A Loyal Reader Writes:
“I have a problem with a customer we had on the air for many years.
Either we didn’t do our job and build a commercial that would bring
customers in the door or the product that our client was selling was
too expensive or of no interest to our listeners; at any rate he
dropped his radio advertising budget.“After about two years of banging on his door he has finally decided
to do something with us again, but only if he can get results.“Normally I can build a commercial that gets noticed and that people will comment about and the customer is pleased, but this business has several obstacles that I can’t get past.
“First of all he has one of the highest priced auto repair shops in the
area; he uses the highest quality parts with a small mark-up and his
labor is high.“He is very detail-oriented and uses gloves when he works on your
vehicle and even goes so far as putting a plastic slip cover over the
seat and steering wheel as to not get grease inside the car.“The shop has the newest equipment and is very clean.
“We have used all of the above items in his commercial before, and
I’m not sure if we should just come right out and say that you pay
more and get more. What would you do?”
Naturally, I wouldn’t attempt to write a commercial without getting a lot more information first. But the “obstacles” you refer to clearly should form the basis of his entire campaign.
The commercial’s job is not to get noticed; it’s to drive customers to his repair shop.
What type of customer is likely to patronize this sponsor?
Well, many people will choose the absolutely cheapest mechanic.
Those People Are Not Your Prospects.
You want to target your message to the people who take great pride in their car’s appearance. Car owners who are greatly motivated by price aren’t likely to patronize this place anyway, so forget about them.
For readers who are familiar with my Guaranteed 5-Step System For Creating Radio Commercials That Get Results, here are some sample headlines (i.e., the opening line of the commercial) we could use to launch some spots.
(You don’t have to have been taught my system in order to use the headlines, of course.)
YOU’RE GETTING RIPPED OFF BY AUTO BODY SHOPS THAT CHARGE LESS THAN ED’S AUTO REPAIR!
SOMETIMES, THE CHEAPEST AUTO BODY SHOP TURNS OUT TO BE THE MOST EXPENSIVE.
YOU SHOULDN’T HAVE TO WASH, WAX AND VACUUM YOUR CAR EVERY TIME YOU LET YOUR MECHANIC TOUCH IT.
IF YOU WANT YOUR CAR TO GET THE VERY BEST TREATMENT IN SMALLVILLE, THERE’S ONLY ONE PLACE TO GO.
WOULDN’T IT BE NICE IF YOU DIDN’T HAVE TO BE SURE TO WEAR OLD CLOTHES WHEN YOU DRIVE YOUR CAR HOME FROM YOUR AUTO MECHANIC?
I’M SICK AND TIRED OF SEEING SMALLVILLE CAR OWNERS ALLOW SOME DIRTY, CARELESS GREASE MONKEY MAKE A MESS OF THEIR TREASURED AUTOMOBILES!
WHEN YOUR CAR NEEDS FIXING, YOU CAN TAKE IT TO A SUPER-CHEAP MECHANIC WHO CUTS HIS PRICES BY USING THE CHEAPEST PARTS & LABOR HE CAN FIND. OR YOU CAN PUT YOUR FAMILY’S SAFETY IN THE HANDS OF SOMEONE WHO WON’T SETTLE FOR ANYTHING LESS THAN THE BEST FOR YOU.
I ACTUALLY THOUGHT THAT AFTER THE MECHANIC IS DONE WORKING ON IT, YOUR CAR IS *SUPPOSED* TO LOOK LIKE A MESS…UNTIL I TOOK MY CAR TO ED’S AUTO REPAIR.
IF YOU TAKE PRIDE IN YOUR CAR, YOU DON’T WANT TO LEAVE IT IN THE HANDS OF SOMEONE WHO JUST DOESN’T CARE.
IF YOU CAN FIND A MORE EXPENSIVE AUTO REPAIR SHOP THAN ED’S, ED WILL RAISE HIS PRICES!
