Kibbe on Marketing: When Good Commercials Go Bad

A good commercial, ad or other marketing campaign is one that engages you in an interesting, even funny way and ultimately persuades you to buy whatever the advertiser is selling.

There are many, many examples of great campaigns through the ages – from Coke’s iconic “The Pause That Refreshes,” Berma-Shave’s road signs, Wendy’s “Where’s the Beef,” Justin Long ala Mac vs. Mr. PC – the list goes on.

A newer trend aims to tell a little story spread over several commercials. Like a mini-series, the hope here is that you’ll keep your eyes open (and hopefully your wallet, too) for the next 30-second installment.

But in many advertisers’ efforts to grab your attention, the characters or the story takes on a life of its own. The product message becomes diluted or lost altogether.

Take Geico’s Caveman. A talent, metro Neanderthal takes righteous exception to Geico’s sign-up practices that were “so easy, a caveman can do it.” Brilliant – the first dozen times. Then the commercials transform into a sort of “Encino Man", culminating in an erstwhile but ultimately horrendous TV series pilot.

Now I thought virtually all of the Caveman bits were hysterical, but at some point, Geico got lost and the commercials became more about the Caveman and less about car insurance.

You might also remember the road warriors that stayed at Holiday Inn, where little by little we learned the boss had a penchant for aromatherapy, whale songs and cage fighting. (“He’s a bad man.”) Again, we became far more interested in the characters, not what they were pitching, which was supposed to be a great room and great services for business travelers.

And if they’re not careful, Progressive’s “Flo” is on the fast-track to jumping the shark, not insuring against it.

Who’s doing it right? Oddly, it’s Geico with its adorable Gecko. He’s a weird messenger, but he’s always on message. The Capital One Barbarians are doing the same thing – funny but informative and sticking to the message.

Granted, these are big, million-dollar Madison Avenue campaigns, but the good and the bad both have a lesson for small-business owners. Be funny, be informative but stay with your message for all of your marketing.

PS…I realize I’m dating myself, but does anyone remember that 1970s Duncan Hines commercial with the lady wearing a mask made from a cake mix box, “Boo! Does this scare you? I used to be afraid of baking…” That one DEFINITELY qualifies as only of the “ugly.”

Cindy Kibbe, an editor for a New England business publication for nearly a decade, can be reached at cindykibbe@comcast.net.