You’ve seen this ad before, right? The Hoover Christmas ad from the 1950s?
Let’s face it – this ad sucks (pun intended).
Whoever wrote it should be walked through the streets in a hessian sack, while a stern old nun walks behind clanging a bell and chanting “Shame!”
It’s that ‘orrible.
I mean…She’ll Be Happier With a Hoover…it begs the question:
“Happier”, as opposed to what?
A flaming bag of faeces? Toenail clippings? An old yoghurt that’s gone furry?
If so, yeah maybe the hoover wins. But even then, it’s a photo finish.
Sheesh!
Look, I’m not trying to be some virtue-signally Mr Enlightened here. I’m not going all Guardian columnist, claiming straight men should pay more taxes and white people eating rice is a hate crime.
No-one calls me “woke”.
It’s just…well, you can’t shrug off this ad as a product of its time. Saying
“You have to remember, it’s from a less progressive age.”
That’s garbage. Even Genghis Khan would tell the ad guy, “Woah dude – WTF?”
Anyway – I mention it for one darn good reason:
Just between us, there is something good about it. And it’s something you can use…
Look again at the headline:
Christmas Morning, She’ll Be Happier With a Hoover.
It jumps ahead to a future event, and describes an outcome.
That’s a good ploy.
Set aside the fact it went so very wrong on this occasion – the idea is sound:
[On Occasion X, Enjoy Benefit Y]
Swipable for anyone, that.
Example: imagine you’re selling a car with all-new safety features. Let’s call it The Wombat, because car names are always that stupid. And you’re targeting the parents of 17-year-old boys.
Here’s your ad:
See what I mean?
[On Occasion X, Enjoy Benefit Y]
Add it to your copy arsenal.
And remember –
Even terrible ads are learning opportunities.
Because sometimes, bad execution masks a solid principle.
