Where Are These Airlines We See In The Advertising?

Smiling Faces? Roomy Seats? Great Food? New Planes? Friendly Service?

By David Miranda

Last week, I was watching CNBC first thing in the morning and the big news was the upcoming merger between Delta and Northwest, forming the largest airline in the United States. There, on the screen, were the two CEO's of the two airlines co-touting how good this would be for everyone - shareholders, employees, consumers, and the airline industry. Any downside? Nope, according to these two men whose personal bank accounts will greatly benefit from the transaction. Surprising marriage? Seems like the current CEO was formerly the CEO of Northwest.

But let's get to the bigger issue.

The major airlines in the U.S. suck. Customer service staff are surly. The majority of planes in the fleet are dirty and old - the latter issue requiring hundreds of planes to be grounded leaving tens of thousands travelers stranded. Travel delays are systemic as is the problem with lost bags. Interior seating, save business and first class, is less comfortable than a Greyhound bus. If that is not enough, consumers get nickeled and dimed for everything and anything including pillows, headphones, extra luggage charges, change fees, etc. etc. New ticketing kiosks have reduced the number of warm bodies to take care of problems when things don't go according to schedule - which, by the way, is all the time.

Now we hear that two airlines who rank in the bottom tier of all categories will be better when they merge. It's like saying "I have these two stones that don't float, but if we glue them together - Voila! they float."

Allow me to address the title of this article. Who are these airlines in the advertising? Where are these well-groomed, friendly helpful employees? Where are the new, clean, roomy planes? Where is that great food I see those actors in the ads being served? Do the airline executives who sign off on these ads ever say "We can't run these ads. It's false advertising. We need to show frustrated travelers in cramped seats waiting for the 8AM flight to depart at 9AM. Those arrival and departure screens in the ads should not say "On Time" listed for every flight. They should say "Delayed" or "Cancelled"."?

My advice to the CEO and other airline executives - fly coach!

What Planet Do Realtors Live On?

New Ad Campaign From the National Associaton Of Realtors Suggest It's Not This One

By David Miranda

Let's see. On this planet, in this country, there has been "mass canaries deaths in the mine" signs that a housing bubble was at the point of bursting fueled by a complicit mortgage industry and a highly motivated real estate broker/agent community. As Newton pointed out, "for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction." Bottom line: greed got out of hand, reality bites. Code name? Recession. Outlook? Layoffs, foreclosures, consumer debt, bankruptcies up. Jobs, home values, expectations down.

Yet here is the optimistic view of the National Association of Realtors of the chilly economic waters? "Hey, jump in. The water's great." This is like the Captain of the Titanic, after hitting the iceberg, explaining to passengers "Oh, no worries. We just stopped for ice."

The front page headline from the recent issue of Advertising Age , from reporter Alice Z. Cuneo read "What housing crisis? Realtors' ads defy reality". Bob Garfield, ad critic for AdAge, escalated the dialogue in his column titled, Pay Heed to What Realtors Don't Say in Their Latest Pitch. Both Ms. Cuneo's article and Mr. Garfield's column took critical umbrage to the new $40 million ad campaign by the National Association of Realtors.

The above mentioned articles do a better job of stating the case on the NAR campaign than I can do here, but it is the lessons to be learned here that is critical for all marketers.

Consumers are not stupid and gullible as the campaign would suggest. They are realists and it is an insult to their intelligence to suggest or opine that things are better than they are experiencing. Marketers have always communicated the best attributes of their brands using thesaural hyperbole, i.e. "better", "new and improved", etc. They do not serve their brands (or causes) well, however, when the communicated message defies reality. As someone once said, "you are entitled to your own opinions, but not to your own facts."

The fact of the matter is that the U.S. housing market is suffering and that means homeowners are suffering and that means the economy is suffering. Consumers need wise and considerate counsel, not irrational enthusiasm.

Let them know what they already know, "we've hit an iceberg, we're taking on water, we're sinking, save yourselves." Steer them to a lifeboat, not back to their "cabins" to enjoy the rest of the cruise.

If your customers are important to you, be upfront; be frank; be honest.

PS.
My friend and real estate guru, Gerry Davidson, has her own interesting POV on this subject on her blog, Real Concepts. I strongly suggest a read of her recent article on the subject and her always refreshing perspectives on the real estate industry. I nominate Gerry for NAR President.

The State Of Advertising - We Miss You Mr. Ogilvy

The "The Father Of Advertising" Would Be Appalled At The State Of His Beloved Industry

By David Miranda

David Ogilvy, considered by many to the Father Of Advertising, penned the "little red book" of advertising, "Confessions Of An Advertising Man" in 1963, yet his wisdom, insights, and advice still ring true today. Mr. Ogilvy, founder of Ogilvy, Benson, and Mather, passed away in 1999 at the grand old age of 88 after a legendary career on Madison Avenue.

Here are quotes from the master:

On Advertising: "I do not regard advertising as entertainment or an art form, but as a medium of information. The more informative your advertising, the more persuasive it will be."

On Advertising Effectiveness: "Ninety-nine percent of advertising doesn't sell much of anything."

On Consumers: "The consumer isn't a moron; she is your wife. It is flagrantly dishonest for an advertising agent to urge consumers to buy a product which he would not allow his own wife to buy. "

On Advertising By Committees: "Committees can criticize advertisements, but they should never be allowed to create them."

