Close encounters with New Mexico
Posted: Monday, November 26, 2007 3:31 PM by Rob Neill
Filed Under:
Travel
In this interminably long political season, it doesn’t seem out of place. A campaign, Mexico, aliens and controversy.
Thing is though, it’s not that Mexico. And it’s not those aliens. And it’s an ad campaign.
Call off the political commentators.
We were turned on to the ads by a story from the Associated Press, since the commercials are running in San Diego and Minnesota, two places we don’t get local programming from on our cable system (nor can we get NBA League Pass, and they better get the hint soon). The pair of spots feature normal office coworker interaction. Except they are space aliens. And perhaps some pretty backward space aliens (does anyone that can space travel actually read brochures?).
In one, a coworker urges a New Mexican vacation to a rather down-in-the-dumps colleague. In another, one tells of a fabulous spa she visited (and proving that even in outer space, the quip “Don’t go there” is still incredibly tired).
The tagline: “New Mexico the best place in the universe.”
Business people involved in the tourism industry there say the ads are at best dumb and at worst will actually keep visitors away. The agency involved says they are hip, have tested well and work.
Our take? If you are only showing them in Minnesota and San Diego, it can’t matter much. That and they are fun in a dumb way and get one to notice – in short, they work.
Tourism officials might want to worry about being sued by 20th Century Fox. Or for making the state attractive to Sleestak looking to relocate.
You can watch the ads at the state-sponsored Web site here (nice design, by the way). If the state pulls the plug, you can also see them here.
