Optimarketer: The Marketing Optimization Blog

Pick Your Favorite National Organization for Marriage Parody Ad

I was going to write at length about the NOM ad's poor production quality, dishonest use of bad actors ("I'm a California doctor who must choose between my faith and my job"), and third-rate script with unbelievable lines like "My freedom will be taken away" and "A rainbow coalition of people of every creed and color are coming together in love."

Fortunately, I found a treasure trove of parody ads that do a better job than I'll ever do of illustrating the ridiculousness of this biased enterprise. First, take a look at the original:

Now check out this excellent spoof from Wakeupworld.tv:

Here's one from famous faux right-winger Stephen Colbert:

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
The Colbert Coalition's Anti-Gay Marriage Ad
colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor Gay Marriage Commercial

Last but certainly not least is a clever one from D.U.N.G. that may save your marriage:

Which parody ad is your favorite? Add your comment below.

After April 28, Direct Response Concepts Will No Longer Suck

Check out my free 45-minute Webinar, Sweet Emotion: Using Psychological Concepts to Achieve Better-than-Ever Direct Marketing Outcomes. Get the whole scoop here.

Come to My Talk this Wednesday and Say "!@#$ the Recession"

Sick and tired of feeling sick and tired about marketing in this economy? I've got just the thing. This week (Wednesday, April 15, 9:00-10:30am to be exact) join me at the the Microsoft Seminar Facility in Waltham, MA for "Great Recession Marketing: A Common Sense Approach." It's the monthly breakfast meeting of the New England Direct Marketing Association, and I plan on blowing the lid off the place. Get full details here.

Three-Year-Old Sheds Real Tears in New York Anti-Smoking Ad; Did the Ends Justify the Means?

This quit-smoking spot for the New York City Department of Health is igniting hot conversations. 

The :30 NYC version, shortened from a :60 PSA produced for Australia's Cancer Council Victoria, features a boy abandoned by his mother in a train station and the question, "If this is how your child feels after losing you for a minute, imagine if they lost you for life."

Turns out, the kid was just 3-1/2 when it was shot, the actress was his real mother, and to induce actual tears, she briefly walked away from her son.

A rep for the group, Edwina Pearce, said, "We didn't do anything dastardly to make him cry. He did get upset, but it was about a 10-second period ... and then his mother came back and gave him a big cuddle and everything was happy again." Child protection officers were on the set.

Unlike most commercial content, this was life and death stuff. But did the ends justify the means? 

Dermitage Uses Ugly Tactics to Sell Beauty

 

How many consumers will click "Start Your Free Trial" -- and never buy from another direct response advertiser again?

P.S. Forget the compliment I paid Dermitage in this post.

Did Dermitage Conceal an Expensive Continuity Offer?

On this landing page, Dermitage displayed three tempting lines of offer-related text in a scroll box below "Free Trial Information." But check out some of the terms only visible via the scroll bar:

"... If you like how our system reduces the visible signs of skin aging, do nothing -- at the end of your free trial period you will be charged the discounted price of $99.95 ... Plus, if you decide to keep the Dermitage Anti-Aging System, you will receive FREE acceptance in Dermitage Elite and will receive a fresh supply of the Dermitage Anti-Aging System approximately every 30 days at the same low price of $99.95 ..."

Are buyers seeing these important details before committing to $1,199 on an annual basis? Well, the Better Business Bureau gave Dermitage a D+ rating. Biggest complaint area? Dermitage advertising. Most common gripe regarding advertising? You guess it -- disclosure of offer terms.

Now let's hear from two groups of experts: Direct marketing pros and Dermitage customers who've stepped through the online ordering process. Please add your comments.