SAP "Feedback Street" (2019) 1:13 (USA)

SAP wants businesses to know that if they can change a customer's feeling, they can change their business. But in order to change a feeling you first have to know what that feeling is. So they sent Michael Ian Black out to "feedback street,"  to find out how people feel about stuff.

All kinds of stuff.  Like baggage fees. Cashless restaurants. Peppy salespeople. That kinda stuff. 

People dutifully give their answers and press one of five buttons from like to dislike. And Michael Ian Black stands there with a microphone adding very little to the commercial beyond asking questions and doing little else except standing there, collecting a paycheck. They could have hired literally anyone else and achieved the same results.

I realize the demographic this is intended for probably won't watch commercials back to back, but the other spot starring Clive Owen feels much more like it was made with consumers as the secondary target in the sense that is is actually trying to be funny and make a larger point. 

When taken in tandem, SAP is sending mixed messages. Whereas this spot has people dutifully pressing buttons from one to five in terms of scale, the spot with Clive Owen takes pains to let the audience know our feelings are on a much larger scale than just one to five.

The Clive Owen spot is so much more effective, despite the inconsistency. The only feeling I get from this installment is boredom.

See the other spot in this campaign: The future of business has feelings

Client: SAP

Agency: BBDO

Production: O Positive

Director: Jim Jenkins

Edit: Mackcut

Editor: Ian Mackenzie