This is what happens when:
1. The advertiser wants to write their own copy.
2. The major market radio station doesn’t care (or know) enough to say, “No, you’ll be wasting your money.”
A few comments on that radio commercial….
* The fact that they’re “family owned” doesn’t make any prospective car buyer want to buy a vehicle from the advertiser.
* “For over 34 years” — ??? Okay, this is a parody, right?
* “Experience the Timmons touch” — Meaning…uh…um…Well, it’s alliterative…
* “At Timmons of Long Beach, you have a family member in the car business” — Well, if you’re a member of the Timmons family, you do. Otherwise, that’s just plain stupid. Every automobile dealership is owned by someone with family members. But if they’re not our family members, it’s hardly an advantage to us as customers.
* The only memorable part of that radio advertisement is the jingle. Memorable…but almost worthless, because the jingle doesn’t tie who “Timmons of Long Beach” is to what “Timmons of Long Beach” does. That jingle could be for a car dealer, a restaurant, a bait & tackle shop, a vasectomy clinic…Anything.
The jingle’s only value would appear when someone familiar with it happens to drive past the car dealership, see the sign and think, “Oh, so that’s what they’re talking about.” There’d be a tiny bit of name recognition. Not enough to justify the cost of the jingle production or the air time, though.
“I tried radio…and it didn’t work.” (Sigh)
Comments on this entry are closed.
wow they do that stuff in the major markets, too? I did not the lack of enthusiasm that allows the music to swallow her…
Actually, as someone who is both in the biz and part owner of a car dealership, I will tell you the research has shown that there are buyers out there who would rather buy from a local family owned store vs one owned by Sonic. It also works as a position to differentiate you from other stores in town selling the same product.
I’m guessing a “family owned” advantage is similar to johnson’s “a family owned company” tag that follows on everyone of their TV spots for what seems like decades. It’s a perception your dealing with someone other then the big evil corporation. whether or not it’s actually true remains to be seen, but playing up to the perception only makes sense.
For over 34 years isn’t a bad thing to say, it quickly establishes that they’ve been around for quite some time, but maybe rewording it, “for almost 35 years” or “for over 30 years” to give a round number to have something easier to relate to for the listener.
If anything, I’d have to knock the client voice talent-april for sounding like she’s reading the copy and insincere. On the other side of the coin, the lack of “slickness” of a professional voice talent can work in their favor of being honest and if you put a real person in the dealership on the air, you’ll get floor traffic alone from people curious to see what she looks like and who knows, you might actually sell a car.
Is there a way to really quantify radio spot results? Your really solely dependent on the client’s comments and to keep him happy. That’s not necessarily a good measuring stick. If he gets floor traffic but has a lot of tire kickers and no buyers, has the campaign been a success? what is the goal of the campaign?
I do appreciate not speedy -sell ,nor legalese ..oh-that April is not “Crazy April” or Mad April” or “in-your-face-attitude April” but either way I did not call timmons-
I agree that there’s too little meat in the commercial for it to be of much value, at least to one who does not live in Long Beach, and who has no frame of reference for the Timmons family dealership. Perhaps locals, who have been exposed to their advertising over time, already have a context into which this commercial fits as a reinforcing message, weak as it is.
I don’t have a big problem with saying that a dealership is ‘family-owned’ (e.g., a mom-and-pop operation, as opposed to a unit of one of the megagroups such as Lithia). This may well resonate with some prospects, as Anonymous seems to believe.
But I’d trade any of the commercial’s clichés for a more specific, more substantial offer:
…where you’ll always find at least ten late-model cars on the lot, priced under $10,000.
or …where every new Subaru comes with free oil-and-filter changes for the first 5 years.
The fact that they’ve been in business for 34 years could be given some teeth by building commercials around the experiences of loyal 2nd and 3rd-generation customers, who’ve stayed with the dealership because they’ve been well treated. One might also infer that a dealership that’s been around for 34 years under the same family ownership has probably done enough things right over those years to warrant the consideration of someone not familiar with them.
It’s up to the advertiser to infuse a claim, whether ’34 years’ or ‘ The Timmons Touch,’ with meaning relevant to the prospect; otherwise, it’s just empty chest-thumping and an unfortunate but all-too-common waste of advertising dollars.
That ad certainly doesn’t make me want to experience the “Timmons Touch.” In fact, it makes me want to file a restraining order against the “Timmons Touch.”
But seriously, I think Dan’s point is that the ad is just a series of cliches that don’t really say anything and don’t make a connection with the listeners. When your audience is exposed to five or six ads in a break, you need your ad to stand out from the crowd, AND you need your ad to connect with as many people as possible. Does “family owned” resonate with a few listeners? Sure. Does it resonate with the MAJORITY of your listeners? No. Look in downtown (insert city here) and you’ll see plenty of dark, locked up, former businesses that based their advertising on being “family owned.” Here’s a clue: if the majority of listeners cared about spending their money with a business that was “family owned” or (another worn-out phrase I hate) “locally owned and operated,” Wal-Mart would be out of business.
And just because a company can say they’ve been around for “X” number of years doesn’t necessarily mean they’re well-managed or operating their business properly. Can you say “automotive bailout?” And did you know that Fortune magazine named Enron “America’s Most Innovative Company” for six consecutive years, from 1996 to 2001? (And 2001 was the same year Enron filed for bankruptcy protection.) Longevity means something to me if I need a specialty service. Remodeling my kitchen? Rebuilding my car engine? Performing laser surgery on my eyes? Then I care that you’ve been doing it a long time. If I’m shopping for a particular product, whether it’s a car, a hammer, a pair of shoes or whatever, that “X” number of years thing doesn’t mean so much. Like any consumer, it’s all about getting the best value (or perceived value) I can get.
That being said, in this case I grudgingly have to side with the salesperson who probably said, “Yes, sir…you’re right, sir…anything you say, sir.” Just like any business, radio is in it to make a profit, and who are your biggest spenders? The car dealers. And which of your clients have the biggest egos and think they know everything about effective advertising? Same answer (Why do you think so many of them want to do their own ads?). So when it comes to the choice of doing what is right (Educating the client) and what is easy (Saying, “You’re right, sir,” and getting the contract signed) when the consequences could be losing your biggest account by bruising a fragile ego, it’s pretty obvious what any salesperson will choose to do.
That ad certainly doesn’t make me want to experience the “Timmons Touch.” In fact, it makes me want to file a restraining order against the “Timmons Touch.” Excellent points, Dan.
Dan, one thing you didn’t mention – that jumped out at me – was that she starts off, “Hi, I’m April…”
I’m constantly telling clients to NEVER start a commercial by interoduing themselves; you’re basically annoucning to the listener, “Hey, this is a commercial, so you don’t need to listen; go fix yourself a sandwich or something.” A much better alternative is to start off with a sentence or two saying something that will capture the listener’s attention by appealling to their sensibilities…THEN introduce yourself.
Sadly this represents most of what you hear on radio today.
Ah-ha…I see my “extended critical analysis” eventually showed up. I thought it was lost somewhere in cyberspace, which prompted me to go with the more “short-n-sweet” response (I really didn’t mean to comment on my own comment). I will make a New Year’s Resolution to be more patient in the future. And a Happy New Year to you, Dan!