ARE YOU A JERK?

A JERK IS AS A JERK DOES...

I just heard a radio commercial for a used car dealer.

Can't remember his name.

Can't remember his website.

The only word I can remember to associate with him is "jerk."

He used the word repeatedly.

That's because the central conceit of his advertising message was, "We don't jerk you around."


AS CONFUCIUS WOULD HAVE SAID (WERE HE A MARKETING CONSULTANT), "ADVERTISE WHAT YOU ARE, NOT WHAT YOU'RE NOT"

Yes, loyal readers to this measly little screed have heard me say it before: spend your advertising message talking about what you're not, and people remember what you're not.

And it doesn't necessarily mean they actually *remember* what you're not. At best, they might remember nothing.

At worst, if you've effectively linked your name to that message, they can easily associate your name with what you allege you're not.

So, by advertising what you're not, you become exactly what you're trying to advertise against.

In this case, the car dealer had some possibly salient selling points.

He had made a comment about aggressive financing that means almost everyone can drive away with a car.

Other than that, though, the only memorable element of the advertising is a constant bragging about "Not jerking you around."

And then, not one, but THREE calls to action.


IT'S SO MUCH INFORMATION, HOW THE HECK DO I FIND YOU?

He had a URL with some version of "We won't jerk you around" in the address.

He had an 800 phone number with the word "jerk" in it.

And he had his street address.

In fact, almost half the commercial consisted of calls to action.

None of which are memorable enough to be effective.

In a world where one call to action is hard enough for most people, he made it three times more difficult to get a response. He's making people work entirely too hard.

So, too many calls to action and too much protesting that he doesn't jerk you around.

And here's the irony about all this.


THIS CAR DEALER ACTUALLY SEEMS LIKE A NICE GUY

Not that I can surmise this from the one radio commercial.

I actually had to do some digging.

I went to his website--which is, of course, festooned with "We won't jerk you around!" messages.

And it looks like this car dealer might really be an OK, sincere guy--i.e., NOT a jerk.

But he is working a little too hard. He's pitching like crazy, dancing as fast as he can, and spending an awful lot of time disparaging other used car dealers.

Advertising should be an exercise in selling your own benefits, not accusing the other guy of misdeeds--especially when the consumer is already painfully aware of the problem. Find anyone who thinks used car dealers are a righteous breed, and I'll show you a mother who doesn't know what her son does for a living. (Yes, I know. I'm about to incur tons of angry mail from the mothers of used car dealers. Relax, Mom. It's a joke. And if your son has half an ounce of self-awareness, he already makes jokes about his own profession himself.)

Now, that said, here's where I can offer some applause for Mr. No Jerk...


THIS MAN HAS RELENTLESS CONSISTENCY

Yes, if there's one thing to applaud him for, it's that he has made a 110% commitment to letting the world know he isn't going to jerk you around.

Don't get me wrong: by all measures of good advertising, his message is off target. He could win so many more flies by saying, "I sell honey!" instead of hollering, "I don't sell vinegar!"

But he appears to have made a career out of repeating his trademark phrase.

And in so doing, he's become something of an institution.

Granted, his advertising has had to work a lot harder in order to link the idea of not jerking you around with the completely unrelated name of his dealership. (At the very least, he should consider changing his name to "Jerk-Free Auto Sales.")

But in his consistency to a flawed message, he's built a brand. A flawed brand, but a brand.

So many advertisers don't even have the courage to stick it out for 13 weeks with a brand that makes sense for them--and here's a guy who's been doing it for years.

Consistency and a single-minded mission will make up for a multitude of other advertising sins.

It's just so much easier to not let the jerks bring you down.