Whoa, Nelly! More adventures in marketing and advertising.

It’s clear to me that the slowing economy is doing damage to businesses. They’re having to let their good people go, so there’s no one to proofread their advertising copy or to put their marketing plans into action. Woe is them, eh?

Last week, the web guy and I were doing research on the net, checking to see if our cookies and banners were working the way they were intended to work, and we came across some banners by other companies. One animated gif banner in particular caught our eye. In two or more frames, it read:

(first frame) Click Here For FREE

(second frame) Guitar Lessons.

Each frame was at least a couple of seconds long in duration, so naturally the web guy and I had to turn to each other and say, “Oh, look! We get to click here for FREE! Let’s click it and see what we get!” Never mind the second frame; we barely noticed it, or the ones after it saying the company name.

Boy, I tell ya.

Then, we came across DJSource.com, which was (and still is) unfinished. To the room in general, I read the copy on the site out loud: “Please be patient, this page is still under construction.” You can tell the wording is not the best because the first thing our team leader said was, “Well, okay. We’ll just sit right here and wait until they finish their site then.”

It doesn’t seem as funny in writing, but I was in tears after hearing him say that. It made the site copy sound ridiculous.

It’s the little things like these that amuse people, like me, who work in the art and marketing department of a company. We hope that we never make mistakes like those, but we oh-so relish it when we see others make them. Silly little fubars that bring laughter to my lips.

Of course, there are instances where you’re not sure if the little quirk in the copy is a mistake or an intentional piece of marketing manipulation. My new Target brand (generic) toothbrush, for instance, has this interesting note on the back of the packaging:

Unconditional Guarantee
If you are not completely satisfied with this product for any reason, simply return the unused portion for a complete refund.

Unused portion? I anticipate using the bristles on my teeth and the handle as something to hold on to with my hand as I brush. Which part of the toothbrush will go unused? Which part should I send back if I’m not happy with the product? Woe is me! What a complicated world. And the rest of the packaging copy goes into detail about all the features of the handle and and of the bristles. What’s left intact to return for a refund after brushing your teeth once or twice? Not a square inch.

Were they not thinking clearly as they wrote the guarantee? Or were they thinking all too well and coming up with clever ways not to give the consumers any refunds?

Kind of makes an art and marketing department girl like me think, huh?

Hmmmm. Right up there with the meaning of life… or just about.

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