front of their pants and started dry humping their computers. Even in the build up to the advert being broadcast they were so turned on by the idea of *live* TV adverts that their comments were little more than a string of “Ds” and “Rs” as they repeatedly rubbed those keys with their limp lob-ons.

Honda themselves were little better.

They’re tying this ad in with their new slogan “Difficult is worth doing” but I can’t help but think that they got caught up on the “*live* TV is difficult” aspect a little too much.

Because even if showing something *live* on TV is difficult to do, it’s not any more difficult to watch – except for Loose Women, of course.

And I don’t care if there’re so many things that might go wrong, or that timing is of the essence or even that if one of your skydivers so much as farts at the wrong time millions will be left thinking “Who the monkey are ‘Hondr’?”.

Because as a viewer, I don’t see any added value to doing something *live* – except for Richard and Judy, of course. Because if it wasn’t live the show would just be called “Judy” as Richard’s ridiculous comments get him edited out of the show again.

And skydiving, it might be difficult to do as well but it look as easy as falling off a log – albeit one that’s flying at 21,000 feet. Plus, it’s just oh so boring to watch. Which is my big problems with this advert – it was just so boring.

That’s because skydiving is essentially the synchronised swimming in the air. And we all know how exciting synchronised swimming is.

If I had to pick (because you’ve threatened to make me watch the advert again if I don’t), I’d say the scene right before they jump out of the plane is the most exciting part of the advert. But that’s only like saying “taking the lid off the tin is the most exciting part of watching paint dry”.

Maybe if the skydivers had been naked AND on fire this advert might have been exciting. Maybe if the skydivers had jumped out as soon as the green light went on (rather than 10 seconds after) AND there were Germans on the ground shooting custard pies at them this advert might have been exciting.

But just having some bloke shout “There’s an ‘H’! And that’s an ‘O’!” then show the words “Hi Mum” written on his gloves definitely didn’t make this advert exciting.

So, Honda, difficult might well be worth doing but boring most certainly isn’t:

Follow Up Adverts

Here’s the follow up advert for the Accord:

This actually looks harder to do than the *live* advert which is probably why they didn’t do it *live*. Because difficult is worth doing but only if you can do it in 3 minutes 30 seconds and you don’t make a tit of yourself on live TV.

Anyway, my favourite part is when they spell out the name “Accord” with stacked parachutes. But I just get the feeling that they did that with CGI rather than with real people.

Maybe I’m wrong but again it seems that some things are too difficult to be worth actually doing…

Just How Bad is this Ad?

(11 votes, average: 2.73 out of 5)