Comments on: Prove It http://brainsonfire.com/blog/2006/03/27/prove-it/ Fascinating, Inspiring, Rewarding and Engaging kinded spirits. Fri, 29 Aug 2008 11:23:21 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: olivier blanchard http://brainsonfire.com/blog/2006/03/27/prove-it/#comment-549 olivier blanchard Tue, 28 Mar 2006 22:16:54 +0000 http://brainsonfire.com/blog/prove-it/#comment-549 Cool post. "Test it" might be a better battle cry than "Prove it". ... Although "Let's find out" sounds pretty damn engaging to me. Cool post. “Test it” might be a better battle cry than “Prove it”.

… Although “Let’s find out” sounds pretty damn engaging to me.

]]> By: Crawford Long http://brainsonfire.com/blog/2006/03/27/prove-it/#comment-541 Crawford Long Tue, 28 Mar 2006 03:19:03 +0000 http://brainsonfire.com/blog/prove-it/#comment-541 "A new idea is not a good idea by virtue of its being new." Wash, rinse, repeat. It's not branding, per se, though the image that this one particular ad leaves behind is certainly impacting the brand of the subject company in my mind: it's an ad for retractable awnings that shows up entirely too often on a radio station I listen to down here in Atlanta. The ad is basically two tracks: one guy is talking about the benefits of this retractable awning product, while the second guy follows up every (EVERY) line with "Tell 'em about the discount, Ed!" It's gratingly, jarringly annoying, and the first edition (which I only heard once) had the guy's wife as the "second" voice. Apparently someone had the same idea that I did: that she sounded like a horrible nag (irrespective of gender, I should probably add, since that particular noun can be an awful pejorative). Rather than cancel the ad, however, they apparently redid it with the guy's (nag) buddy. Result: I remember the ad, I remember the company, I remember the discount. But I will never, ever, ever give them a cent because every time I hear the ad, I dig the finger grooves into my steering wheel a little deeper. Now, these folks don't sound like they've got a bunch of cash sitting around, but, good golly, market test the ad with some neighbors, for goodness sake, and just see if people cringe. “A new idea is not a good idea by virtue of its being new.” Wash, rinse, repeat.

It’s not branding, per se, though the image that this one particular ad leaves behind is certainly impacting the brand of the subject company in my mind: it’s an ad for retractable awnings that shows up entirely too often on a radio station I listen to down here in Atlanta.

The ad is basically two tracks: one guy is talking about the benefits of this retractable awning product, while the second guy follows up every (EVERY) line with “Tell ‘em about the discount, Ed!”

It’s gratingly, jarringly annoying, and the first edition (which I only heard once) had the guy’s wife as the “second” voice. Apparently someone had the same idea that I did: that she sounded like a horrible nag (irrespective of gender, I should probably add, since that particular noun can be an awful pejorative). Rather than cancel the ad, however, they apparently redid it with the guy’s (nag) buddy.

Result: I remember the ad, I remember the company, I remember the discount. But I will never, ever, ever give them a cent because every time I hear the ad, I dig the finger grooves into my steering wheel a little deeper.

Now, these folks don’t sound like they’ve got a bunch of cash sitting around, but, good golly, market test the ad with some neighbors, for goodness sake, and just see if people cringe.

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