Today I heard the worst radio ad, ever! Besides the fact that it was a jingle that sounded straight out of the 50’s and totally dated in today’s radio market (at least for the radio station I was listening to), it was all over the place. I think the main message was to fill up your tank with gas when it is cool outside but I am not sure because there were a dozen other messages all packed into the 30 second spot. This commercial from the Texas Department of Transportation left me feeling totally confused and overwhelmed. Then I realized it was probably paid for by taxpayers and all I could think of was, “How did this happen?”

I imagine a committee assembled to come with ideas for the summer radio campaign. They brainstormed and came up with all of these ideas to help Texas Drivers make better decisions this summer so they can save gas and save money. They met with their radio marketing team, presented all of their ideas, and most likely got back the following response, “We can do them all.” The result was a pointless commercial, with a catchy jingle, and an unfortunate waste of money.

The problem is no one told the Texas Department of Transportation that having all of those ideas in one ad was a bad idea. Or if someone did, they people from the TDoT did not listen.

Conversely the ad I heard just before the Texas Department of Transportation train wreak was very targeted. It was a commercial by Allstate about motorcycle insurance. That’s it. An entire commercial talking about motorcycle insurance. Now I know Allstate has more than just motorcycle insurance, fortunately, they did not try to promote all of their services during a 30-second radio commercial. Allstate created a clear, focused theme – motorcycle insurance - and built their campaign around it. It was a commercial with a point, how novel.

So, how can you avoid pointless advertising? Here is a summary of the lessons from my drive into work this morning:

• Be Focused - This works for media, print and online marketing. Think about it, retailers are all about back to school season right now and this can be seen in all of their marketing efforts: web, in store displays, TV, radio, print, etc. That is their focus, and their message.
• Tell them what you will tell them - Just like the first paper you wrote in grade school have an intro (tell them what you are going to tell them), a body (tell them), and an end (tell them what you just told them). Sounds obvious I know, but I still do not know what the point of the Texas Department of Transportation ad was.