Here’s the structure of that commercial:
A) Here’s something that’s not smart.
B) Using our advertiser’s product or service is smart.
Guess what? You could substitute any product or service without changing that commercial at all:
“You want to hear something that is smart? Getting your pet spayed or neutered.”
“…Buying your groceries at Winn-Dixie.”
…Signing up for Verizon’s long distance phone service.”
When you can yank the advertiser out of the spot and replace it with one from a completely different category, you’ve got a truly bad radio commercial.
You know what’s not smart? Throwing your money away on radio advertising that doesn’t focus on the results of the product or service being advertised.
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So, was that a commercial about not carrying ice cream cones in your pocket? Thanks Dan. Keeps me on my toes about how not to make my client sound.
I agree the formula for the commercial is weak yet it does get some valuable copy points across after the humorus opening line. A couple of things I find ‘wasteful’ in a local radio commercial: Listing ‘features’ without connecting to ‘benefits,’ an effective ‘locator’ for the business (how do you write down a phone number on the run?), and running an ad where the disclaimer has to be longer than the offer. The first question the copywriter needs to know is: what is the ‘purpose’ of this ad?
In radio, you never hear anyone talk about Borrowed Interest. But you hear it bandied about in ad agencies all the time. Borrowed Interest is where, instead of having the creative grow from the sales message, you take an unrelated creative concept and paste it onto a weak sales message. “Hey, let’s use clowns!” “OK!” And then, the commercial becomes, “We’re not clowning around when we sell you a car/life insurance/caskets direct,” etc.
This commercial is pure Borrowed Interest. And considering that it (ostensibly) comes from an ad agency that brags about being different, it’s a little surprising. Because they really have done some work that actually is different and makes the point in an entertaining way.
Maybe it’s not from the CarMax agency of record. Maybe it’s a local dealer spending his discretionary local ad budget. But if it does come from their agency, it sounds just like what so often happens: the radio is regarded as less than worthy and sloughed off onto a junior copywriter or inexperienced freelancer. Whatever the reason, bottom line: it sucks and is inexcusable.
(This isn’t considered a personal attack, is it?)
@Blaine: Nope.
I’m hungry for an ice cream cone… I wonder why?
@Kathy: I don’t suppose it’s because the only thing that commercial made you picture in your mind’s eye is an ice cream cone, huh?