Here's Your Sign
August 07, 2006
If you wore camouflage to your sister’s wedding, you might be a Redneck,” is the original line by Jeff Foxworthy. So when I recently saw this billboard, I figured it was saying, "if you’re a Redneck, then we have your beer." Talk about addressing your target market!
If you’ve ever attended an event at the Wizard Academy campus “in the foothills of Austin, Texas, then you've probably heard the Wizard himself, Roy Williams tell why most advertising isn't working. This new Keystone Light campaign could be a case in point.
Anyway, as it turns out, I may have misinterpreted the intention of the ads. In the small print at the lower right corner of the billboard, it says, “Smooth, even when you’re not.” (which I never could see at 70 miles per hour – isn’t there some rule that says drivers can only read about 8 words on billboards?) So maybe it doesn't have anything to do with rednecks, but it takes guts to run an ad campaign that potentially insults your target customers - although in a tongue-in-cheek sort of way. In the clamor to get the oversaturated attention of the consumer, maybe it’s what some advertisers feel is necessary. A better solution might be to download the free ebook, Making Ads Work,complete with witty Australian comments by the "Down Under" counterpart to the Wizard of Ads, Craig Arthur. As Craig says, "If you're going to advertise know how to do it right!" I tell ya', this bloke's blood is worth bottling! G'day mate!