But the "becoming your parents" theme is a recent phenomenon. We'll see.
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Targeted advertising – chicken or egg?
- Thread starter wadio
- Start date
It’s not a recent phenomenon in itself. That’s been a generational thing and has been played for laughs in various ways over quite some time. Even Progressive has used this particular series for enough time that if they (a) were getting significant pushback or (b) found it ineffective, they would have moved on. They’re not throwing money away for the enjoyment of it.
The “Martha” thing didn’t dawn on me until reading David’s post. I did see it for the first time the other night, and might have been more put off initially by the pathetic production. In time, if I see it again, the actual content might hit me as similarly awful. God willing, I won’t stumble across it again.
That said, to compare the lighthearted Progressive “parents” campaign to the wretched “Martha” Medicare spot is akin to comparing apples to dinosaur bones.
Keep in mind that one argument against putting much effort or money into ads that are aimed toward seniors is that the people in that older demographic tend to be more set in their ways, they like the companies and brands they like and getting them to switch or try something new or different can sometimes be a harder sell. Obviously there are always exceptions to the rule, but I think about my own parents:
- When growing up, my parents never really had a preference in car dealerships and went with the cheapest/best deal. When my mother got older, she bought a new car and the sales guy took good care of her, and that didn't stop after the sale. When her check engine light came on or she had a problem with her car, if she couldn't get a service appointment she'd call her sales guy and he'd have her in that day. From then onward, that became "her" salesperson. She tended to buy a new car every 5 years or so, and she wouldn't look anywhere else. She'd go to that dealership, pick out what she liked, test drive it and the first deal the guy offered her is what she took. Luckily when I've checked pricing he does treat her OK, but he could easily take advantage of her and I don't think she'd care - that's become her dealership and her salesman.
- My parents still shop at the grocery store in the same plaza they did when I was a kid. It's changed names, etc. but it still has their loyalty. That's also where they're likely to run into acquaintances and people they know, etc. but I find the store to be horrible and never shop there when I visit and offer to make dinner for them. "Their" store has minimal selection, no fresh seafood - it's only available bagged in the frozen section, etc. Meanwhile, there are 3 other chain grocers within a 15 minute drive that are newer, modern, with fresh seafood on ice, excellent produce and much more selection. They don't care. They go to their grocer.
- When I was a very young kid, I remember going with my parents to visit their insurance agent. They used him for home and auto. He relocated 5 minutes away. They followed. Their original agent retired and sold the business. They now do business with the new guy who bought him out. My parents, father especially, are fairly internet savvy. They see all the ads - Geico, Progressive, Liberty, State Farm, etc. Doesn't matter. They've never even checked pricing. They go to/through their agent because that's who they've always used. Ask what coverages they have and at what level and they have no idea. That agent is who they know and trust.
- Most older folks I know have their "routine" that they get into and like. Again, advertisers may need to work harder to get them to think or act outside that.
Regarding the Progressive "becoming your parents" campaign, I know plenty of folks who are near, at or beyond retirement age who find those to be very funny. Keep in mind that many older folks don't see themselves as "old" - 50 is the new 40, 40 is the new 30, etc., but most everyone can clearly see or remember the stereotypical "old people" things their parents did or said.
- When growing up, my parents never really had a preference in car dealerships and went with the cheapest/best deal. When my mother got older, she bought a new car and the sales guy took good care of her, and that didn't stop after the sale. When her check engine light came on or she had a problem with her car, if she couldn't get a service appointment she'd call her sales guy and he'd have her in that day. From then onward, that became "her" salesperson. She tended to buy a new car every 5 years or so, and she wouldn't look anywhere else. She'd go to that dealership, pick out what she liked, test drive it and the first deal the guy offered her is what she took. Luckily when I've checked pricing he does treat her OK, but he could easily take advantage of her and I don't think she'd care - that's become her dealership and her salesman.
- My parents still shop at the grocery store in the same plaza they did when I was a kid. It's changed names, etc. but it still has their loyalty. That's also where they're likely to run into acquaintances and people they know, etc. but I find the store to be horrible and never shop there when I visit and offer to make dinner for them. "Their" store has minimal selection, no fresh seafood - it's only available bagged in the frozen section, etc. Meanwhile, there are 3 other chain grocers within a 15 minute drive that are newer, modern, with fresh seafood on ice, excellent produce and much more selection. They don't care. They go to their grocer.
