• Get involved.
    We want your input!
    Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.

    After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
    If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.

    After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
    https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/

    Thanks in advance and have fun!
    RadioDiscussions Administrators

"My Bob's Furniture"

A

ArtSpooner

Guest
I realize that this guy is probably the darling of radio stations all over Mass. but he's starting to become as annoyingly ubiquitous as Steve Pagliuca or Frank from Gloucester. He's always irritated me because his advertising is always negative and critical of the competition, and he basically calls his customers stupid.

Does anyone know him? Is he as much of a jerk as he seems to be in his ads?
 
Massachusetts and all the way to New Jersey, Bob's is a fairly big company.

You have to admit some of what he says is true, especially a about there is no such thing as "free" it is all factored into the price somewhere. What he doesn't tell you is furniture is a 100% markup item, huge margins on that stuff, especially when it is being brought in by the shipping container load/boatload from China.

Berkshire Hathaway A.K.A. Jordan's Furniture doesn't seem to buy in the quantity they used to, but Bernie & Phyl's and Bob's buy huge amounts of airtime. Same with Ernie Boch Jr., also known As Suburu of New England.... that's right he doesn't own a single dealership but he is the sole importer of Suburu's in the Northeast. Why do you think that Citation V jet he keeps in Norwood is registered to Suburu of New England! Perks buddy... perks!

Now the downside of having all your eggs in one or two baskets, is that if they stiff you on a months worth of spots, it is huge money. And don't think for a moment that it has not happened in the past when a large advertiser has gone belly up, or their ad agency has folded.
 
Nothing wrong with the Bob's Furniture ads.
In a market where my ears are pummeled with these shaky The Bailout Group ads & ads that prey on people hoping for media stardom Bob's is good.
Jordan's furniture goes negative also, especially on the subject of mattresses. I think this is their main claim to fame.
The ads for the breast cancer walk are terrible.
 
At least Bob has "broadcast etiquette".  He pronounces his r's and like I learned at CSB, if you have good broadcast etiquette, it should be difficult to tell where someone is from.  At CSB we used tongue twisters and speech exercises to speak clearly, drop the accent, and not be lazy to link words like words ending in the letter "a" followed by the word "and".  For example, sofa and loveseat.  I heard the Jordan's guy say "sofer and loveseat".  I say to that, what is a sofer?  Also, dawlahs? (dollars)  Mawnstah? (monster)  Red Sawx?  Bernie from Bernie and Phyl's Furnitchah, hehehe, also does not hide his accent either.  I'm from Rhode Island, but I always pronouce my r's.  I did actually since I was young because I heard and saw how local radio and TV personalities did.  I also avoid the "low o sound" of the accent, like in the first syllable of dollars.  I'm sure most Boston area folks and others around New England don't care how the ads are presented, because most who see the ads speak the accent anyway.  For someone who went to broadcasting school and was trained to listen well to how tv and radio is presented, it makes me cringe when I hear the accent on radio or TV.  I also like Bob's commercials because he is straight forward, and has no gimmicks like giving away TVs or blue ray players just to get people to buy.  I just wish he would change the name and take out the word "discount".  To me it does make his furniture sound like it is less quality.  It's not hard to hide your accent, even if you did not go to broadcasting school.  Funny story, in broadcast etiquette the worst thing you can do is swear, so one of the DJ instructors at CSB told us what can happen when you accidentally swear.  For example a radio personality may accidentally say "$hit", and then realize what they said, and out of frustration say "f_ck!".  The DJ instructor called it something like the "$hit f_ck mistake". ;D 
 
Some advertisers like to voice their own spots. (If you are a station, are you then going
to turn down that ad revenue? Hell, no!) In turn, they become well known personalities
in their own right, folksy, and readily identified with their product.
If the spots were produced by an unseen announcer, no matter how professional
his diction, the spots might not be remembered by the general public. Any
(well, unless it is negative) publicity is good publicity when it comes to selling your product.
Keep your name out there in front of the public at all times...repetition is your best weapon...
 
ArtSpooner said:
I realize that this guy is probably the darling of radio stations all over Mass. but he's starting to become as annoyingly ubiquitous as Steve Pagliuca or Frank from Gloucester.
Click to expand...

Here in RI the Cardi Brothers are as bad a Bob when it comes to advertising. You can't be near a radio, tv, or newspaper without them in your face and that's on top of everything Bob does. They are our own local version of the 3 Stooges. How dumb can they be to think anyone wants them in their face constantly? Time to shop elsewhere for furniture.
 
The Cardi Boys are also buying time in the Boston market now that they are expanding into Quincy and other South Shore/South Coast locations.
 
ArtSpooner said:
Does anyone know him? Is he as much of a jerk as he seems to be in his ads?
Click to expand...

I grew up on Gardner Lake a few houses down from Bob Kaufman, where he still lives to this day. I've known him since 1990-ish, right before he opened his first Bob's Discount Furniture. You couldn't find a nicer guy. He was always friendly, always great to the kids in the neighborhood. Later in life I'd run into him in his stores in Norwich and Willimantic, as recently as a couple of years ago. He's very hands on.

As for his ads, he's not telling any lies. It's just how it is, and in terms for furniture ads, he's pretty docile. Yet between Bob and the Cardis, I've heard enough furniture ads.
 
MRBIboredop said:
Same with Ernie Boch Jr., also known As Suburu of New England.... that's right he doesn't own a single dealership but he is the sole importer of Suburu's in the Northeast.
Click to expand...

