Olde Brooklyn Lantern (electric lantern) – A Marketing Review
It’s a Tuesday evening.
You and the family are sitting around the TV, watching yet another presidential debate. Fluffy, the pet cat, is busy napping on your lap. A thunderstorm is been approaching and you’ve been hearing the thunder becoming progressively louder for the past half hour.
FLASH!
BOOM!
A powerful lightning strike blows the power transformer outside of your home. The crack-boom of the lightning and thunder spooks the cat, launching poor Fluffy off your lap and leaving behind a twin trail of red scratch marks on your thigh. The house plunges into total darkness, silencing the talking heads on TV.
The only sound is a persistent beeping from the battery backup system in the office. The children are too shocked to begin complaining. You decide to feel your way into the kitchen and grab a flashlight. You gingerly step around the furniture and make your way into the hallway. The kitchen is about twenty paces away. It won’t be a problem getting there, you tell yourself while keeping a hand on the wall. Now where’s that damn——-
A terrifying screech fills the hallway. Sorry, Fluffy. Not all of us can see in the dark like you can. The cat gives you a low growl as you finally reach the kitchen. Pulling open a drawer, you feel around for a flashlight.
Rats! The batteries are dead! How are you going to comfort the family while sitting out this power outage?
What’s this?
Olde Brooklyn Lantern website — www.OldeBrooklynLantern.com
The Olde Brooklyn Lantern? Could this electric lantern actually provide enough light?
Let’s take a look at the Olde Brooklyn Lantern TV commercial and see how it’s being sold to us, the general public.
Olde Brooklyn Lantern TV commercial
Is it just me, or did something not seem right with the Olde Brooklyn Lantern TV commercial. I have this nagging feeling that parts of the commercial are one big lie. Let’s take a closer look and see if this is just a big scam.
Olde Brooklyn Lantern TV commercial — Oh no! Where’d the power go?
How many times has this happened to you?
One moment you’re cooking dinner on the stove (or cleaning the aquarium, sitting on the can, painting the walls in the basement, etc.), and all of a sudden the power is out. It’s gone. It didn’t bother to leave a note. There’s no telling when the power is going to return.
Olde Brooklyn Lantern TV commercial — The romance of dining by candlelight, err, flashlight.
Talk about a gross exaggeration here. Is it really necessary to hold a flashlight in that manner while trying to eat dinner? This woman needs some kind of a ridiculous looking contraption to hold the flashlight against her head in a “hands free” manner.
Okay, back on track. Does anybody else notice how well we can see the items on the shelving unit behind the people? Perhaps it’s not as dark in there as we’re meant to believe.
Olde Brooklyn Lantern TV commercial — It’s the Olde Brooklyn Lantern.
Ummmm, yeah. I guess so.
I just figured that most people would opt for candles in a situation like this one. In this case we have this metal electric light resembling a popular lighting device from older times. Look, the even add an “E” at the end of “Olde,” just like how people wrote back in colonial times. Isn’t that so cute?
Olde Brooklyn Lantern TV commercial — Dinner is saved!
I’ll just assume here that these people are cooking with a gas stove. We can’t tell for sure, but an electric range would have a very hard time providing cooking power during a power outage.
Here’s where things start to get a bit fishy. Like with the InstaBulb TV commercial, the marketing team is playing games with us with the true lighting conditions in this TV commercial.
Notice how neither person is casting any major shadows on the wall and cupboards BEHIND them. With the lantern below and in front of the people, we should see some major shadows behind the people. Also notice how the woman’s right arm has a shadow that indicates a light source somewhere ABOVE her. You’re not going to have a downward shadow like that when the presumably sole light source is even and slightly below the arm.
Olde Brooklyn Lantern TV commercial — Just say NO! to flashlights!
Apparently flashlights never work when we need them. What if we test them like once every other month or so and keep spare batteries on hand?
Is the Olde Brooklyn Lantern small enough to be stored in convenient places like drawers, glove boxes, or even purses? Or are we forced to keep the lantern buried in a closet so it’s not an eyesore for guests?
Olde Brooklyn Lantern TV commercial — That’s right. 9 LED bulbs to power the lantern.
Adding the light of the Olde Brooklyn Lantern so that he can, ummmm, use his laptop. I get it that he’s using the battery to power lappy, but the screen still gives out a decent amount of light to see the keys. He’ll need the screen’s light since the woman placed the lantern on the opposite side of the lid instead of beside it.
Olde Brooklyn Lantern TV commercial — Reflections and shadows.
Once again we’re not seeing consistent shadows in regards to the Olde Brooklyn Lantern presumably being the sole light source in the room.
On the right side, notice how the woman’s hair casts a serious shadow on her chest. Since the lantern is underneath her head, there’s no way that the light from the lantern is causing that shadow. Notice how her left arm is blocking the light from the lantern but NOT casting a shadow on her upper body.
To prove my theory that there are additional lights for this set, take a look at the ceramic bowl on the table. The left image has a reflection of an upper light source. We know that that reflection in particular is NOT from the lantern as the reflection remains in the same spot despite the lantern moving forward and being placed on the table (right image). That same reflection in the bowl is much brighter in the right image because the overhead lights are increased in power. The overhead lights are the reason why the woman’s hair is casting a shadow on her upper body. It’s clearly NOT from the Olde Brooklyn Lantern’s light.
Olde Brooklyn Lantern TV commercial — And how long again will it last?
The TV commercial claims that the LED bulbs will shine for 100,000 hours. Take note that this does NOT mean you’ll be able to use the lantern straight for 100,000 hours before changing those TWO “D” BATTERIES (NOT INCLUDED).
Olde Brooklyn Lantern TV commercial — Family game night while sitting around the electric lantern.
There’s no need for candles here!
