CIRCUS ADVERTISING

A Ford commercial that recently hit TV screens features a Ford car in a 30 second action cartoon-esque riding a cartoon roller-coaster. An article in the current issue of Marketing Magazine makes this analysis on the new ad:

“Ford dives head-first into another weak strategy by suggesting cars are actually powered by people. Any competing car brand could easily match that claim. Ford seems to forget the best automotive advertising strategy is the car itself. This doesn’t have to mean expensive or exotic-but functional, dependable, aspirational. And with Ford finally making some strides in car design (i.e. Edge, Fusion), it chose not to show me the actual product in the ad. Oddly enough, Ford sends me a message to go out and buy Cirque du Soleil tickets.”

Although a biting commentary on the ad campaign, it brings attention to an interesting point about promotion and advertising. The sign of an unsuccessful advertising campaign, is to put thousands of dollars into a campaign that people think is really cool and gets them talking, but they can’t even remember what was being advertised or what company was associated with it. Why would you spend thousands of your advertising dollars on a project that isn’t even going to reflect your company? We’ve all most likely seen one of those ads, or talked about them. Ever say “I have no idea what that ad was actually advertising” or ask “who even made this commercial?” Sometimes the most effective business advertising is to KISS – Keep It Simple, Stupid. Don’t make a circus out of promotion. Focus on the message and the impact you want that message to have. How are you connecting your business with YOU?

Tags: advertising, advertising strategies, auto industry, car advertising, ford, ford commercial, keep it simple stupid, tv commercials