Crazy Ads? Maybe Youre Just Out of The Demo!

My father called me to complain, again. He's 82 and he's angry. "Son, I know you're in advertising and all that", he usually starts off, "but the ads I see today I wouldn't give you two cents for. They're stupid and they don't even tell you what they're selling!"

I explained it to him as best as I could. "Dad, it's OK, you're just out of the demo." "I'm out of the what?" "The demographics Dad, The key target audience for who they're trying to reach." "Well then who in the heck are they trying to reach?" He yells. "Must be boneheads cause those ads make no sense to any sane person."

Whether it's a beer commercial trying too hard to be funny, or like a recent FedEX commercial where Burt Reynolds sparred with a grizzly bear, I gotta admit that sometimes, Dad is right. I've been in the ad business for quite awhile now and know that in today's world, it takes a lot to get a business noticed. However I can't help laughing to myself when watching these ads, imagining the initial pitch to the client.

Secretary: Boss, those ad agency guys are here. Boss: What? Are they on the calendar? (disgusted) Oh all right, send them in. Young ad guy #1: Hello sir, and how are you today? Wow! That tie is whacked! Boss: It's what? Never mind. What have you got for our new ad campaign? Young ad guy #2: Oh this is so cool! Check out these story boards. Boss: (looks at the story boards puzzled, eyebrows creased in confusion). Young ad guy #1: OK there's no voice over at all! You just see a guy waking up in bed. Next, he rolls over and he realizes that he's in bed with the Burger King! Boss: He's what?? Young ad guy #2: Yeah! And then the Burger King, who's really this actor wearing the Burger King costume and a big plastic face with a frozen smile, reaches around and produces a Double Breakfast Crosandwich and hands it to the man who takes a big bite of it. Boss: (Now his eyebrows look like one unibrow as his cheeks glow red.) Young ad guy #1: Then they both share a laugh, pat each other on the back, and we fade to logo! Is that wild or what? It's going to generate huge numbers man! Boss: (Stunned then angry) I thought I told you guys to quit putting crack in the water dispenser!

See the problem facing advertisers today is the pressure to relate to the 18-34, 25-44 demos they so desperately need to reach, so they try anything they think will accomplish this and as a result, many people out of those key demos, don't get it. However, it dawned on me after my most recent birthday that sadly, I too have joined those ranks. So now when I watch an ad that even from my experienced perspective seems to make no sense at all, I just remind myself it's nothing personal. I'm just out of the demo.

Hal Eisenberg is an award winning copywriter, voice over talent and producer, as well as owner of The Eisenberg Agency, a full service advertising agency specializing in creative ads that get results. You can visit his web site http://www.eisenbergagency.com. Contact Hal at halacious@eisenbergagency.com.

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Google News Updated : Mon, 13 Oct 2008 23:51:55 GMT North Korea Reopens Yongbyon Nuclear Reactor to UN Inspectors - Bloomberg Calgary Herald North Korea Reopens Yongbyon Nuclear Reactor to UN Inspectors Bloomberg - 2 hours ago By Bill Varner Oct. 13 (Bloomberg) -- The United Nations' nuclear watchdog agency was given access today to North Korea's plutonium- producing plant at Yongbyon, a reaction to the US decision to remove the nation from its list of states sponsoring ... NKorea grants UN nuclear watchdog access to Yongbyon: IAEA AFP North Korea allows back nuclear inspectors Christian Science Monitor BBC News - Reuters - United Press International - guardian.co.uk all 3,791 news articles Publ.Date : Mon, 13 Oct 2008 21:38:19 GMT Britain withdraws terror detention law after defeat - AFP Telegraph.co.uk Britain withdraws terror detention law after defeat AFP - 50 minutes ago LONDON (AFP) - The British government on Monday withdrew a plan to extend the time suspected violent extremists can be held without charge after the House of Lords voted against it. House of Lords deals fatal blow to 42-day terror detention plans Times Online Ministers drop 42-day detention BBC News Xinhua - Telegraph.co.uk - Scotsman - ABC Online all 559 news articles Publ.Date : Mon, 13 Oct 2008 23:01:32 GMT Caffeine Consumption Doesn't Raise Overall Breast Cancer Risk - Washington Post Telegraph.co.uk Caffeine Consumption Doesn't Raise Overall Breast Cancer Risk Washington Post - 1 hour ago By Alan Mozes MONDAY, Oct. 13 (HealthDay News) -- Drinking coffee or consuming other caffeine-laden foods does not appear to boost breast cancer risk, new research indicates. Caffeine, Breast Cancer Link Minimal WebMD Caffeine 'can increase breast cancer risk' Telegraph.co.uk Science Daily (press release) - MedPage Today - ABC7Chicago.com - Reuters India all 63 news articles Publ.Date : Mon, 13 Oct 2008 22:00:13 GMT Romo Out For a Month - Washington Post Boston Globe Romo Out For a Month Washington Post - 5 hours ago The Dallas Cowboys will be without quarterback Tony Romo for as long as a month because of a broken finger on his throwing hand. Romo suffered a broken right pinkie on the first play of overtime of the Cowboys' loss Sunday at Arizona, according to a ... Romo sidelined with broken finger Sports Network Cowboys' Romo has broken finger, may miss 4 weeks The Associated Press FOXSports.com - Los Angeles Times - Dallas Morning News - WFAA all 692 news articles Publ.Date : Mon, 13 Oct 2008 18:10:26 GMT Stocks Soar on Wall Street as Markets Bounce Back from Worst Rout ... - Voice of America China Daily Stocks Soar on Wall Street as Markets Bounce Back from Worst Rout ... Voice of America - 42 minutes ago By Barry Wood The Dow Jones Industrial Average Monday registered its biggest daily point gain ever, gaining 936 points or 11 percent. Wall Street explodes, marks biggest 1-day gain Inland Empire News Dow Surges On Global Bailout Plans NPR Las Vegas Review - Journal - International Herald Tribune - The Associated Press - xchange Magazine all 2,959 news articles Publ.Date : Mon, 13 Oct 2008 23:09:50 GMT Rangers Prospect Cherepanov Dies After Collapsing During Game - New York Times New York Times Rangers Prospect Cherepanov Dies After Collapsing During Game New York Times - 1 hour ago By Stu Hackel Nineteen-year-old Russian forward Alexei Cherepanov, who was a Rangers first-round draft choice in 2007 and considered one of the organization’s top prospects, died on Monday after collapsing near the end of a game between his KHL team ... Cherepanov collapses on bench during game, dies at 19 ESPN Rangers prospect dies during game in Russia The Associated Press FOXSports.com - Sports Network - Los Angeles Times - Washington Post all 202 news articles Publ.Date : Mon, 13 Oct 2008 22:37:16 GMT Palin: We can't let 'leftist groups…steal this election' - CNN Political Ticker Seattle Post Intelligencer Palin: We can't let 'leftist groups…steal this election' CNN Political Ticker - 1 hour ago “The truth is that far-left groups in this country will do anything to help the Obama-Biden Democrats win the White House and maintain their majorities in Congress,” Alaska Gov. Voter registration boom favors Obama Washington Post NC elections broad probes ACORN forms AZ Central.com WJHG-TV - Boston Herald - WJRT - ABC News all 1,325 news articles Publ.Date : Mon, 13 Oct 2008 22:39:24 GMT RSS For Web Pages Increase Traffic

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