Folgers: “The Best Part of Waking Up is Folgers in Your Cup.” A gentle jingle, coupled with homey, artistic footage of sleepy people smiling as they enjoy the aroma and taste of Folgers freshly-brewed coffee. A very nice commercial…until you think about the statement. Seriously, if the best part of waking up (and consequently living your life another day) is a cup of coffee, you’ve got major problems. Skip the coffee and see a therapist.
H. I. Rib & Company: “Put a Little South in Your Mouth.” This was a regional restaurant in the Atlantic City, NJ area that specialized in…you guessed it…southern cooking. But really, they didn’t. Their main menu items were ribs, chicken, burgers, steaks and New Jersey seafood. The only real thing they had that was ‘southern’ was the cornbread that came with the platters. And the slogan…well, I can’t tell you how many muffled giggles by embarrassed women, along with hoots and hollers from randy men were released whenever that slogan was heard on the radio. Catch my drift? Oh, one more thing… The restaurant featured an “H.I.” Burger. Just a ½ pounder with cheese and bacon…but “H.I.” was the owner’s initials…causing us to wonder if we were cannibalizing him.
Winn-Dixie, “The Beef People.” I’m always afraid the employees are going to be half-man, half-cow monsters.
eSurance, “The Saver.” Ok, I get it…eSurance started out with the slick, animated retro-style commercials with that sexy young “Erin”, the eSurance girl as their spokesperson. The point was to show you could save time, money and trees by buying your insurance entirely online (with the great slogan, “Quote, Buy, Print”).
This got them a lot of attention, but no doubt alienated a large percentage of older or less web-savvy (or just plain dull) consumers. After years of success with the “hip” internet-buying crowd, they realized they needed to also appeal to people who don’t know a web page from a grain silo. So, enter “The Saver,” a pudgy, pasty guy with clothes that don’t fit quite right, and the vernacular of a 14-year old. The whole point of the commercial is to show you don’t have to get eSurance online, that you can in fact call them directly and talk to an actual human, if you really want to. But that message is lost among the muck of this goofy guy and the clever writing, pushing how much he can save you more than the fact you can actually talk to someone like him the old-fashioned way.Ford: “Quality is Job 1.” Really? You have to say that? It doesn’t sound like you’ve always had a great quality product. It makes it sound like your cars have been crap for years, and you just woke up when Honda started kicking you butt. They dropped it years ago, thankfully.
Camels: “More Doctors Smoke Camels Cigarette Than Any Other Brand.” This is an oldie, dating back as far as the 1940s. As soon as people started hearing rumors that smoking could be bad for your health, the cigarette companies started spending millions to convince us it is not. This campaign ran for years in both broadcast and print, and assured us (without saying it) that smoking Camels was just nifty, since doctors loved them to death (no pun intended. Ok, it was intended). The commercials also appealed to the younger and less sophisticated crowd that thought they’d look more like rich doctors if they smoked Camels instead of those nasty Chesterfields. Whatever. Even without the health issues, why the hell do I care what doctors smoke???AT&T: “More Bars in More Places.” I’ll have a Jack and Coke.
Office Depot, “What You Need, What You Need To Know.” Office Depot had one of the BEST advertising slogans ever…a line that was already known for years, as it was the title of a hit song, “Taking Care of Business.” How in the world could they think they could ever come up with a line that was not only instantly recognizable, but summed up their entire existence in one sentence? Well, after a regime change in 2000, the newbies thought they could…and failed miserably. Laughs flew as the negative connotations referring to “You’re on a need to know basis, and you don’t need to know that” jokes were passed around even among OD employees. The public didn’t respond well to the “new” Office Depot either…as they promised to help customers with simple things like choosing toner, and couldn’t deliver. Profits dropped, store closings and layoffs followed, and a few years later they picked up the old “Taking Care of Business” again, with success.
Honda: “Bigger Than a Breadbox.” Back in the 1970s when Honda was known for motorcycles and the only Americans who bought their cars were aging hippies and college kids, Honda tried to introduce their tiny, tin-can cars as being sort of “cute”. Back then Hondas were not known for their safety, comfort or quality, and certainly not for their reliability. They were known for good gas mileage at a time when “gas crisis” was a household term. But once the gas started flowing again, sales dropped as people went back to buying Ford LTDs and Buick LeSabres. Hence, “Bigger than a Breadbox.”
The Press of Atlantic City, “Gotta Get It.” No, I don’t. There’s something about a newspaper using the non-word “gotta” in their slogan that somehow makes them seem less than reputable. The public agreed, and the slogan was dropped.
-Christopher Pinto, Creative Director
Engelhardt & Partners Advertising EPADV.com
