All advertisements can be placed on an Advertising Continuum of Greatness.
On the far left, you’ve got AWESOME advertisements. These are classic ads, like this year’s VW spot featuring the Darth Vader kid or any Budweiser advertisement with frogs. You get what I’m saying? These are the classic advertisements that will endure.
On the far right, you’ve got most advertisements for local credit unions/local mortgage companies/local resale shops. You see where I’m going with this, right? It’s challenging to produce a high-quality commercial on a local level.
However, sometimes advertisements that are really, really, really bad squeak off the right end of the continuum and end up on the left.
Lately, this cosmic phenomenon seems to be happening more frequently.
Low-budget local advertisements that are so bad they RIP A HOLE in the ADVERTISING CONTINUUM and arrive at “AWESOME” are catching on with viewers. Curiously enough, some local businesses now actively attempt to create “low-budget” local commercials in efforts to increase awareness of their product/service/used car lot. Obviously, the “low-budget” element here needs to translate to “hilarious” in order for this to succeed.
Really, local advertisements shouldn’t succeed. Ever. None of them. Not at all. They’re cheap and feature all of the following:
-business owners pretending to be actors
-horrible cinematography
-copy written by people who don’t know how to write copy
-cue cards
-canned music
In spite of this, some local ads are catching like wildfire.
So, here’s the big question: WHY do local ads work?
There’s a magic combination of the items on the above list that allows for the creation of a local commercial that goes madly VIRAL. It’s a formula that’s working for local business owners with a need for increased brand awareness. Local ads speak to consumers in a way that advertisements from Very Important Advertising Companies just can’t manage to do.
As viewers and potential consumers, we find these ads unique and endearing. The distinct regional accents and off-rhythm jingles speak to our very cores.
(If you were wondering, Baer Performance Marketing does media buys. Maybe you want to do a local television commercial and you need someone to negotiate rates. We can help, of course.)
Here’s a few of our favorites for your personal amusement:
Eagleman Insurance, a 1993 classic:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4-e4nlfdRI]
Montgomery Flea Market
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahxjdetJdb4&feature=related]
TDM Auto Sales, made intentionally hilarious by comedy duo Rhett & Link:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7b5CKSqlz60] Hey, do us a favor and leave a comment with a link to your favorite unintentionally or intentionally great local TV advertisement. It’s Friday and we need to entertain the interns.
This post brought to you courtesy of Lara, Baer PM Intern.
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