Does at least one of those headlines spark an idea for a commercial? The hardest part of writing is starting. When you don’t know where to begin, just start writing some headlines. Soon your only problem will be stopping.
For a great resource of headlines, check out COMMERCIAL EMERGENCY.
Meanwhile, would any intrepid readers like to take one of those headlines (above) and turn it into a full-blown commercial script?
Comments on this entry are closed.
Hi, I think another good opening line would be:
If you were sick, would you want to be seen by the cheapest doctor? Your car is your lifeline to the world, the most important means to move and get things done, would you leave it in the hands of the cheapest mechanic? Quality, attention to detail and a job that’s guaranteed will always give you the peace of mind you need from your car mile for mile. You wouldn’t want a sub par heart would you?
Or, maybe spin it in a funny approach of things that usually try to save on but went south quick like:
Cheap things you don’t get at the supermarket:
Sushi (sfx of toilet flushing)
bread that’s hard as a rock (brick hitting a table)
Cheap betteries for your flashlight (sfx somebody falling down a flight of stairs mumbling and pissed off)
(sarcastic voice) cheap toilet paper (sound of sandpaper scraping hard)
So, if your car breaks down, do you want cheap parts and labor? (sfx of car breaking down) You get what you pay for, and when you want the best, peace of mind for you and your family, Eds shop is the place to go…..
Something on the sober side:
Your car is one of the most single most important investments you do for yourself and your family, would you let just anybody work on it?
Another approach:
Cell phone rings:
Man – Honey, where are you? its late! everything ok?
Woman – No, I’m stuck on the highway because the car broke down again! I thought you had it fixed?
Man – I did! What’s it doing now?
Woman – same thing it was doing before!
Break away into the VO
In life, you get what you pay for, and you always look to save a little extra cash, but when it comes to your car, do you really want to cut corners? or do you want to make sure it runs right when you need it the most?
I guess those are my takes on it. I’d love to get some feedback from the “Dan the Man” himself to see if I’ve been applying myself with everything I picked up from him. As always Dan, thanks for always sharing the knowledge with the newsletters and articles.
Take care,
Efrain
Gret post. It is always tough writing/selling spots for high end services in this economy, and keeping their expectations reallistic.
This is also why my Trans Am’s on blocks untill I can afford to get things done right.
Most car owners in Loyal Reader’s market (any market) will *not* be involved in an automobile accident today.
Nor this week, this month, possibly not even in the next year.
And therein lies the challenge for creating an effective advertising campaign for the auto body and repair client: we want our listeners to be so convinced of the merits of this particular shop and its people before the need arises, so that when an accident does happen, they’ve already decided to entrust our client with the repair job.
Twelve years ago one of my clients in this category asked me for help creating a jingle for them. They said they wanted to become the body shop equivalent of McDonald’s in terms of share of mind and (local) market. The jingle company’s composer/arranger had written a catchy tune and their choice of singer was inspired. Only problem was, the lyrics sucked. So, I offered to rewrite them.
Long story short, that jingle – the full-sing :30 – is still on the air. It airs a minimum of 120 times a month, every month, all year long, not including his numerous sports broadcast sponsorships.
That he’s had competitors grouse about their own kids singing his jingle on the bus isn’t the reason he keeps it on the air.
That he’s by far the busiest shop in town, is.
“Accidents happen, yes, it’s true
And if one ever happens to you,
They’ll get your car back the way it was,
It’ll look like new, it’s true, because
We’re Myers Auto Rebuild and Towing,
Where service is no accident.”
Ooops.
Third line of the jingle should read, \*We’ll* get your car back…\
RS
This actually sounds like an auto body shop I would love to patronize. My feeling is that you get what you pay for, especially with your car. I want a mechanic who’s going to treat my car with kid gloves. Don’t try to sell it as something it’s not.. market it to those of us who have the sense enough to care about that stuff when it comes to choosing a mechanic. I think this was sound advice.