- When I was a very young kid, I remember going with my parents to visit their insurance agent. They used him for home and auto. He relocated 5 minutes away. They followed. Their original agent retired and sold the business. They now do business with the new guy who bought him out. My parents, father especially, are fairly internet savvy. They see all the ads - Geico, Progressive, Liberty, State Farm, etc. Doesn't matter. They've never even checked pricing. They go to/through their agent because that's who they've always used. Ask what coverages they have and at what level and they have no idea. That agent is who they know and trust.
- Most older folks I know have their "routine" that they get into and like. Again, advertisers may need to work harder to get them to think or act outside that.
Regarding the Progressive "becoming your parents" campaign, I know plenty of folks who are near, at or beyond retirement age who find those to be very funny. Keep in mind that many older folks don't see themselves as "old" - 50 is the new 40, 40 is the new 30, etc., but most everyone can clearly see or remember the stereotypical "old people" things their parents did or said.
I friggin LOVE those spots. I get a chuckle out of lines like the worker asking: 'Do you have any food allergies?' and the woman being trained not to act like her parents answers: 'Well, my teeth hurt when they get cold'.
That's something my mom would have said alright.
I haven't seen or heard any of those.I friggin LOVE those spots. I get a chuckle out of lines like the worker asking: 'Do you have any food allergies?' and the woman being trained not to act like her parents answers: 'Well, my teeth hurt when they get cold'.
That's something my mom would have said alright.
The ones I referred to are seniors losing their train of thought and rambling in a different direction. Like I said, they're amusing. But I don't think they'll motivate seniors to switch to Progressive.
Well anyone who regularly gets into a discussion on this very site, only to have someone wander off into some personal observation from forty or fifty years ago, should be able to relate to the Progressive spot.
I've noticed that. I guess there are a lot of old people posting here. 🤔
I don't care who it targets...my favorite commercial right now is John Travolta as Santa Claus.
www.ispot.tv
Capital One Quicksilver TV Spot, 'Holiday Night Fever' Featuring John Travolta, Donna Pescow, Song by Bee Gees
John Travolta appears as a stylish Santa Claus, wearing a fur-lined red velvet and leather suit, walking down the city street to the tune of "Stayin' Alive" by the Bee Gees in a throwback to his leading role as Tony Mareno in "Saturday Night Fever." On the way to the dance floor, St. Nick stops...
That reminds me of a time I was in a motel, or maybe it was a hotel, but it was definitely somewhere. And there was someone talking on some station about how the sky was really blue that day. So I asked the clerk at another hotel to clean my windows so I could see better.
I don't much care about their advertising, but after owning a Subaru for a few years now, I'm rather disappointed by the failure prone CV transmissions they use (it's already been replaced one, and may need to be replaced again).
The majority of Subaru owners, it would seem, don't have any trouble with their transmissions, but it is a known weak spot in most models from 2011-2019 or so (ours is a 2017 Outback 3.6R, with the supposedly "heavy duty" version of the transmission), and the failure rates are disproportionately higher than for other makes. High enough, it seems, that Subaru felt it was neccessary to issue an extended warranty against any transmission failure up to 10 years from manufacture or 100k miles, whichever comes first; our first replacement was covered under this warranty, but the second, if/when it comes, likely won't be (and it's expensive; something like $13,000 to $15,000!).
It's quite a shame, as it's otherwise a very good car, with decent-for-2017 styling and a nice, comfortable interior.
I'm not sure I'll buy another, though. If I do, it may be an older model that still uses a traditional transmission.
So, what does this have to do with this discussion? Not much, of course, other than it happens to be vaguely relevant to the initial example @wadio opened this thread with.
c
Uh oh, here we go Wadio. cc333 just did exactly what we were talking about. The topic just took a hard left when we went from advertising to the reliability of their vehicle's transmission.
But if the transmission goes, you can’t listen to the radio while it’s in the shop. So it’s about radio.
Eh, never mind, I’ve got nothin’.
Eh, never mind, I’ve got nothin’.
Yup.
Yup again. What this Subaru's AM radio lacks in audio quality, it makes up for with surprisingly decent sensitivity. Selectivity is pretty good too.
c
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