To advertise their new Crash-Proof Policy, Belair Direct (a car insurance company) is running billboards around the city. The board I saw offers a clean simple message. Or does it?
The billboard reads (roughly translated):
Call 1-888-XXX-XXXX
(But not while youâ??re driving.)
Yeah, I get the joke. Donâ??t call us while youâ??re driving because we donâ??t want you to get into an accident. Good one.
But arenâ??t you also telling people:
â??Call us, but donâ??t call us now.â?ť
So am I supposed grab a pen and write the number down instead? Is that safer?
Ah, the foolishness.
April 12th, 2007 at 11:09 am
to take it one step further….. I guess it’s OK to take your eyes off of the road to read the sign, but not OK to dial the phone.
Bizarre.
April 12th, 2007 at 4:05 pm
That’s an excellent point, sorry I missed it. The mere purchase of billboard space alongside the highway goes against the very idea of the campaign, which is to encourage people to drive safe.
Good point, bro.
April 14th, 2007 at 3:47 pm
All good points. Billboards alongside highways are regulated by the Ministère des Transport du QuĂ©bec and they’re judged safe for drivers by government specialists. About 10 megaposters are under review and the government does’nt enforce any regulations. They have been under review for years, so maybe they aren’t that unsafe. I don’t know if billboards from that campaign are on that list. Considering that context, should an insurance company restrain from advertising on billboards whatever the message? I don’t think so.
I think, there’s a difference between looking at a billboard and using a cell phone or worst taking notes. Is there? The advertiser, in that case Belairdirect, doesn’t expect people to take their phone or even take notes. They show their phone number to convey the fact they are easily accessible and the are “direct”, meaning no middleman (insurance broker) in a funny way, or maybe it’s foolish. People tend to use the internet or yellow pages to find the phone number of an insurance company. Than again, we had a lot of discussions about the necessity of putting a phone number on a billboard and still are. Personally, I think they shouldn’t, unless having fun with it.
But you’re into something with that thread. Most probally, using a cell phone while driving won’t be allowed soon. Does this mean that it will be considered unsafe or illegal to put a phone number on a billboard? I don’t think so, or certainly don’t hope so.
Ciao
April 15th, 2007 at 9:16 pm
While I am quite sure that when talking DEGREES of safety, that cell phone talking and especially note taking are surely more dangerous than reading a quick billboard, I think that it is beside the point. Driving safely , by definition, means 2 hands on the wheel, 2 eyes scanning the road ahead, etc, etc. I get the point of the ad. It’s just that if you take this to the EXTREME , it is silly.
Nothing more and certainly nothing less.
On the other hand….if people are talking about it as we are,then i guess it accomplished a goal by standing out.
April 15th, 2007 at 9:30 pm
Francois: Thanks for chiming in. Yes, let’s agree that there is a difference between looking at a billboard while driving and using your cell or taking notes. No argument there.
However, if the very idea of advertising a product â?? the reason anyone would advertise in the first place â?? is to incite an action, then the only action that could reasonably be taken for your client’s billboard is to call.
But your client is telling us to call, but not to call, thereby negating the very reason for buying the billboard in the first place. And I get that this is a tongue-in-cheek ad (I’ve written many of the same types of jokes for clients over the years). Today, though, from where I stand, I think it’s a waste.
Sure, we’re talking about it. But talking isn’t the goal â?? getting people to call is. And you’re telling us not to.
April 15th, 2007 at 9:38 pm
One other point â??
Copywriters are always taught that a billboard should be no more than eight words. Max. If a digit counts as a word (and they do), then there are already 11 words in the billboard, and that’s without the clever subhead.
So if drivers are remembering the joke more than the number, then the ad isn’t working on that level either.
I’m not trying to bust your chops over this, Francois. Sid Lee clearly does a lot of good work and understands social media. The fact that you’re out here talking does say a lot - the agency gets full points for that.
I just happen to think billboards represent a lot of what I don’t believe about traditional marketing â?? but I’d love to talk about it more if you have the chance.
April 17th, 2007 at 9:35 pm
Maybe I misinterpret your point. An advertiser is expecting an action but rarely right after beeing exposed to the advertising piece. More so in a “interuption” context with an unidirectional medium (outdoor).
Personally, I think you’re taking this thing way too literally. We’re not telling you not to call. We’re not telling you to take a pen while you drive or even implying it. It’s not about driving safely and it’s not unsafe to look at a billboard while you drive or a beautiful mountain for that matter. The joke is about the action of calling Belairdirect, not about a goat eating grass. And it’s not the best billboard in town either.
11 words is a lot or too much and less than 8 words is better but on a 14 x 48 superboard (vs 10 x 20) you have more space.
I don’t like billboards either but not for the same reason as you. Billboards don’t “participate” in generating revenus for a content media (web sites, newspaper, radio, etc), it’s visual nuisance. It generates revenus for the municipalities and shareholders of Astral and the others.
Regarding “traditional” marketing, don’t throw out the baby with the bath water. The model is broken for a lot of consumers, in many categories but it still does wonder in some others and for many consumers (aka Toarino campaign and a few more).
Let’s reinvent the way we approach things by investing 20/25% of a advertising budget on marketing “R&D”, every year. Chances are that more clients will engage themselves in the non traditional route and very soon, if we learn from our mistakes and successes, things will be more aligned with consumer’s reality and we won’t be arguing about traditional or non traditional marketing anymore.
April 18th, 2007 at 9:39 pm
Am I taking this a little too literally, maybe. But let’s agree that I do have a point. Yes, I know that you’re not asking anyone to actually pick up a pen, take notes or become distracted. I also know that glancing at a billboard while going 110 kphs isn’t likely to cause an accident.
And I will agree with you that on some of your other points, with the caveat that online is a more effective way to reach a more qualified audience.
Where I do disagree â?? and it’s minor, really â?? is your point about billboard size. More space on a billboard is nice, but it doesn’t mean someone can read more words just because you can fit them in. It’s a question of time, not size.
In other words, if you’re driving by a board at 110 kphs, it doesn’t matter how big the board is. Fewer words is better.
April 19th, 2007 at 8:12 am
Fewer words is better. Agree.