Last week I wrote about the need for marketing to connect with the consumer on an emotional level. This is especially true if the product you are selling is or nearly is a commodity.
There are tons of mortgage advertisements that stress low rates, without stressing the benefits of homeownership or of refinancing. Nor do they cover the marketer's unique selling proposition.
While the commercial I am going to comment on today is from an automobile dealership, it can be seen as an object lesson on, in my opinion, of what not to do.
The piece starts out "Welcome to XYZ (not its real name), where over 200,000 satisfied customers can't be wrong." That was the first cringe-worthy moment to me. It is followed up by a list of buzzwords like "quality" and "honesty" that this company is supposedly known for.
But the spokeswoman tops it off by adding the kicker "in the automotive trade." The first thing that came to my mind when I heard that was all automobile dealers are bad, and you are just less bad. Imagine if the word "mortgage" appeared there rather than "automotive."
Ironically, the one real unique selling proposition this place offers comes next and it is glossed over in 10 seconds. They have a huge inventory on site, with 0% financing, and promoting the fact you can take title to the vehicle quickly.
How much better would this be if the commercial concentrated on this aspect? It is a real hook to the viewer, rather than the buzzword "service."