Nor does little Sally need to awkwardly hold a flashlight between her head and neck while trying to move her game piece on the board game. Now she can discretely steal her dad’s popcorn while her parents hold a smiling contest. Speaking of popcorn, I’m going to assume that A) it was cooked on a gas stove during the blackout, or B) cooked BEFORE the blackout. It looks a little bit strange in this setting since many of us use the microwave to cook the popular snack.
Olde Brooklyn Lantern TV commercial — Is it really an honest comparison?
Let’s see, there’s a small, underpowered, P.O.S. flashlight on the left versus a bright and (presumably) powerful electric lantern on the right side.
And we’re really supposed to take this as an “honest” comparison. What about those inconsistent shadows and reflections with the lantern in previous examples?
Olde Brooklyn Lantern TV commercial – Flashlight comparison (expanded view)
Here’s a side-by-side shot of the full screen versions of the shots in the TV commercial.
Yes, that flashlight on the left is a real piece of junk. It barely provides any light. It’s a wonder you can see the couch. I was half expecting to see the Batman logo in the spot of light. But when you look at the lantern on the right side . . . . .
I can’t place it, but something doesn’t stand right with that picture of the lantern.
For starters, despite the electric lantern being so close to the camera, the couch looks much brighter than in the previous scenarios. The background does look a little bit darker, but it’s hard to confirm whether it is in fact darker. My hunch is that we’re still seeing some kind of trick with the lighting to make the lantern seem so much brighter, but I’m not seeing the solid evidence this time.
Olde Brooklyn Lantern TV commercial — Grandma using the lantern at the fuse box.
Up next we see grandma using her trusty Olde Brooklyn Lantern to find her way to the fuse box. Just disregard the additional set lights shining and reflecting on the top left of grandma’s head. Considering she’s holding the lantern below and to the right of her head, we know for a fact that the bright light reflecting in the top left of her hair is NOT from the lantern.
Olde Brooklyn Lantern TV commercial — Using the lantern to lead Fido on his nightly walk.
When taking the dog out for his nightly walk, what better way is there to light the way than with the Olde Brooklyn Lantern? Imagine the looks on the neighbors’ faces when you come walking down the sidewalk, carrying the lantern like a decrepit crypt keeper.
“Bring out yer’ dead!”
Luckily in this case, Fido can see quite well as long as he doesn’t stare at the off-stage light to his front-left. There’s no way that the dog’s shadow matches the lantern which happens to be BEHIND the animal. Speaking of shadows, why is the man’s shadow going off at an angle if he’s holding the lantern directly in front of him? That shadow should be more parallel to the sidewalk, not jutting off to the side because of a bright light off-stage.
Olde Brooklyn Lantern TV commercial — Just how are these shadows supposed to work again?
Another scenario, and more “false” shadows. This is one of the better examples of misleading advertising in this TV commercial.
Notice how the woman is holding the lantern in front of her, yet she fails to cast a massive shadow on the table behind her. In fact, the table is clearly illuminated by a light off-stage whereas her own shadow is being cast to the left on the gate she’s closing. If the sole light source is in front of her, how can her shadow also be on that side of her body? Why is the front of her body so dark? The lantern is right freakin’ there!
How about the fact that since we’re meant to assume that the lantern is providing all of that background light for the table and wall behind her, how come we cannot see the ground on the opposite side of the gate? If the Olde Brooklyn Lantern supposedly works that well, then why can we not see the ground just a couple of feet away? It’s mighty dark down there.
Olde Brooklyn Lantern TV commercial — There’s no fake metal here.
That’s right, folks.
The metal here is supposedly genuine. Exactly what type of metal is not mentioned, but we know that it’s the real stuff. I think my favorite part is when the Olde Brooklyn Lantern website lists a few features, and one of them talks about an “authentic dome.”
So tell me, how much does that “genuine” and “durable” metal weigh when combined with the “authentic glass” with its “authentic dome” and the two D-sized batteries (not included) needed to power the lantern?
If it weighs more than a few pounds, how quickly do you think people will tire when carrying it at arm’s length? Maybe a decent flashlight isn’t so bad after all.
Olde Brooklyn Lantern TV commercial — It’s the money back guarantee!
Like every as-seen-on-TV product, the Olde Brooklyn Lantern offers a 30-day satisfaction guarantee. Just don’t expect them to refund you your shipping and handling fees.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Similar to the advertising for the InstaBulb, once again we’re seeing questionable if not outright false advertising with the lighting conditions in the Olde Brooklyn Lantern’s TV commercial. When you look at some of the shadows and reflections, it’s clear that lights off-set are providing additional illumination for at least some of the scenes in the TV commercial.
The big question is, just how much light does the Olde Brooklyn Lantern actually generate? LED bulbs are pretty good these days. But as it’s been mentioned, many of the scenarios in the TV commercial apparently benefit from the usage of off-stage lights.
The advertising itself does a weak job trying to push the lantern as a legitimate solution to the problems occurring in the dark. Almost all of the solutions can be handled with A) a REAL flashlight, and/or B) a candle. Batteries for both flashlights and the Olde Brooklyn Lantern can and will go bad over time, but a bunch of candles and a box of matches will stay good for years.
Yes, the Olde Brooklyn Lantern does have that vintage look to it and could be a nice decoration in your home. It could be a catchy decoration for a party. But as far as the scenarios presented in the TV commercial, it’s hard to see people using this lantern rather than just using a flashlight or a few candles.
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All of the Olde Brooklyn Lantern commercial images were screenshots of a TV commercial currently available on Youtube. For more product information, please visit the company’s website at www.OldeBrooklynLantern.com.
Olde Brooklyn Lantern is a registered trademark.
RellimZone.com is not affiliated with Olde Brooklyn Lantern.