Did he sell his "honder" and "tyodor" dealerships in "Naw-wud"? Those were some of the more irritating spots around...our costs are less so we can sell for less.
Sounded like a real huckster in the commercials, was surprised when he did a weekly bit with Dale Dorman on WODS a few years ago he sounded like a regular guy.
 
he has the Honda and Toyota dealerships on the Automile, but he is the importer of Suburu's in the NE, every one of them comes through his company.

Ernie is very down to earth, I have talked with him a bunch of times at various shows where his band was playing. I'm sure he is a ruthless businessman, just like his dad, but get him away from his business world, and he is pretty laid back
 
Ernie is following in his late father's footsteps. Ernie Boch Sr started the "we sell for less" and "Come on down" stuff although Bob also says Come on down.

Mass. and New England are full of furniture, car and other business dealers who have done their own ads including Bob K, Ernie Boch Jr and Sr, Barry and Elliott Tatelmann (Jordan's), Bernie and Phyl (and now their kids), Barry Rotman, Maurice the Pantsman, Jerry Ellis (Building 19), and, of course, the one and only and legendary (now deceased) Anthony "Spag" Borgatti.
 
radiojay1 said:
At least Bob has "broadcast etiquette". He pronounces his r's and like I learned at CSB, if you have good broadcast etiquette, it should be difficult to tell where someone is from. At CSB we used tongue twisters and speech exercises to speak clearly, drop the accent, and not be lazy to link words like words ending in the letter "a" followed by the word "and". For example, sofa and loveseat. I heard the Jordan's guy say "sofer and loveseat". I say to that, what is a sofer? Also, dawlahs? (dollars) Mawnstah? (monster) Red Sawx? Bernie from Bernie and Phyl's Furnitchah, hehehe, also does not hide his accent either. I'm from Rhode Island, but I always pronouce my r's. I did actually since I was young because I heard and saw how local radio and TV personalities did. I also avoid the "low o sound" of the accent, like in the first syllable of dollars. I'm sure most Boston area folks and others around New England don't care how the ads are presented, because most who see the ads speak the accent anyway. For someone who went to broadcasting school and was trained to listen well to how tv and radio is presented, it makes me cringe when I hear the accent on radio or TV. I also like Bob's commercials because he is straight forward, and has no gimmicks like giving away TVs or blue ray players just to get people to buy. I just wish he would change the name and take out the word "discount". To me it does make his furniture sound like it is less quality. It's not hard to hide your accent, even if you did not go to broadcasting school. Funny story, in broadcast etiquette the worst thing you can do is swear, so one of the DJ instructors at CSB told us what can happen when you accidentally swear. For example a radio personality may accidentally say "$hit", and then realize what they said, and out of frustration say "f_ck!". The DJ instructor called it something like the "$hit f_ck mistake". ;D
Click to expand...


Agreed on the fact that a spot voiced by a broadcast professional with a heavy Boston accent would sound--- well, unprofessional... However, with that said... I believe that if the spot is voiced by the CLIENT, then a New England accent is ok. It gives the impression that they are "one of us" ... I mean, let's face it... no one (well, at least your common Joe) around "Bahstin" makes a conscious effort to hide/mask their accent in everyday conversation... so to me, hearing a business owner/proprietor making a conscious effort to mask an obvious underlying accent on the radio (all the while attempting to sell me something) would sound a bit phony.

I would much rather hear a Boston accent on the Boston radio dial than hear another spot OBVIOUSLY voiced by an out-of-town agency. You can spot them RIGHT AWAY... I can't tell you how many times I have heard a spot where I have heard Peabody pronounced "Pea-BODY" ... NO ONE around here pronounces it like that--- it is "Pea-bid-dy". If I were a business owner in that municipality there is NO WAY I would approve a spot that mispronounces my locale. Now, there are many many more, however that is just one example. ;)
 
Allow me to add one more to the group, Commonwealth Auto Group.I am a regular River 92.5 listener,and this family seems to be in every break as they seem to have every (Asian) auto make franchise going. Being an Australian, it amuses me that these guys have a really corny gimmick.

If you want annoying gimmicks... Allow me to introduce you to Frank Walker, National Tiles. A Melbourne identity that instantly recognizable for his radio ads... http://www.nationaltiles.com.au/audio_promo2.swf These ads have been going forever...
 
At least all the local ad personalities being discussed here have some noticeable quirks that make them stand out. OTOH, we could still be suffering through the old Boston Furniture Sales spots. That guy would put you to sleep, both with his copy (just a list of what was on sale, no complete sentences) and his delivery, which gave a new meaning to narcolepsy.
 
I guess my perspective is more from a listener than a radio insider. He just comes across to me (presumeably someone that he's trying to sell furniture to) as a smarmy know-it-all, with a massive ego. The latest attacks on the so-called gimmicks, the TVs and the pizza, sound to me like his answer to ideas he can't use because of his past rhetoric.

Sometimes a good deal is just a good deal. A while back I needed a new kitchen stove. I shopped around for a while and decided on one. The store was offering a no interest for 12 months deal at the time. I bought the stove at the price it had been for several months. It is now several months later and the stove is still the same price. Bob would have you believe that they kicked up the price during their no-interest sale. I've never been in one of his stores but I'm at a point now where I'm so sick of hearing (and seeing) his ads that I wouldn't buy from him even if he had the best deal.
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.


Back
Top Bottom