General Motors TV, online and print creative for the week of the 4th of July 2008 boasts the copy point..... "Declare your Independence from Interest rates (aka High Prices) " Does the copywriter live in a commune in Topanga Canyon with no connection to the world? Is General Motors not closing down entire plants because consumers can't afford the GAS to fill up their GM SUV's and Pick Ups and Gas guzzling cars?
Ironically, the reason this got on my "Radar" was that the TV creative aired on the CBS morning news which was on in the background as I was getting ready and followed a news story on the closing of GM plants, the laying off of thousands and the worst sales (down 25%) in decades. My "Third Voice" (you know the one we all have in our head) actually thought it was a joke, a Saturday Night Live bit. "Who would possibly use copy for GM that the core message was your "Independence from high prices"?
Then my third voice got a grip and said " Thank god consumers are STUPID they will get totally motivated this weekend to go into the dealers and buy GM products because there is 0% Interest rates! You do know that the average consumers third voice is thinking "WOW auto dealers with 0 % interest (on cars they can't sell) this is a once in a lifetime opportunity I (stupid consumer) will NEVER see 0% interest again (until next month) I'm going to go buy a big ass SUV, Pick up and the other GM Vehicle this weekend.
Ironically, the reason this got on my "Radar" was that the TV creative aired on the CBS morning news which was on in the background as I was getting ready and followed a news story on the closing of GM plants, the laying off of thousands and the worst sales (down 25%) in decades. My "Third Voice" (you know the one we all have in our head) actually thought it was a joke, a Saturday Night Live bit. "Who would possibly use copy for GM that the core message was your "Independence from high prices"?
Then my third voice got a grip and said " Thank god consumers are STUPID they will get totally motivated this weekend to go into the dealers and buy GM products because there is 0% Interest rates! You do know that the average consumers third voice is thinking "WOW auto dealers with 0 % interest (on cars they can't sell) this is a once in a lifetime opportunity I (stupid consumer) will NEVER see 0% interest again (until next month) I'm going to go buy a big ass SUV, Pick up and the other GM Vehicle this weekend.
This could be the worst case of Media Planning in history. Seriously, if you are planning the media for GM do you really think that buying TV NEWS is the best idea? Gas prices (Yahoo!/AP) are impacting 90% of Americans. Crashing automotive sales DOMINATE the NEWS. Airlines have media deals in place that spots must be removed immediately after any air disaster and this isn't a disaster?
Why? LAZY AD People who suffer from "Last Year Itis" This campaign was on a media promotions flowchart in September of last year, just as it has been for decades, the creative has been used for decades probably since wally Cleaver and it's just a recycled Bad Idea which has become a Horrible Idea.
This is why quarterly planning and creative review although time consuming is critical to effective advertising. Is it that Radio, and TV, and online doesn't work ? or, could it be that the creative and media plan suck and are out of touch with the specific person they are targeting?
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