On Creativity: "If it doesn't sell, it isn't creative."

On Using Judgement vs. Research: "I notice increasing reluctance on the part of marketing executives to use judgment; they are coming to rely too much on research, and they use it as a drunkard uses a lamp post for support, rather than for illumination."

On Setting Goals: "Don't bunt. Aim out of the ball park. Aim for the company of immortals."

On Hiring Talent: "If each of us hires people who are smaller than we are, we shall become a company of dwarfs. But if each of us hires people who are bigger than we are, we shall become a company of giants. Hire people who are better than you are, then leave them to get on with it. Look for people who will aim for the remarkable, who will not settle for the routine."

On Clients: "I avoid clients for whom advertising is only a marginal factor in their marketing mix. They have an awkward tendency to raid their advertising appropriations whenever they need cash for other purposes."

Mr. Ogilvy, we'll try to do better.

In Advertising, If The Ad Doesn't Work, Change The Ad

Don't Throw Good Money At Ads That Don't Produce

By David Miranda

Year after year, when consumers are asked to rank the best Super Bowl ads of all time, they put the Mean Joe Green Coke commercial at the top of the list. (View ad) We've all seen it countless times.

Few people are aware, however, that this beloved commercial only ran one time. Yes, just once. Why? Well, according to Sergio Zyman, who was Coke's SVP of Marketing who both approved and pulled the ad, it did not produce results. It did not sell more Coke.

There is a lesson to be learned here. More often than not, advertising that does not produce continues to be funded by brands in hopes, it seems, that it eventually will. The rationale is "we've spent all this money on creative and media, so we have to see this through."

Wrong. Dead wrong.

Do you keep frequenting the same restaurant if the food and service is bad? Do you keep investing in stocks that don't generate returns? Do you keep pouring water in a bucket that has a hole in it? Of course not. Then why continue to run advertising that doesn't produce?

Then what is an advertiser to do? Here are few suggestions.

1. Admit, that despite the best of planning, creativity, and intentions, sometimes things don't work.
2. Change the ad.
3. Get all the contributors together - research, brand managers, agency execs - and do a CSI-worthy post mortem. How did we miss the mark? Do we tweak or go back to the drawing boards?
4. Get new creative out there
5. Brush yourself off and get back in the game.
6. If it works, spend more media on it. If it doesn't, well, you know what to do.

Advertising that doesn't work should be euthanized not put on life support. The health of the brand is at stake.

What Happened To "Keep It Simple, Stupid"?

What The Ad Copy Giveth, The Fine Print Confuseth

By David Miranda

Today, there is no doubt we live in a more litigious business environment with frivolous lawsuits sometimes making headlines for their outrageousness. Remember the person who sued over spilled coffee because it was "too hot" or the person who sued because fast food made them obese? Ridiculous, yes, but the response to this insanity is just as insane. The fine print wordage in ads now exceeds the ad copy. Good marketing has been hijacked by corporate legalese. One frustrated marketer told me his company is now "a law firm that sells stuff" and it takes longer for a marketing program "get through legal" than it took to develop the campaign in the first place. The "legalese" that is intended to clarify, actually confuses the prospective buyer.

Here's an example.

Thumbing through USAToday, I stopped at a 3/4 page color ad from United Airlines including some attention-getting sample fares with the following lead headline and copy:

Our low fares come nicely equipped.
Get a free rental day from Hertz when you book a sale fare on United.

Book a low fare on United, rent a Hertz full-size or larger vehicle for three or more days and get one day free*. You'll always find the guaranteed lowest fare* at united.com, pay no booking fees and earn up to 500 Mileage Plus bonus miles. Go online or call 1-800-UNITED-1 today.

The bottom 25% of the ad, in microscopic fine print, contained the terms, conditions, caveats, disclaimers, etc. The following is how these terms, conditions, etc. qualify the offer.

Fares are each way on required round trip purchase. Tickets must be purchased at least 14 days in advance and ticketed within 24 hours of making reservations, but no later than 1/09/07. Reservations and tickets purchased on united.com must be completed simultaneously. Fares shown are valid on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Saturday. Fares are not valid for travel 2/16/07, 2/19/07, and 2/25/07. Seats are limited and may not be available on all flights or dates. Fares require 2-night minimum stay. Fares do not include a $3.30 per flight segment tax or $2.50 per flight segment September 11 Security Fee. Fares do not include Passenger Facility Charges of up to $18. Tickets purchased through United reservation offices are $15 per ticket higher and tickets purchased at airport ticket counters are $20 per ticket higher. Fares purchased through other distribution channels may also be higher. To qualify for the Hertz free rental day, one must book a qualifying United flight and rent a Hertz full-size or larger vehicle for three or more weekend days, or five or more days. The offer may not be available at some times in some locations especially during periods of peak demand. Blackout dates may apply.

The above fine print is an edited version of the actual, but I challenge anyone to make heads or tails of it. Considering the ad was touched by many at United and its agency, wasn't there anyone in the food chain who spoke up and said "this is too confusing and may defeat the purpose of trying to sell airline seats (and Hertz vehicles)"?

Brands should make a New Year's resolution that the wordage in the fine print should not exceed the wordage in the offer. A less confused consumer is more likely to purchase something.