More Advertising Observations: Seeing Double

There are two different high-profile national TV advertising campaigns on the air right now which employ a similar concept (albeit in distinctly different ways). It's essentially having the main character appear alongside itself in the spot. One campaign aims for poignancy and emotional impact, the other for a funny, clever view. Both are well-done and very effective.

• Lincoln Financial Group - This series of ads features a younger adult who engages in a conversation with someone who turns out to be that same person, but years later in life. The "older" (presumably wiser) version of the person bestows some sage advice on the younger version, usually with a gentle admonishment about being prudent and sensible with their money. One example of the concept shows a young man who is a brand new father, facing down himself many years down the road. Another has a guy on an airline flight who encounters his older self. The older, wiser fellow praises his younger version for "riding in coach" and saving money for his family in the process. The punchline comes when the younger flyer asks the older one where he's going. "I'm in first class," says the wise one. "I can afford it now."
  

• AT&T - These ads are similar to the Lincoln Financial Group ones ONLY in that they feature the doubling up of main characters. Other than that, they couldn't be more different. In each of these spots, a character is talking to the camera about their identical image engaging in some ridiculous behavior in the background. One example is a fellow playing games in a bar who missed a call about some playoff tickets because his phone couldn't get the message in his location. Another features a businessman who missed a call about how to pronounce the name of an Asian client, and then goes on to mispronounce the man's name as "Mr. Stinky Fish-Face" or some such thing. We have only one gripe about any of these classic commercials. In the one with a man searching for his daughter among a bunch of steamed-up cars (yes, he missed the call about her staying at her friend's house) on a remote ridge, the ad ends with him calling out, "Kelly! Kelly boy!" The spot has made it very clear that he's searching for his daughter, yet he's calling out for "Kelly boy." How common is it for a father to refer to his teenage daughter as "Boy"? Just asking...

Because there are multiple campaigns right now exploiting the "double main character" concept, we probably won't, and certainly shouldn't, see more use of the idea any time soon. Still, hats off to the agencies who are effectively and creatively using it for now.