Is there an overlap between readers of Wired and viewers of Dexter, the Showtime series about a serial killer? An upcoming ad campaign for the show will feature Dexter (aka actor Michael C. Hall of Six Feet Under fame) gracing the cover of a magazine that looks exactly like Wired, which is owned by Conde Nast.
I guess Dexter is a hacker. I’m not sure. I’ve never seen the show, only the ads on the New York City subway. If they replace those ads with these fake Wired ads, I wonder which brand will get the recognition bump.
Is this an effective ad? Does it make you want to watch the show, or buy the magazine? Or neither one? It’s a shame what he did to that suit.
Dexter is a slightly different kind of hacker
The fact that the ad got featured on TechCrunch and has over 40 comments regarding how great the show is, demonstrates some effectiveness.
They’re reaching the exact demographic they were aiming when they created that ad.
I think the ad is great. It’s funny and it gets your attention. They are using a play on words “hacker”
And It’s not just Wired Magazine, the series producers also spoofed GQ, Esquire and Rolling Stone magazines.
Seriously, go and watch the show it’s awesome. Just like zach said, “a badass version of CSI… on crack”
Look at the Knife Mr. Schonfeld, then get the pun.
I wish bloggers would ask/IM someone else, “Why is my opinion stupid?” before posting.
This article is full of fail. Funny given how Arrington blasts PR organizations for not doing any research prior to contacting TechCrunch yet he lets his own co-editor roll out this tripe without so much as watching an episode of the TV show.
Mmmm… tripe.
“I wish bloggers would ask/IM someone else, “Why is my opinion stupid?” before posting.”
hahahah. awesome.
well i read wired till it dumbed down and got right wing and i don’t watch purpose made tv series like this, i get crashingly bored at the artifice after 10 minutes of the first episode and fall asleep.
I got crashingly bored reading the first sentence of your comment.
Dexter is based on a novel and a goddamned good one. It’s not “purpose made”. Go get a book and shut up.
d’oh.
seriously… do the research.
this is exactly why traditional journalists bash bloggers.
What is this research you speak of?
I think their implying that Dexter is hard to read just like the tiny fonts they use in Wired.
…or maybe it’s that Dexter is “cutting edge” just like Wired.
ROFL.. No….. Just… No.
Dexter’s a great show, but the print ads in general have been terrible– the DVD covers with him smirking kept me from watching the show for at least a year, and were totally unrepresentative of the actual mood of the show. This continues that trend, in my opinion. It seems like the only people that might like it already like the show and enjoy the jokes.
Dexter is a fantastic show about a serial killer who is also a forensics investigator with the Miami Police Department.
Is it really that hard to do some research before posting?
I only know two sorts of people. People who haven’t seen this show, and people who hadn’t seen this show, but couldn’t turn it off once it was on. I’d rather watch just the opening sequence of Dexter than any episode of any other show currently running. (The opening sequence is stunning by the way)
I’d love to hear if you ever fit into another camp, until then, the only thing you’ve said here is that you don’t know what you’re talking about.
I fit into a totally different camp. I watched 3 or 4 episodes and hated every moment of it.
I thought the acting was downright horrid.
Hmmmmm…
TechCrunch… Dexter, who is Dexter BTW??
my respect for techcrunch just went down.
So…you guys just got bought by Gawker Media or something?
Spread your wings! Take off your blinders. Watch a freakin’ TV show! Dexter is one of the best shows on.
Dexter is probably one of the most interesting shows on TV now. Dont hate!
Journalistic Fail of the day!!
Maybe they just photoshopped the face and logo onto an upcoming Wired cover story on Hans Reiser?
Nice.
Dexter is a great show, if not the best show on TV, and this ad is…well, like every other ad.
Who cares?
don’t know about effectiveness of the ad but i defintely bit my knuckle when i saw what he’d done to the suit. what a pity.
________________________________________
http://www.appr...ciationclub.com
The Dexter PR machine definitely has an edge to it. In the past they had a customizable embedded video in which you could freak out your friends with a fake News Report: http://www.icet...b75c75215c2c4a9
Now they have Personalized Police Press Conference: http://www.thed...xterhitlist.com
Maybe we should create one for Erick
Watch the show, and you’ll get that this isn’t a bad ad.
On not doing research: I think that is part of the point of the article–He doesn’t know what Dexter is, but he knows what Wired is. And more people know what Wired is, so what is the effect of this ad?
I watch Dexter as well (finished the first season yesterday, actually.) It would advertise dexter to me more than Wired, but that’s because Wired is already so branded for me (and I don’t even read it), that this ad is referencing a piece of cultural knowledge. It is like using the ebay/google colors in your logo, for instance, or for a stretch, a “got (whatever)” instead of got milk. Things like that.
You’re taking what has become so common that we already have a feeling associated to it and connecting it to your brand. Nothing bad for Wired in this case either, I wouldn’t think though.
Uhh, actually I don’t know that you’d be right about more people knowing Wired necessarily.
More people on this site may know Wired, and maybe more people in the Valley know Wired, but there’s a whole big world out there kids.
The comments here seem to answer the overlap question, don’t you think? On the effectiveness of the ad, I think it’s appealing to someone with curiosity. Maybe someone who doesn’t have TechCrunch’s readership and actually has to spend 3 seconds in Google to see what it’s about rather than just post an article about it and see what the readers say. It’s probably not effective, but I can count the number of effective ads I’ve seen in my lifetime on my fingers, so that’s not saying much. It serves at least one purpose, to remind people who have seen the show to tell people around them to watch it.
