RW> HI BOb,

 RW> bob klahn wrote in a message to CINDY HAGLUND:

bk>>  In your face? An ad that offends you is likely to fail.

 RW> True enough, but oftentimes just through repetition they
 RW> offend.

 Oh, absolutely. As an example, the ad for the debit card with
 the couple going to the movie was funny the first time. Now it's
 about as irritating as they get. I don't much care for the ads
 showing how superior debit cards are to checks or cash, where
 the world comes to a halt if you don't use a debit card, but
 that one was funny, for a while.

 CH>> I think advertisers don't promote a product so much as they
 CH>> do to simply make more money for themselves.

bk>>  Umm... that is what ad agencies are in business for, but
bk>>  companies don't hire them if they don't work. Esp major
bk>>  corporations have departements that figure that stuff out in
bk>> detail.

 RW> Indeed they do.  AS one who's worked behind the mixing
 RW> board doing commercials I can tell you they agonize over
 RW> whether or not they're having the impact they desire.

 In the book, "Up the Organizatin" Robert Townsend told how he
 got an agency to develop Avis' Slogan, "We try harder". He said
 most companies had every ad campaign and every idea run through
 the company execs, who meddled with details until they drained
 all the creativity from the ad people. He told the ad agency
 they would either refuse the ad altogether, or run it as is. No
 changes by company execs.

 The ad agency went all out, and everybody worked their tails
 off. Only they found the car rental business wasn't all that
 interesting. "We try harder" was all they could come up with. So
 they ran it, and had one of the most successful ad campaigns
 ever.

 RW> It's all about brand recognition.  YOu don't grab a tissue,
 RW> you grab a "klenex" (TM) THe dentist's office plays
"Muzak"
 RW> (TM) in the waiting room.

 Yup. With the added danger that if it becomes accepted as
 generic they lose their trademark. Which is why asprin is a
 class of medicine here, and a brand name in Europe.

 bk>>  Do you remember "Ipana"?

 RW> Brush-a brush-a brush-a this is new ipana.

 Some years back I read they were still making it. The company,
 can't recall who, stopped advertising it, but so many people
 still wanted it they kept making it. Don't know if they still
 do.

 Just looked it up. Bristol Meyers. They stopped making it here,
 but sold it to Procter and Gambles, who now sell it in Turkey
 where it is a top seller.


BOB KLAHN bob.klahn{at}sev.org   http://home.toltbbs.com/bobklahn

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