Football Manager Advertising - competition?

I know this isn't the most constructive of posts, but I thought I would voice it anyway.

The recent Football Manager TV adverts, (at least for the last 2-3 versions as far as I can recall) - they haven't been very good in my opinion. In fact, they're crummy as hell. What's this all about? I'm proud to play a world class game like FM2014 and I can barely imagine all the work that goes in to making it... but the adverts seem to let it down and make it look... almost cheap.

[video=youtube;NSQlYC9_3mI]

What's the message? IMO the advert just serves to remind people who already own a previous incarnation of the game "btw, the next edition is out now". I can't see how it would attract anyone new to the franchise. I just can't help but think "this isn't the way I'd do it." There are some top quality adverts out there at the moment that introduce a bit of wonder, make you think as the advert starts "hmm, where could this be going?" .... then it's just a reminder that there's football on next week, or a gentle poke to start an online betting account with someone.

The current sky sports football advert (which I can't find on youtube) is good for that. A close example would be something like this one:

[video=youtube;O8jFHBXtZOs]

Does anyone else have any thoughts on what the "best" Football Manager advert would be? I can envisage a kind of montage (set to emotional music of course) of a team getting out of trouble... followed by the words coming on screen "Club favourite?" - then further montage - then words on screen "Icon" - further montage - "Legend". That's what we all strive for in FM, after all, isn't it? Maybe the closing scene could be, at the crescendo of this emotional music of course, a statue of the club manager outside the ground.

I bet if SI held a competition "Best fanmade advertising video wins £5,000" they could end up with a cracking advert that could go straight to TV. After all, with the amount of feedback that goes into this game from the fans, why not let us help to advertise it for you too?

I've always thought the SkyBet ad would have made a brilliant FM ad

A well dressed manager stands in the changing room. His players sit around him, listening passionately. There's Scott Parker. There's Freddy Adu. Andy Ansah is preparing the drinks in the background.

The manager makes a heartfelt and passionate speech about football, and destiny. Something that Samuel L Jackson or Morgan Freeman might say in one of their inspirational movies. The players all stand up, fully motivated and cheering.

Manager: Scotty, you're captain. What have you got to say?

Scott Parker nods and turns to the players.

Parker: You idiot! You didn't remember to turn off the pizza did you?!

The manager and players look confused. Suddenly, our suave manager looks down and he is dressed in a dressing gown. His eyes widen and he rushes for the changing room door. As he exits, a cloud of smoke billows into the room.

Cut and our manager, now sitting in front of his laptop in his dressing gown, turns to see his girlfriend standing next to him holding a blackened, rock solid pizza. Smoke seeps into the room from the kitchen.

Girlfriend: You didn't remember to turn off the pizza did you?

She hands him the ridiculously burned pizza.

Cut back to the intense changing room setting, and our manager is now back in his crisp suit, but now holding the blackened pizza. He looks guilty for a second, and then hands it to Andy Ansah.

Manager: Get rid of this.

He turns back to the players.

Manager: Now where were we?

A well dressed manager stands in the changing room. His players sit around him, listening passionately. There's Scott Parker. There's Freddy Adu. Andy Ansah is preparing the drinks in the background.

The manager makes a heartfelt and passionate speech about football, and destiny. Something that Samuel L Jackson or Morgan Freeman might say in one of their inspirational movies. The players all stand up, fully motivated and cheering.

Make this happen, the end

Manager: Scotty, you're captain. What have you got to say?

Scott Parker nods and turns to the players.

Parker: You idiot! You didn't remember to turn off the pizza did you?!

The manager and players look confused. Suddenly, our suave manager looks down and he is dressed in a dressing gown. His eyes widen and he rushes for the changing room door. As he exits, a cloud of smoke billows into the room.

Cut and our manager, now sitting in front of his laptop in his dressing gown, turns to see his girlfriend standing next to him holding a blackened, rock solid pizza. Smoke seeps into the room from the kitchen.

Girlfriend: You didn't remember to turn off the pizza did you?

She hands him the ridiculously burned pizza.

