Does this ad bother you?
- Thread starter SeniorTom
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Mr Machine
Well-known member
As a 43 year advertising veteran (ret.) I agree with the CMO on page 1, to a point.
I understand that the world has changed, things that were unacceptable are now okay.
Fine.
But….. writing copy with the f bomb, whether hinted at or spelled out, is just plain lazy and shows a lack of creativity.
That’s what rubs me the wrong way.
Advertising used to be a creative centric business.
Now, any schmo with a laptop or phone can produce ads, banners and even TV spots.
Doesn’t mean that they’ll be good though.
-Boomer out.
I understand that the world has changed, things that were unacceptable are now okay.
Fine.
But….. writing copy with the f bomb, whether hinted at or spelled out, is just plain lazy and shows a lack of creativity.
That’s what rubs me the wrong way.
Advertising used to be a creative centric business.
Now, any schmo with a laptop or phone can produce ads, banners and even TV spots.
Doesn’t mean that they’ll be good though.
-Boomer out.
DeeDeeCues
Well-known member
I have little doubt that they are a great business. I am pointing out that their choices do alienate some people. They went the 'bruh' route with their image. I don't like the 'bruh' culture, so I don't support it.
I'm not butthurt at all. I swear enough to make most sailors blush, obviously. Outside of forums, I don't swear around people I don't know, people who I know are offended by it, kids, parents of friends...I read the room.
The name, 'pooldawg' makes me think of the guys who drive lifted trucks with testicles that have never even been on gravel.
Not my image. Not who I choose to be around. If they are a great company, they should consider that.
As for you, you seem to be one of the narrowest minded people I have ever seen. You constantly go to arguments like this. When someone's opinion differs from yours, you should consider it, then argue against it instead of just telling someone to mind there own business. This is public, it can be my business if I decide it is.
DeeDeeCues
Well-known member
That is kinda clever, I'll chuckle. But it should be inn the back of Spencer's, or in Easy Rider magazine, where they already know the audience.
DeeDeeCues
Well-known member
Thank you. The lack of creativity and laziness are the only insulting parts.
I'm no ad executive, but I am intrigued by the psychology of it... Mostly so I don't fall for stupid garbage.
Mr Machine
Well-known member
When I first started working with one of my mentors, he wanted a layout done. Basically a marker rendition of what the ad was going to look like.
I walked into his office all proud.
He glanced at it.
Crumbled it up.
And threw it over his shoulder.
“Show me three more.”
Heartbroken, I went back to my drawing board and came up with the new ideas.
He picked one of them to use, then got the crumbled ball off the floor and smoothed it out.
“ I did this to teach you to be more creative. It’s not that this is so terrible, but it’s common. It’s everyone’s first idea.
And it’s okay to have that idea, work it out of your system and then move on.
It’s up to you to filter that out before you come to me. “
DeeDeeCues
Well-known member
I'm a design engineer, I've learned a similar approach.
Thanks for the story, sounds like you had a great mentor.
If advertising executives are supposed know better how did Bud Light get their customers so wrong? Have they even started recovering from that self inflicted blip on the radar yet?
Checked this recently. Wasn't much more than a speed-bump in their overall sales picture. Horrible move on AB's part but no real damage done. Forecast stock price is for it to go up around 9% middle next year.
Pretty simple concept, well for some iguess, and that is if you don't like an ad for something DON'T buy the fkng(ooooops, f-bomb alert) item. Getting butthurt and going on a public forum to announce your 'butthurtness' is just nuts. I see lame ads ALL the time so i don't buy that product. End of story.
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It doesn't bother me, but the old retailer in me winces a little... The challenge for me is one of how many people do you think using that language will entice to make a purchase, versus the number of people that might be put off by it? From my perspective, doing anything, especially in advertising, that might turn someone off and is unnecessary is a bad business decision.
They could have just as easily used the phrase "what the heck" and conveyed the same message, without the risk of alienating anyone. Exactly what are they gaining by being so "edgy"? In a pool related ad?
Yes, I'm old. And once again, I'm not offended by the phrase, just confused by using it in an ad and the choice to do that.
They could have just as easily used the phrase "what the heck" and conveyed the same message, without the risk of alienating anyone. Exactly what are they gaining by being so "edgy"? In a pool related ad?
Yes, I'm old. And once again, I'm not offended by the phrase, just confused by using it in an ad and the choice to do that.
Maybe partially because I have dealt with pooldawg long ago and found them to be good people to deal with I find them using the f-word stupid rather than a major foul when they didn't spell it out. Fair to say they probably offended five to ten percent of their customers including some in their primary target group. Had they spelled it out for women and children to see it would have offended me deeply enough to cost them to not be considered for future orders.
