Two ads for different brands in essentially the same category. Bose makes some of the best audio equipment going but their ads look like something out of a Crutchfield catalog in a doctor’s office. Pioneer’s recent print and TV spots are very compelling for sure, and seem to elevate the brand’s image, but there’s no way I’m thinking of them first when I buy. Contrast that with Bose, which has enough of a rep that they could’ve run just a very small logo/phone number/url lockup and it would be as effective as that direct response testimonial style they have going. The inverse of the common wisdom that good advertising can’t save a bad product seems to be at work here: a great product hindered by not so great ads. I like Bose enough that I’d buy the product in spite of the ads. Besides HeadOn, how many brands can you say that about?
Tags: Pioneer, Bose
5 comments:
Just read this and I remembered this article: http://tinyurl.com/3xxvyr
See Bill, I don't know about Bose.
While I wouldn't put their ads in my book, there's something to the whole Crutchfield catalog approach.
It's like they're saying "this stuff is such high end audio, we don't need any of those image poseurs. It's all about the technology. Period." It makes it approachable (since it's not all fashiony) yet techy (since there's a ton of catalogy copy about the technology)
It's never bothered me.
“this stuff is such high end audio, we don't need any of those image poseurs.“
That’s it though. Because they know how good they are, why not go understated. Logo. Url. Number. Basically saying we're here when you're ready to buy serious audio gear.
Because in its way the understated thing you propose is every bit a poseurish as anything else they may do.
The Crutchfield Catalog thing gives them the halo of cluelessness-- they're engineers, they don't care about how their ads look.
BTW, Rolex more or less employs the same technique with the National Geographic style ads they run featuring famous yachtsmen or opera singer or explorers.
Hmmm, didn't see posing in anything but now that you mention it, I might prefer that actually. At least that has an air about it that says we're a good brand. The watch category, like fashion, is all lifestyle and attitude, so I expect that stuff.
As for engineers, well, Mercedes has a few good ones and that hasn‘t stopped them from having some decent ads over the years.
;-p
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