Ironically following my post about GM's results is Max Kalehoff's account of a regional ad he saw for Pontiac, which ended with the words:
"Don't take our word for it. Google Pontiac and discover for yourself."
The ad ends with a screenshot of Google's homepage, followed by the word "Pontiac" neatly typed into the search box for anyone who either doesn't know how to use Google and/or can't remember the brand name (such as anyone who saw the car giveaway on Oprah and/or anyone who watches TV)
Here's the screenshot from Karl's blog:
The story has a happy ending. I followed the directions and am better off for it.
THE PONTIAC GRILLE is embarking on a major change in our menus and in our operations.
Starting February 1, 2006 the first floor restaurant will become a STEAKHOUSE featuring top quality cuts of beef, pork and fish prepared to your order on our char-broiler. We will be open for dinner Monday through Thursday at 5 PM and serve until 10 PM. Friday we will open at 5 PM and serve until 11 PM. On Saturday and Sunday we will open for lunch at 11:30 am and serve lunch until 5 PM from the menu below; then from 5PM until 11 PM on Saturday and 10 PM on Sunday we will serve dinner from our new Steakhouse menu.
Adjab presents another point of view (I suppose I should present both sides in the interest of not taking away anything from the momentousnessiousocity of the fact a TV advertiser needs to advertise the obvious and simulataneously concede the fact that TV ads don't drive traffic into dealerships...damnit, can't shake that cynical hat) Seriously, listen to Chris, he knows what he's talking about and I'm just crabby:
This is groundbreaking and fantastic to me in a number of respects. First and foremost, it's an admission that the ultimate decision making power lies in a well-informed consumer and not with slick advertisements. That's a huge step forward and much better than making the assumption that a 30-second spot has given the audience all the information they need and they're just chomping at the bit to get in their cars to drive to the dealership. People are smarter and have more tools at their disposal than ever before to cut through the jargon and devices advertising relies on.
Secondly it showed just how synonymous Google has become with the idea of search. The spot didn't direct people to search the web or show a generic (and fake) computer screen. It showed the Google home page and used the company name as a verb. That's a significant watermark in just how pervasive Google has become in our lives and the thinking of Internet research.
Recent Comments