I was listening to television a few nights ago while writing an article, and heard a commercial for Carrabba’s (a chain of Italian restaurants) that was rather disturbing. It wasn’t that they said something that I disagreed with, or even that their message was offensive in any way, but rather that it wasn’t thought out carefully enough.
“People are our specialty.”
Really? How do you normally prepare them? More importantly, where do you get them? I would imagine that even in the most twisted areas of the world, this sort of thing would generally be frowned upon. Now, even the simplest of minds would understand their true message, but I think most people would have had the same tongue in cheek type of questions after seeing this commercial. This certainly isn’t the reaction that they were after.
Bush Gardens recently made a similar oversight, saying that “children are free” in the television and radio commercials that they have been running. So, I have to wonder, is there a limit on the number of free children that you can get from Bush Gardens? Also, do you get to choose the child or are they handed out randomly? The list of questions could go on, but for the sake of brevity, it won’t.
The point here is to make sure that you understand the importance of determining how others may interpret your advertising message. A well crafted marketing plan coupled with a heavy advertising campaign will not do you any good if you’re the only person that sees your message as you intended it to be seen. Can it be easily misconstrued? Is it ambiguous? If people have to take time to figure out what you’re trying to say, they will move on, but if they take it the wrong way, they may be offended and move on for good. Take some time to run your advertising by a few other people to get their reaction. It will help you to avoid spending money on ineffective or counter productive advertising.
