It's Probably False Hope for Truth in Advertising

This column originally published on July 9, 2007 in The Appleton Post-Crescent.

So, the other night the missus and I are watching TV with our kids. On the telly is a commercial for one of our Wisconsin casinos that features three guys sitting on a couch watching TV when one of them has the epiphany to head to the casino. They all jump up and head off down the road to try their luck.

All of this seems quite harmless and perfectly feasible, right? Well, not so fast Johnson. Turns out that all four of us watching the spot had the exact same thought at the exact same time, which was early on in the commercial. It was when the three guys are pictured scrunched onto the couch. It just didn’t seem right. “That just wouldn’t happen!” we all said at the same time. And for each of us, it took our attention away from the rest of the ad, impacting its effectiveness.

Not that there’s anything wrong with it, of course, but it just became a bit unbelievable because three guys don’t typically find their way to the same couch. Two on the couch, one on a chair or standing behind the couch, that sort of thing would work. But it seemed like it was probably necessary to have them all on the couch in order to fit them into the shot, which made it a bit more uncomfortable.

Though it’s not really “truth in advertising” in the classic sense, it is important to be sure that your marketing messages are presented in a believable light in order for your message to be received at maximum value. This is true of any marketing you do, whether it’s TV, radio, print ads, outdoor, direct mail or online.

There are times, of course, where the positioning is clearly tongue-in-cheek. Most of us know, for example, that we’re not likely to be covered by a red cowboy hat if we’re thinking of Arby’s as a lunch option. Or that the burly construction guys are going to whistle at me because I’m toting a tasty beef ‘n’ cheddar.

Allow me to give you another example that followed the casino ad by about 10 minutes. It was a national pharmaceutical ad for incontinence that featured a fella commenting about getting up frequently during the night, thereby creating a restless night for he and his wife. His wife then says, “You should see our doctor about your urinary problems…” or something to that effect. My guess, however, is that any wife I know wouldn’t say it in the professional, clearly very understanding manner in which she says it. Chances are the context would be a bit more colorful, if you will. Something like, “Go to the #@!&* doctor about that #@!&* urinary problem…” Knowing that we can’t exactly say that on TV, something like, “Bob, you gotta see the doctor about this…and soon” in a somewhat anguished voice would seem much more appropriate…and impactful.

Again, these aren’t spoof ads or ads poking fun at a particular setting or subject. We’re supposed to believe these, or be inspired by them. Hard to do when things seem so out of place or stick out like a sore thumb.

Try to avoid such pitfalls with your marketing and promotion. Make sure the pieces fit together. Creativity and cleverness is a great thing in advertising, but making sure your message hits home is paramount.