It’s not often that marketers see ads that
make us want to weep in embarrassment for the whole profession. Yet I just do not understand how these Cargiant’s ads came
to grace the side of 6 (yes, six!) buses that I saw in the space of two hours.
‘We don’t do hassle’ they tell us.
Excellent. Back-to-basics, stripped down service appeals to those who know what
they want and just want to get on with it. But wait – it says ‘no hard sell, just
helpful advisors.’ So they DO distinguish themselves on their helpful service?
Confused about the service we might be, but
still none the wiser about what they actually sell (or advise on, hassle-free.)
Seek out clues. The large, bold ‘Cargiant’ is the next thing that jumps out.
That’s probably what this ad is advertising. Whatever it is that Cargiant might
do, apparently they offer ‘giant choice’ AND ‘giant savings.’ Neither of these
messages in any way tie in with the other two service-related ones, but we’ll
overlook that. There are more exciting riddles to solve, like who’s the
distressed kidnapped man in the middle? No, wait, he’s holding his hands there
voluntarily, sans cuffs. Still none the wiser about the duck tape.
‘A better way to buy a car’ we finally
read, and it all falls into place. Cargiant sells cars. The website is there,
so they probably do it online. Without hassle and without hard selling, but
with helpful advice and lots of choice and lots of savings. That’s what
distinguishes them from other companies that sell cars. Wait, what was the
start of that list again?
The grand irony is that Cargiant actually seems to have a lot to say for itself. It’s the world’s largest used car
dealership. They offer the best price guarantee. With 40 years experience they
are absolute experts. And with an army
of skilled mechanics and 13 acres of workshops, your car’s service cannot be in
better hands.
It takes a lot to create a great campaign
for a mediocre offering. Turning a successful, simple brand with clearly articulated
benefits into a confusing and bland ad accompanied by irrelevant imagery (duck
tape!) must take even more. If brand owners cannot decide what their
proposition is, the last thing they should do is mix 4 different ones and put
the dilemma to the unsuspecting public.
Somewhere, media buyers are chuckling to
themselves. With half of the capital’s buses sporting this curious T-sides,
they are the only winning party in this campaign.
