Creative Ad FAIL(s)

Maybe I’m reading FAIL blog too much lately. But when this seemingly creative ad execution hit my desk, FAIL quickly became the caption for it.

The picture shows what looks to be your average belly band. This type of ad has been around for years and now is even seen online.

The print version wraps around the outside of a magazine and it might even contain editorial content. The format is expensive as it guarantees exposure and usually comes with a free ad inside the magazine.

What sets this belly band apart is that it doesn’t wrap around the magazine. It wraps around to a spread ad in the magazine -- ensuring the reader sees the ad. Call it intrusive, but it gets your attention.

The belly band copy is short, sweet and sets up the reader. The payoff is in the spread ad which includes the obligatory, drama interior shot.

So how does it FAIL?! There is NO web address on the ad. A quick phone number and email are the only way to follow up if this company intrigued you enough to make you want to learn more.

To be clear, this is not my suddenly snobby nerd side. Consider the purchase decision cycle.

The ad is designed to make an impact so there’s little copy. Shouldn’t the reader have an option to learn more about the company before they are required to phone or e-mail? It feels like a step is missing in between the ad execution and connecting live.

That’s my take. What do you think?

Belly Band 1, Belly Band 2 and Belly Band 3 uploaded by prblog
tags | trade media | advertising | marketing | brand

Comments

[Mike Driehorst]

It's simply an old-world (traditional) ad. Seems little proactive or other real-world thought was put into the ad.

It's either that, or the advertiser's site stinks, and the company wants to limit attention to it.
-Mike

[Bobby McDonald]

Simply put, 95% of the ads out there should now include Web sites. If a site is not included you're asking you potential customer to Google you. When customers Google you, all of your competitors show up as well! This certainly deserves the PR FAIL of the Week.

[Heather]

I hate it when ads don't give me a website. I'll probably Google it anyways, but do you really want me to potentially see something bad a blogger wrote about you? Or like Bobby said, see your competition.

[Allan]

Website addresses are even more important nowadays than phone numbers. People expect to sit there and run through a phone tree to get to what they want, but they don't expect to get stopped by a lack of a web address. Customers want instant gratification on the web.

[Amanda]

Tricky. This print ad design ensures you'll see the ad, but fails to specify any type of immediate action. Sure the reader can call or email, but who wants to take the time to follow up with an operator, or even worse yet, wait days for a response to your email? A Web site seems like a simple yet significant piece of information to include in a print ad. I agree with the above comments about sending your potential customers to the competition by requiring them to Google your company, and I also agree that Web sites trump phone numbers in importance, especially when it comes to immediate gratification.

[Lauren M]

That is a big, big mistake!!! Advertisements are not exactly cheap, especially when they are so large. It definitely captivates the audience, but we live in a very fast moving economy. People aren't as willing to go out of their way to try finding out more about a company if they aren't really given the needed information. There should always be some sort of contact information or "for more information" on an ad to be truly effective. Websites, especially, are really good to have!

[Kyle]

It really depends on what the companies objectives were. Maybe they are not concerned with web traffic, or their website is not conducive to their goals. Either way, they should be concerned with web traffic. My guess is this is probably a symptom to a bigger problem.

[Leah Thrasher]

The ad looks great and obviously cost a substantial amount of money. Since it was placed in a magazine, the audience had to be very well-defined, and would have had a high interest in the ad. The lack of planning in the ad execution is unfortunate. Many people only call a company if something is wrong, not to find out more information. E-mail correspondence is not a good way to find out about a company either. The new technologically-savvy consumer looks for an easy, interactive way to find out about and communicate with new companies he/she is interested in. The easiest way for a consumer to accomplish that task is through an easily accessible Web site that allows two-way communication. With the current standing of America's economy, easy accessibility and open communication are crucial to a company's survival. This expensively-designed ad failed by not allowing easy consumer access.

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