So I'm at the gas station today filling the truck up and the gas pump has one of those scrolling LEDs on it. You know the kind that asks you whether you're using a credit or debit card, do you want a receipt, how about a car wash, etc., etc.. Once I'm done answering the 32 questions and start pumping my gas the scrolling info-bar (don't really know what else to call it) starts advertising.. Out comes "Come in for cigarettes, soda, and chips!!!".. And if you're anything like me you immediately think to yourself "What, no crack?".. Would it be wrong to tell people to come in for a granola bar and some water? Granted, that would probably only warrant one "!" instead of the three "!!!" that were given to cigarettes, chips, and soda. Granola and water just aren't that sexy.
It made me think of when I was a kid and we used to watch Family Feud with Richard Dawson as the host. Classic! "Name me something that you get at a gas station".. I think the survey would say "gas" was number one, but who would have known "cancer" and "fat" would also be on the list?
Am I being naive to think that we should be better educated by now? Do the people pumping gas in their cars really need to be reminded to go in and get some butts, a bag of chips and a Coke. Do they see the info-bar and say to themselves "Shit, why didn't I think of that?". I guess I don't get it, but then again that's why I'm a trainer and not a marketing guy :)
1 comment:
You are right. We are better educated but most of society allows the media to tell them want they want. They tell us what to wear, what cars to buy, what phones to use so on and so on. If it didn't work the advertisers would not resort to it. Why else would Budweiser and others like Coke and Pepsi, have such large advertising budgets and advertise so much.We need to do our own thinking and not allow others, the media, to think for us.
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