Compared to this real but not major cost of maybe two to five percent of near future sales what did the use of the language gain them that the ad without the language wouldn't have? In my opinion, not a thing. That makes it stupid.
I see Justadub expressed the same opinion while I was typing and editing. I'm slow on the trigger this morning!
Hu
Compared to this real but not major cost of maybe two to five percent of near future sales what did the use of the language gain them that the ad without the language wouldn't have? In my opinion, not a thing. That makes it stupid.
I see Justadub expressed the same opinion while I was typing and editing. I'm slow on the trigger this morning!
Hu
I'
I'd say "great minds" but I'm not sure that I'm holding up my end of the bargain
DeeDeeCues
Well-known member
Conversely, if the company listens to those who say that they don't purchase because of it, they are getting good feedback and might learn from it.
Pretty simple concept...derrr. companies pay to run focus groups
DeeDeeCues
Well-known member
Well said. It also serves to confirm why I never gave them a chance.
It's a thing I do, perhaps unfairly. If I deal with a company regularly and they make a mistake, it is one mistake in dozens of transactions and assuming it is handled properly will be forgiven. Annoy me before I order or when I order and it is 100% foul ups and I am going down the road. My experience with A---, they can't pull orders correctly. Usually cost me a few dollars but one shipment had eight out of twelve items wrong, one alone a seventy dollar mistake out of my pocket for something still gathering dust over twenty years later.
Not expecting any issue and mostly to alert them they probably had an unhappy employee, I called for the order to be corrected. The guy I talked to was a great puckered smelly ass on the phone! Deliberately obtuse too. When I asked him about return shipping he said it depended on how I shipped it, no clarification. What the hell? I am supposed to guess?
I was working on cues and starting to build them. I threw about one-fifty of stuff in my junk drawer. Nothing I would ever use in a pool cue. I was spending time on the cue builders forum here and had to mention what happened there, to vent a little. The order foul-up didn't annoy me particularly, I expected it to be taken care of professionally. The phone call put me on tilt. A handful of friends told me to call back and talk to K, he was a great guy and would fix things. K was who I had talked to. I didn't call back. Had been one of my primary suppliers, never ordered so much as a cheap tip from them again!
As we all know that have dealt with the public, it is a lot easier to lose customers than to gain them. A lady came in my shop one day, wanted rings put in her car engine. She had them changed in her lawn mower and it ran so much better she wanted it done to her car too. I explained to her it wasn't practical to just replace rings in a car with the mileage hers had. New rings would force oil past the valve stems. She would need a complete overhaul to change rings, about $850 at the time. The lady went ballistic! They had only charged $36 to change the rings in her lawn mower! A dirt cheap price even for lawn mower rings back in the time. Never saw her again and she no doubt told many people what a thief I was.
Hu
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Tom I didn't read it and prefer not too because of this ad I saw. Mando deodorant for men, has women telling you after application on your ''package'' you'll be good for 72 hrs.
I'd like to see a Man sell WomanDo deodorant to the women then tell em their camel toe will be scent free for 72 hrs.
Mando grossed me out.... if my grandson 10-11 asked me about a man's package I'd question my response.
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I still hold a grudge against bill clinton for having to explain to my children what a blow job was years before I thought I should have needed to. I had a seven year old girl that would never drop what she didn't understand until she bored in until she did.
Hu
I dunno...only pooldawg knows if the language was appropriate by the reaction to the ad...and they're probably not saying. Anybody who has spent time in a pool hall has heard worse than an F bomb...
Maybe not related, maybe it is. My wife had a severe MS setback, was in the hospital. I'm 80, she's 76. Anyway, our RN daughter (early 50's) came home to help. One morn, me thinking daughter was still asleep, didn't bother with a robe when going to the shower. Whoops, I was wrong. She said: "Don't worry about it, Dad. After my years in both ER and OR, I've seen more dicks than a hooker."
So, salty language injecting humor into what was a bad situation... sometimes it's very appropriate.
Maybe not related, maybe it is. My wife had a severe MS setback, was in the hospital. I'm 80, she's 76. Anyway, our RN daughter (early 50's) came home to help. One morn, me thinking daughter was still asleep, didn't bother with a robe when going to the shower. Whoops, I was wrong. She said: "Don't worry about it, Dad. After my years in both ER and OR, I've seen more dicks than a hooker."
So, salty language injecting humor into what was a bad situation... sometimes it's very appropriate.