FALE
“F-a-i-l” fail.
c’mon guys it’s a play on words, and a actually well executed one– hacker as in hack to pieces…he is a forensics expert/serial killer who uses blades to cut his victims (those who have escaped retribution from the law)
TechCrunch seeds their blog with these seemingly half baked articles because it drives traffic which drives revenue. TechCrunch isn’t about accountable journalism it’s about sucking money out of suckers. Bitch some more and then click an ad!
The ad works. Dexter is one of the best written shows on TV and there is definitely crossover here as Wired readers would likely love Dexter if they watch it. It’s addictive, and I agree with the earlier poster about the opening sequence, one of the best ever.
ticks both my boxes
The ad looks good to me.
Better then I can say for the blog post.
Erick: This ad is funny. Your lack of research isn’t.
For Jebus’ sake, if you’d looked at the Wikpedia entry alone, you’d have had to rewrite your article.
As for the Wired-style ad, it does sort of speak to a niche crowd, but it’s generally that same crowd that’s interested in watching a show like Dexter. It’s a smart, funny choice.
Dexter is great. Did you guys see Rita on The Soup? haha.
Dexter Post Rips Off Readers
“I guess Dexter is a hacker. I’m not sure. I’ve never seen the show…” = Am I reading someone’s Myspace blog? Keep the hits coming, guys.
Someone didn’t see the season 2 finale of Dexter that this ties in with. Also, great job not even trying to think about the different usage of the word “Hacker”.
It’s not really a rip-off is it? It’s a self-aware homage/spoof.
Love Dexter! Watched both series avidly here in England. Roll on Season 3 in HD – get those uploads going guys for the UK boys n girls!
I saw the show once, very gruesome……and to watch Dexter, http://www.tvdu...com/Dexter.html.
This has gotten probably more views and comments than anything else today.
ME WIRED ON DEXTER {seesmic_video:{”url_thumbnail”:{”value”:”http://t.seesmic.com/thumbnail/Dw7lwjYgy4_th1.jpg”}”title”:{”value”:”ME WIRED ON DEXTER ”}”videoUri”:{”value”:”http://www.seesmic.com/video/NA8JdUK1YZ”}}}
The ad makes me want to read Wired because it seems to fit in enough with their content that it could be a weird commercial advertisement where Dexter paid to get the cover like that.
I really hope this was just comment bait. Even looking at the ad should clue someone in on the pun. That aside, there’s a thing called Google.
http://www.goog...search?q=dexter
About 30 seconds and you know the plot of Dexter.
I wannabee funny so I started thinking about how this add was meant to be and figured we should do some research and than think again about the basics and logic cause we have a large audience and everybody should be able to get it. yeah, I truly think we managed to deliver.
Overanalyzing design is my favorite! With design, each element has a psychological or implied reason for existing in any promotional creation.
There must be some question on copyright infringement here.
Analyzing the print ad as a visual aesthetic, there are may things to be said about it. I feel like the most legible area of this ad is the masthead. The blue and red clash and the white over red is definitely an eyesore.
The man on the front looks like a digital rendition of a human, rather than the character himself. It might be the lighting, but he does appear to be somewhat plastic.
The overall composition is good. I’m still questioning the hierarchy, and confused why so many different fonts are used. I can see the relevancy, but it does get a bit confusing. It just doesn’t feel unified.
The ad uses the main character only. He’s only there by himself. It doesn’t paint enough of a picture of what drama or excitement would be in the actual show. It looks very stagnant, as if he’s posing, not acting. That could have been the idea, but am I anticipating a new season premier? or a GI Joe Convention?
As I’m sure there are many positive things to be said about this TV series, I’m slightly disappointed this organization could not come up with an original identity. I wonder how the creative geniuses at Wired feel about that? The plot seems interesting. I feel like they could have put more thought into the ad.
The “all while getting away with murder.” Is this man the attackee or the attacker? It’s hard to tell with him looking like a victim of slashing himself. Also, if this guy is all mighty in staying under the radar, shouldn’t he at least appear incogneto?
I hope this comment finds you well and you find some truth in my posting.
Thanks for the entertainment. Have a fantastic week!
Erica, Graphic Designer
GolterGraphix LLC
http://www.GolterGraphix.com
Erica…
You should spend more time learning your craft and less time “overanalyzing” the work of others.
Your website – and your “design” work – is awful.
There are some tv shows worth watching… this show is one of them… i bet they have a pretty good analysis of who is watching… so this just might be a well placed ad….
or maybe they were just having fun ….
Gruß aus Hannover
John,
Wired went right wing? Hilarious!
Yeah, maybe slightly to the right of the Daily Kos!
Blogged here: http://www.jona...ald.com/?p=1343
Wierd post, wired theme, wicked series.
dude…!
any press is good press.
Dexter is hands-down the best show on TV/cable nowadays. If you actually watched the show, you would know that the cuts in the suit are intentional, otherwise you end up making clueless comments like “It’s a shame what he did to that suit.”
Dexter is a great show and that ad is a funny play on words.
season 3 up and coming in a month, needless to say im excited. If you’ve never seen it, its a badass version of CSI… on crack
LOL – TechCrunch fails so much this time.
))) Erick – if you want to write something – better double check it and make sure you know what you’re writing about 