Читать книгу Secrets of Advertising to Gen Y Consumers - Aiden Livingston - Страница 14

An old marketing adage once said, “Sell the sizzle, not the steak.” Which is to say, focus on the intangibles of a product over the product itself. A good example would be car commercials that sell the lifestyle and image of a car instead of focusing on the actual car. A car company will show a vehicle full of supermodels, which is to imply that if you buy this overpriced gas guzzler, supermodels will want to ride with you. I am not sure if this tactic ever really worked on anyone; part of me hopes no one could be that naive and gullible.

To Gen Y these commercials have the opposite effect. Instead of persuading them to buy, the ads feel patronizing and silly especially when the product the car companies are pitching quite obviously does not render the lifestyle they suggest. If the ad showed a guy buying a Ferrari and gallivanting about town with young, attractive golddiggers, I would admit the commercial could have a point. However, when they show a guy buying a Hyundai Accent and now all the hot girls want him, it leaves me thinking, “What kind of idiot does the advertiser take me for?” A new $5,000 car might garnish a few looks from attractive girls in a poorer country where the prospect of a guy owning any car is impressive. However, in North America, having an inexpensive entry-level car is only slightly more impressive then having an unlimited-use bus pass!