Are advertisers trying too hard?

Alright, so I got a little story: a few days ago my friends and I went to a show and after the band played we decided to grab a bite to eat. We were in an area of downtown Hamilton, so you can imagine the place was plastered with billboards advertising all sorts of food joints, but only one caught our eyes. It was a scrony little chalkboard leaned up against the wall outside of a bar, all it said was simply this: "18 cent wings". This bargain intrigued us, so we went in and ordered.

This is what advertising is all about, sending us a message through some sort of media medium so that we buy what they are trying to sell. I find it really strange that we were being bombarded by billboards advertising "Pizza Pizza" and "KFC" and yet none of them could convince us, except this one little chalkboard.

These days the cost for one billboard can range between $700 - $2 500 a month [1] depending on location and prices can even go as high as $300 000 [2] for locations like Time Square. Now I wonder: how much money did it cost that bar to put out that little chalkboard? $20? Plus, it's chalk so once they buy the board they can change the ad whenever they want. So, why is it that these companies are putting a fortune into their advertising campaigns but it's the small things that win us over?

Now, maybe the case isn't how the message is being presented but what is being said. These days the neat slogans and catchy jingles aren't catching the audience as well as they once did. What people want are bargains, especially in our state of economic recession. People are penny pinching, and 18 cent wings is a deal that will save them some money.

Anyways, back to the story: it turned out that the wings weren't half bad, not great but definitely worth 18 cents a piece. It certainly wasn't the nicest place I've ever been in but I walked out of there for under $4, and that's including a plate of wings, a drink and a tip. It's things like that that will make me want to go back.

So, are advertisers trying too hard? Maybe, it's not an easy question. I think that they just have to shift direction. They have to realize that high budget advertising campaigns aren't going to win us over right now. What we want are bargains.




References
[1] www.gaebler.com. Ed. Ken Gaebler. 26/ 03/ 09. Ads By Google. 30/ 03/ 09 <>

[2] Roffo, Sandra, "The Most Expensive Billboard Is...?" [Weblog entry.] Ugly Doggy. June 12, 2008. (http://www.uglydoggy.com/2008/06/most-expensive-billboards-are.html) March 30, 2009.