All You Need Is A Good Idea!

Gotcha!

You may see it on the top of taxis in New York. Or painted on the side of barns. Or printed on the oars of a rented rowboat.

And they all basically say the same thing: Does advertising (in this location) get your attention? And then comes the answer, with what they believe is a compelling, motivating, irrefutable argument: “It just did.”

Well, yes, I did notice it. But do they really feel that now I have been persuaded to advertise in a particular medium? Somehow I fell tricked, like they got me to look almost in spite of myself. The only reaction I have is a negative one.

So yes, there are some standard tricks and techniques that you can use to get someone to pay attention to your marketing. But it is a good idea not to use them and instead to come up with something new.

And make sure that there is something beneficial for your customer waiting on the other side of the headline.

Bad Decision

In the October 27 issue of The New Yorker, there are a series of ads from MassMutual. They are all illustrations, and the first is a full page showing a woman in her yard planting a seedling. The entire text reads: “What is the sign of a good decision? MassMutual presents an interpretation by seven artists.”

Okay. I’ll assume they mean that planting a tree is a good decision. And the intention to stand out by using a bland illustration rather than a photograph or actually providing any information was a conscious one. But when you turn the page, expecting to see the first of the seven interpretations, there is, instead, an ad from American Express. A few pages later, however, there is another full page ad, again asking the question, “What is the sign of a good decision?” Here the illustration is of two people on lounges on a beach. The woman is under a shade tree; the man, after close inspection, has made a bad decision to stay in the sun, as he is sunburned, frowning and has even dropped his ice cream cone, poor devil.

There are several other in the series, some with two people, one of whom has made a “bad decision.” Some have only one person. One has a man in a hammock, sleeping (what was the good decision? Napping?). The other shows a man either catching a fish with his bare hands, or releasing one that he has caught. Finally, the payoff. The last ad, full page, inside cover, showing that the earlier seedling has now blossomed into an apple tree, ripe for picking. And the copy we have all been waiting breathlessly for: “What is the sign of a good decision? In the world of personal finance, it’s Mass Mutual.”

How many ways do I think this is a bad approach? Let me count the ways.

•    It is really dull looking, even for a financial company.
•    Is it actually a financial company? The first page copyright says Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company.
•    Is anyone beside someone writing a blog about ideas really going to spend this much time with the ads? This is harder than “Where’s Waldo?”
•    With all the economic turmoil today, why not provide real solutions?

Finally, for extra credit, can you spot the “Good decision” in this ad?

Subway (Not The Sandwich)

Riding in the subway this morning, I noticed an ad for a product from the transit museum. (The transit museum is where you can buy items that feature, appropriately enough, subway related items, like complete sets of old tokens, chocolate tokens, cuff links made from old tokens, historic maps, subway maps printed on umbrellas, mouse pads, t-shirts, gym bags, puzzles, plus watches, books, you can even purchase memorabilia such as air gauges, vintage enamel signs and badges.)

What struck me was that the ad was for silk boxer shorts, decorated with a subway map. My question, aside from whether or not they had my size, was why they selected this item to feature. Perhaps they thought that because it was unusual, it would bring more attention to their store. Perhaps they think there is a big market for silk subway boxer shorts. I don’t really know.

But I do know that what you choose to promote can often be as important as the way you choose to promote it. So when you are preparing your marketing materials, if you have a choice of items to feature, think hard about which one you want to make prominent. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t go with the unexpected, if that’s what your gut tells you to do. It does mean that you should think about it, and not just feature the newest version of what you have always featured.

What do you think?

Blipverts

A British ad agency, Mother, has done a series of "blipverts," which are five-second TV spots, for Coke.

According to last Thursday's the New York Times, these blipverts depict the sounds and noises associated with drinking Coke, such as the cap being taken off the bottle, or ice being dropped into a glass.

Andy Medd, a partner at Mother, said, "We're simply creating anticipation of desire. It's very simple."
The brand director said it this way, that the goal is "reminding customers of the pleasure of enjoying an ice cold Coke."

Which one would you rather have speaking in your next meeting? And which one are you going to emulate when you write your next ad or headline or speech? If you said the guy from Mother, I will wash your mouth out with Pepsi.