Branding Ad Vice

Jihad Car Sale - My Two Cents

I’ve written more than my share of car dealer ads over the past 3 decades.  Most of them (until I learned to just say no) were little more than factory incentive drivel that would do little or nothing to drive a consumer into a particular dealership.  I think most ads for new car dealers miss the boat.  But that’s another post.

From time to time I’d become so crazed about saying the same old thing that I’d write something outrageously stupid jut to maintain my sanity.  I’m not sure if that’s what happened at Dennis Mitsubishi last week but they’ve sure gotten a lot of publicity for an ad that hasn’t run.

If you haven’t caught the story yet, Google “Jihad Car Sale” and you’ll find over 1.5 million references to the commercial.  Here’s one of the original stories (read).

In the commercial, Keith Dennis of Dennis Mitsubishi talks about "launching a jihad on the automotive market."

Sales representatives "will be wearing burkas all weekend long," the ad says. One of the vehicles on sale "can comfortably seat up to 12 jihadists in the back."

"Our prices are lower than the evildoers’ every day. Just ask the pope!"  The ad says. "Friday is fatwa Friday, with free rubber swords for the kiddies."

The ad is allegedly scheduled to run September 28th but a little voice in the back of my head says the whole episode was designed as a publicity stunt.  Somehow word of the ad was leaked to the media.  Hmm.  And tens of thousands of people (including me) have commented for or against something they’ve only heard about from a second or third hand source.  Here we have a non-event creating a firestorm in less than a week – Interesting.

The stunt has given Keith Dennis more publicity than any advertising he’s ever paid for – maybe all of his advertising combined.  I’m just guessing, but traffic at Dennis Mitsubishi will be higher than normal this weekend. That would seem to be the goal wouldn’t it?

Dazed And Confused

Thoughts on a few things I read or heard during my summer travels around America. 

Back to school furniture sale (I wonder if the Betty Ford Clinic has a program for “Sale” Addiction?)

Lowest prices in the world!  Save 15% (I wonder if they’ve factored in the currency exchange rate?)

… for all of your group meeting needs, business or leisure.  (I expected more from American Airlines).

#1 For All Your Garage Needs (I need my garage cleaned out.)

We're So Sorry Dr. Z

On September 1st Daimler Chrysler AG Chairman Dieter Zetsche was, for all intents and purposes, fired as advertising spokesperson after only 2 months (more).  Perhaps you’ve seen the grandfatherly Dr. Z answering questions about the German engineering incorporated in Chrysler and Dodge vehicles.

Chrysler sales slumped during the 2 months of the ads so Dr. Z is gone replaced by a 72 month zero interest promotion.  The original thinking was if Lee Iacocca could do it in the 80s why not Dr. Z in 2006? 

You may remember that Chrysler chairman Iacocca led the company through a remarkable turnaround in the early 1980s and appeared in ads talking about improved production quality. His famous selling line: "If you can find a better car, buy it."  The phrase made sense in the early 80s.  Chrysler had re-tooled and introduced the innovative K-Cars and the first mini-van.

You may not remember the return of Lee Iacocca in the fall of 2005.  Chrysler put out a series of ads featuring the retired CEO and a string of  “celebrities” including Snoop Dog, Jason Alexander and his grand daughter.  “If you can find a better car, but it,” didn’t hold as much water and I’m fairly sure that Snoop fan has no idea who the old geezer was.

It isn’t Dr. Z’s fault that his ads weren’t compelling.  I happen to like many Chrysler products (I don’t own any – I just like them) but a Chrysler isn’t a Mercedes no matter how you spin it.  Where the original “If you find a better car…” line in the sand tone rang true in 1983, Dr. Z’s discussion of German automotive superiority was met with a collective “So what?” by consumers.  Which is pretty much the same reaction Chrysler is going to get from 72 month zero interest financing.  Why not just pay us to take the cars off your hands?

Now that’d be something to talk about.

What’s Next, Harley Davidson Scooters?

While it’s true you don’t have to grow up, you can’t help growing older.  Harley Davidson has announced the development of a three-wheel vehicle, which made me wonder how far Harley Davidson could go to keep in step (so to speak) with it’s aging baby boomer customer base.

I can imagine the ad now… “We guarantee that if Medicare doesn’t approve your Harley Davidson Scooter, it’s free!”

Pluto Demoted - Loses Its Planet Brand

The scientists have voted, but will it take?  Discovered in 1930, Pluto has been a planet in my book since Mrs. Wakefield showed the filmstrip to my first grade class at Fairlane Elementary in Taylor Michigan in 1959. 

That’s not to say that past that I’m not open to new concepts.  We (most of us at least) know the world isn’t flat.  But trying to re-invent yourself and creating a new image by only changing your name is tricky.

I can’t predict whether vast majority of people will go along with the scientist on Pluto.  Americans generally love the underdog and will probably stick up for the little guy out there at the edge of our solar system.  But let’s consider two mostly unsuccessful attempts to re-position a product by renaming it. 

About 14 years ago, a business owner severely chastised me for calling his establishment a “bowling alley.”  The proper term he explained was “bowling center.”  “Alley” had too much baggage.  Whatever.  I was trying to sell him advertising so I humored him.  Today, a quick Google search of “Bowling Alley” returned about 2,941,000 results while “Bowling Center” returned only 1,210,000.  They’ve got a long way to go.

Let us not forget  or TAFKAP, or more simply The Artist Formerly Known as Prince.  It only took him seven years to throw in the towel on that idea.

Finally, let’s consider Popeye’s enemy Bluto, who changed his name to Brutus.  In this case there was a good reason.  The attorneys for Walt Disney’s Big Mouse in Anaheim complained that Bluto sounded too much like Mickey’s dog Pluto.  Up until this afternoon I thought the character had been known as Bluto, Pluto and Brutus.  Go figure.

Here’s the point.  If your business is heading south, simply changing your name probably won’t be much help.   Fix the things going wrong inside your business or you might find yourself in the alley without a friend to your name.

Sorry That I Haven't Written Sooner

My thanks to those who have sent me emails wondering what's been up.  In my youth, I'd often dream of taking a summer off to travel around the country.  25 years later I got my wish.  In June I met with 11 new clients at the “Wizard Of Ads Boom Your Business” workshop in Austin.  Since then I’ve been following up with market visits to each one.  There hasn't been a lot of time for quiet contemplation.

I wanted to call this summer's travels my "Graceland to Ground Zero" tour but that’d leave out a lot of the real estate I’ve seen this summer by plane, and train and automobile.  My head is full of thoughts, my moleskin notebooks loaded with ideas and there’s a three-page word document with my impressions of the United States circa 2006.  Eventually, I’ll share some of the stories but for now I'd like to share an observation from the road.

Despite media reports to the contrary, Americans are pretty much the same no matter where they live.  From Long Island to Los Angeles people are concerned with more or less the same things; doing the best they can, providing for their family and building a better community. 

I’ve also noticed that if you spend too much time watching television you could be led to believe that the country is coming apart at the seams.  Everything is a “crisis” these days.  A stretch of hot weather is reported at the onset of global warming.  Commentators raising fears that a foiled terror plot could mean the end of air travel, as we know it.  Gas Prices, Immigration, the list goes on and on.

In the movie “Men In Black,” Tommy Lee Jones explains to Will Smith that “a person is smart, people are stupid.”  As a group we wring our hands, looking for someone to blame, looking for an easy answer.  As individuals we realize that there are no simple answers and no one person or group to blame.  So we do the best we can, providing for our families, helping to build a better community.  And by doing that, things usually work out in the end.