Cut back to the intense changing room setting, and our manager is now back in his crisp suit, but now holding the blackened pizza. He looks guilty for a second, and then hands it to Andy Ansah.

Manager: Get rid of this.

He turns back to the players.

Manager: Now where were we?

We have a winner

by the way does anyone knows fancy official trailers like that posted above Sky Sports one? share here please

My idea is more of a series of adverts such as:

A whistle is heard on a black screen, the screen then opens up like fingers being moved away from the face. The camera pans up and you see a bunch of players jogging into a tunnel, followed by another team slowly trotting off. Camera gets up (if you cannot tell the camera is the manager/you). He follows the team in turning to his assistant who is saying something we cannot hear. The manager walks into a press conference and takes a seat. He is asked a series of questions such as, This loss must have hurt you after a recent run? Manager answers.

The questions finish and manager gets up, We hear a loud toilet flush AND bam back to reality as a toilet door opens up with a man holding his laptop under his arm wear sweat pants and a vest top. He walks into front room, slaps his face a little to wake himself up. Sits down back in his nice suit and tie and says "next question?" we hear a load of voices saying "here here, me me" he then points to the screen and says "your turn"

FM15 credits pop up.

2nd idea:

Manager in track suit at tactics board in dressing room alone. Furiously writing down ideas, tactics/players names/PPMs etc. Constantly muttering to himself "need to get ball in more/close them down/hassle opponents". Then all of a sudden it hits him and he yells in excitement. As he leaves room he is saying something like "4-2-3-1 its gotta be" he opens dressing room door which turns into a shower curtain with a towel on his head muttering the same solution. He then stands towel wrapped round his head and his waist with a shirt tucked in and a tie in front of a score board saying 5-0 FULL TIME. He turns to his assistant and says Thats what im talking about" flash into the living room sat next to his dog who has taken the position of his assistant, he barks"

FM15 credits roll up

This is one of my favourite adverts for anything - FM08

The recent Football Manager TV adverts, (at least for the last 2-3 versions as far as I can recall) - they haven't been very good in my opinion. In fact, they're crummy as hell. What's this all about?

How many adverts aren't "crummy as hell"? That seems to be the point of most these days. We live in a world where a moustachioed opera singer becomes pyoor funny lolz, but not quite as funny as a meerkat with a catch phrase. I yearn for the days of the old Heineken adverts, they were good.

I'm not too bothered about FM ads tbh, actually I think I've only seen a couple. Given that terrible adverts seem to get remembered more than good ones though, why not go the other way and make the most horrendous advert? It would probably involve Andy Gray.

A well dressed manager stands in the changing room. His players sit around him, listening passionately. There's Scott Parker. There's Freddy Adu. Andy Ansah is preparing the drinks in the background.

The manager makes a heartfelt and passionate speech about football, and destiny. Something that Samuel L Jackson or Morgan Freeman might say in one of their inspirational movies. The players all stand up, fully motivated and cheering.

Manager: Scotty, you're captain. What have you got to say?

Scott Parker nods and turns to the players.

Parker: You idiot! You didn't remember to turn off the pizza did you?!

The manager and players look confused. Suddenly, our suave manager looks down and he is dressed in a dressing gown. His eyes widen and he rushes for the changing room door. As he exits, a cloud of smoke billows into the room.

Cut and our manager, now sitting in front of his laptop in his dressing gown, turns to see his girlfriend standing next to him holding a blackened, rock solid pizza. Smoke seeps into the room from the kitchen.

Girlfriend: You didn't remember to turn off the pizza did you?

She hands him the ridiculously burned pizza.

Cut back to the intense changing room setting, and our manager is now back in his crisp suit, but now holding the blackened pizza. He looks guilty for a second, and then hands it to Andy Ansah.

Manager: Get rid of this.

He turns back to the players.

Manager: Now where were we?

Bravo. Just...bravo.

What above said

Yea the adverts have always been quite poor in my opinion - there's confusion. They appear to have both a lack of money to spend on adverts, and a lack of understanding/will about their necessity. If they're necessary then do a proper job, if they're not then stick to newspaper and internet ads, this middle ground actually undermines the brand - that pillow advert is really poor.