Get real  

Herman Miller "Get Real" Campaign
Interesting.
Here is the original press release from Herman Miller:
Imitation has been called the sincerest form of flattery, but in the domain of furniture design it is deceptive to consumers and specifiers, damaging to the designers, manufacturers, and distributors of original designs, and inhibits new investments in innovation.
For many years Herman Miller, Inc., has been in the vanguard of a growing movement to promote the genuine articles--protecting both the unsuspecting buyer and the intellectual property rights of the original designer and manufacturer, while ensuring the commercial incentive for future innovations.
Herman Miller is taking its commitment to a new level with the launch of its "Get Real" campaign, an awareness and education program that will be the centerpiece of the company's presence at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair, held May 17-20, 2003, at New York City's Javits Convention Center. Herman Miller, located in Booth 414 at the Javits, will be showing select furniture designed by Charles and Ray Eames, George Nelson, Isamu Noguchi and Alvar Aalto. The Eames, Nelson and Noguchi designs are Herman Miller originals, dating from the company's collaboration with these acknowledged masters of American modernism. Herman Miller is the exclusive North American distributor of original Aalto designs through partnership with Artek, the legendary Finnish manufacturer of the extensive and celebrated Aalto collection.
"Since Herman Miller has such a storied and extensive design heritage, it stands to reason that we would be a leader in the campaign for authenticity," said Ray Kennedy, Director of Herman Miller for the Home. "Original design is the driving force behind Herman Miller's commitment to innovation--and everyone needs to recognize it is the lifeblood of a vital furniture industry."
"We're seeing case after case in which the designers and producers of original products, who have followed the prescribed intellectual property law registration procedures, are winning substantial settlements, judgments, and legal protections" noted Henry Gowin, Secretary of the Foundation for Design Integrity, a group of leading furniture designers, manufacturers and distributors that are dedicated to promoting the protection of original design. "The days when nothing could be done about knock-offs are over. The public is becoming increasingly aware of intellectual property protection (patents, trademarks, trade dress and copyrights) and the importance of supporting original design, while the knock-off producers are learning the consequences of infringement."
A series of advertisements created for Herman Miller's "Get Real" campaign urge readers to make an informed and ethical choice. The headlines invite the buyer to "Check the Source" and "Check your Conscience" as they contemplate the purchase of an original or a knock-off.
Link to the advertisement (in case it does not appear in the first post):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpdvEWEWETk

piano/keyboard
The shot that bugs me is the juxtaposition of the piano as 'real' and the electronic keyboard as 'not'. Electronic keyboards aren't fake pianos, they're totally different instruments producing radically different music. The shot makes HM seem clueless and pretentious.

I hate the whole ad
Ah, the whole ad bugs me. It's elitist. It frames the argument as high brow vs. low brow. For example, the ad shows a plate of fresh food as 'real', and a TV dinner as fake. TV dinners are an iconic working man symbol, affordable and sometimes necessary among middle-class working men and women. HM might just have said white collars are real and blue collars fake.
Some other elitist juxtapositions:
Grass vs Astroturf doormat. Mona Lisa vs paint-by-numbers. Fresh cranberries vs canned cranberries. Diamonds and pearls vs costume diamonds and pearls.
The ad makes me want to shop at Target.

Pegboard, thanks for sharing.
Real is a poor choice of words. The examples are largely based around pairs of objects which are supposedly 'real' and 'not real'. The problem is that they are totally different in purpose and function, as Brent implied. And for decorating purposes, I actually prefer plastic over live flamingos.
They could have used 'original', as in the end titles, to avoid this problem. Either way, I feel the ad should have been executed differently.
So what is real? The film doesn't really give an answer.
And why buy from Herman Miller when there are cheaper options that look virtually the same? Or from Fritz Hansen? Or Knoll?
This is the fundamental question. With over 2 minutes at their disposal, they should at least have made an attempt at answering it.

Brent
I like your style. I eat TV dinners for lunch, and I have been known to use a synthesizer! Both are real.

Real Voices
The marketing company that made the Get Real ad also made this 'Real Voices' ad which I like a lot. Instead of framing Herman Miller as high brow, it argues that HM is organic, creative and practical.
http://fairlypainless.com/real_voices.html

Arrogance and misdirection
nothing I can think to say is polite enough for this forum. Herman Miller has really belittled design addicts everywhere. I own several HM pieces...now I'm embarrassed to.

The ad is high styled and totally cool, in keeping with
the image Herman Miller is trying to convey.
Not elitist, in my opinion.
What IS funny, though, is that this ad was created during that very short time that Herman Miller distributed Alvar Aalto's wonderful furniture made by Artek.
That arrangement hardly lasted a year, so this ad's promoting furniture that you cannot buy from Herman Miller!

How real should we get?
If we get too real, we have to prize only prototype by Eames and not the HM production version.
If we get a little less real, I suppose we can prize the first production run by HM, but not the later re-issues by HM.
If we get a little less real, we can prize any HM production of the Eames piece, but not the good knockoffs.
If we get a little less real, we can prize the good knockoffs, but not the cheap ones.
Gee, it seems kind of arbitrary where you set this.

DC...it should be obvious
that Herman Miller has always meant that it's appropriate for anyone wanting something made by Herman Miller to buy it from from a Herman Miller authorized dealer, rather than buying a knockoff.
I doubt that Herman Miller is trying to stop secondary buying of geniune Herman Miller products, although they don't profit from such a sale.
I'm sure HM would rather those who like their products to buy geniune HM products secondhand, than buy those unauthorized knockoffs.
Fritz Hansen produced a similar short film about that issue.
And on Cassina's website, they have a section showing how you can tell if your item is geniune or not.

Wowsa
So this is the first time I've had a chance to view the video (cannot view at work) I don't see what the ruckus is all about. This is an old video from the mid-90s from Herman Miller's Get Real ad campaign.
The Design Of Herman Miller should be required reading for this forum. (thanks Whitespike for the tip) It provides an objective view of the ways the company has evolved - before the PR wing was developed that makes us all thing HM is the big friendly giant.
I think the most succinct and telling paragraph discusses the way the Herman Miller morphed through the decades of the genius designers "Nelson was the guiding genius through the mid-40s to the mid-50s; Eames from the mid-50s through the mid-60s; and Probst from the 60s to the present" (the book was published in 76)
After the mid 70s, as the company swelled into the behemoth it is today, it became....a company. It had to answer to a board, it had to use focus groups, it had to make decisions by committee.
Now, what I find really funny about this thread is that people are acting as though Herman Miller has somehow betrayed their trust. Herman Miller is protecting their own interests, and we ALL know what those interests are. HM is a BILLION dollar company, and while I'd guess most of that comes from their corporate side their public image clearly lies in keeping the classics alive.

Real modern
Looking at the Rago auction, "Real" appears to be a price point.
http://shop.ragoarts.com/

I'd have to agree, Brent....
I'd have to agree, Brent. That ad might have just obliterated the possibility of me ever buying another new HM piece. As if they give three shites about the classics at this point in the first place. Gross.

I don't suppose Brent or Lunchbox
would be impressed that Herman Miller consistently wins awards for being among the most admired companies in the United States, in terms of their
* ways of manufacturing,
* employee relations,
* environmentally sound practices, and
* community responsibility.
Compare Herman Miller's pricing to other similar quality furniture companies (Knoll, Whitmann, Fritz Hansen, Cassina, Vitra, etc.) and you'll find HM is much more affordable.