I'm a little confused by this Visa ad, and the more I watch it, the more confused I become. What is it trying to say? Is it that having a credit card is easier than cash? Or is it that this particular credit card is quicker than anyone else's credit card?
If it's the latter, why is Barclaycard running the same idea with a card that you can swipe without entering a PIN? Barclaycard has a strong property, it's instantly recognisable and it works across all media. It has 'talkability'; everyone knows 'the man in the water slide ad'. Unfortunately, I'm not so sure this Visa ad will be remembered for the right reasons.
Why is the man on crutches? We know crutches help you if you are debilitated. We also know that they are a hindrance if you normally don't use them. So in this instance, are they an analogy for us being debilitated because we don't have a card? If so, why doesn't he shed them by the end?
There is a tonal issue that must be a very difficult line to tread at the moment. The idea of a man prancing around in a finance ad doesn't seem quite right, particularly when we are all thinking twice about what we buy and bank bosses are having bricks thrown through their windows.
The plot thickens. The star of the ad is Bill Shannon - a man in genuine need of crutches who has mastered his own way of moving. So is this an endorsement ad from a man who would like life to be easier? If so, is anyone going to know who he is, or are we now so YouTube-friendly that we are being invited to find out more? I am not quite sure, but I did.
With all these questions racing around my head, I leave the office and go home.
While sitting on the sofa with my wife, this ad comes on. Unprompted, she announces: 'I love this ad.' 'Really?' I ask. 'But what does it tell you?' 'Who cares,' she replies. 'It just makes me feel good.' Which makes me realise that at least Visa has got the first rule right - to make people feel good, to entertain.
In writing this piece, I have fallen victim to 'Research group syndrome'. In being asked to analyse an ad, which in truth was designed to be seen only a couple of times, I have overcomplicated it and sucked out any of the life it had. Let's be careful.