Mad Men - The Carousel (Higher Quality)

TomR35
7 HN recommenders · recommended in 7 months, 2010–2022
YouTube
2.4M views · 18 years ago · other · evergreen

The Kodak Carousel pitch scene from the TV series Mad Men, the season one finale, in which ad man Don Draper pitches Kodak's slide projector by turning it into an appeal to nostalgia. It is a clip of fiction, but a widely admired lesson in selling an experience rather than a product.

HN people hold it up as one of the best pitches ever made and use it to explain how nostalgia and emotion sell products.

“Mad Men's Kodak presentation in season one is one of the best pitches I've seen.”
Brand strategy & advertising
#pitch#advertising#nostalgia#storytelling#madmen#brand

18 comments from Hacker News

p
@philshem2022 · in “Pepsi: Breathtaking Design Strategy (2008) [pdf]”
This scene lives rent-free in my brain (Kodak pitch, no spoilers): ▶ this video
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2
@271828182842015 · in “Want a better pitch? Watch Elon Musk’s presentation for the Tesla Powerwall ”
Mad Men's Kodak presentation in season one is one of the best pitches I've seen. If you haven't seen it, and even if you haven't watched the show, you should. ▶ this video
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b
@bradleyland2012 · in “Show HN: a tiny Instagram projector”
Why this product? Nostalgia. Why only Instagram? Because it's good product alignment. Instagram also sells Nostalgia and has a huge user base. If you haven't seen it before, take a moment to watch this clip from an American television show called Mad Men. It's a show about a group of people working at Madison Avenue (in New York City) advertising firms in the 1960's. ▶ this video I felt pretty moved the first time I saw that clip. I still feel moved when I watch it. For a moment, I wanted a slide projector. All of the people I know who also watch the show felt it was a master stroke. Nostalgia is a powerful selling force.
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z
@zeristor2022 · in “Should I Use a Carousel?”
Strange just reading this I connected my two favourite film clips: Mad Men, Carousel pitch: ▶ this video And the Carousel scene from Logan’s Run: link Forty is the new thirty…
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A
@AtTheLast2013 · in “Ask HN: Would this launch page generate your interest?”
I would work on refining your pitch about why someone should sign up for Cove. Look at this clip from Mad Men about Don Draper pitching "The Wheel". I feel like your product falls into a similar category. This might help you refine your message or spark a new way to sell people on Cove. ▶ this video
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B
@BoppreH2011 · in “Color: Breathlessly Overhyped Piece of Crap”
Quote from the scene ▶ this video An example of perfect marketing.
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w
@wherespaul2010 · in “This is how you pitch a new piece of technology. ”
Here is another motivational thread on HN: Ask HN: Movies that motivate you? link I just watched the first episode of Mad Men and I'm hooked.
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b
@bryanrasmussen2022 · in “Nostalgia: Powerful, Poignant – and a Painkiller”
or a pain provoker for Harry Crane ▶ this video
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t
@twoodfin2013 · in “The Economics of a Hit TV Show”
I want to believe you're on to something here, but how do you "tease" a show like "Mad Men" at low cost? The best tease for that show would be something like the incredible "Carousel" pitch from the end of Season 1[1], and indeed, a link to that from reddit was how I finally decided to check the show out a couple of years in. But that arose organically, after a ton of money had been spent on script, casting, production... [1] ▶ this video
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b
@bumbledraven2013 · in “Apple’s new ads make the company look lame”
I thought this ad was beautiful. It reminds me of Don's "Carousel" pitch from Mad Men (▶ this video) the way it focuses on experiences and feelings. This is it. This is what matters. The experience of a product. How will it make someone feel? Will it make life better? Does it deserve to exist? We spend a lot of time on a few great things. Until every idea we touch enhances each life it touches. You may rarely look at it, but you'll always feel it. This is our signature, and it means everything. Apple is clear about their design philosophy and bold enough to state it directly. I think the author just doesn't like that they are proud of being so good at what they do. (credit to link for having some of these thoughts first)
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m
@mostafah2013 · in “What Is Nostalgia Good For? Quite a Bit, Research Shows”
It’s also good for advertising: ▶ this video
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n
@nairteashop2013 · in “The tiny Instagram projector”
This is a very cool app. Carousels always remind me of this poignant bit from mad men: ▶ this video
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