The Backroads: Drivers who switched
By Sean Hart
Saturday, October 24, 2009 11:01 PM PDT
“Drivers who switched saved ...” — you hear something like that during almost every commercial break on television.
Another auto insurance company’s latest 30-second spot citing how much their customers saved when they switched from some other insurance company.
It seems like every company has these types of advertisements these days. And why not? One thing everyone likes to do is save money. So long as the government requires auto insurance, you might as well pay as little as possible. Right?
And, after a while, ads about things like cavemen, geckos and googly-eyed wads of cash have to get old. Oh, who am I kidding? I’d probably buy a ticket to see a full motion picture about an advertising caveman. But I digress.
Advertisements about saving money do seem to make sense. I’m just getting pretty tired of hearing every single auto insurance company tell me how much people who switched to their company saved.
Isn’t it kind of obvious that people who switched insurance companies would probably save money in the process?
There aren’t too many people in this world who would trade something they have for something similar that is more expensive. It just doesn’t happen. So it shouldn’t be too shocking that customers who switch companies usually do so because they save money.
What bothers me is that the companies who advertise how much people saved never seem to mention how many others didn’t switch because it would have been more expensive.
I guess that wouldn’t make the best commercial: “Both drivers who switched to our company saved money ... but the other 698 people who applied found it was much more expensive than their current coverage.”
You could make it work, though, by simply adding: “But the two who saved money, saved a lot of money.” And at least then it would be honest.
I know. I’d never make it in the marketing business. Words like “truth” are regarded with a certain nonchalance, as petty and inferior — a certain disregard, really, like a politician’s version of the word.
It’s much easier to talk about savings, while showing painstakingly slow-motion, staged traffic accidents. Strike fear in the hearts of consumers. That’s the real ticket.
Fear whets consumers’ appetites better than food samples at a box store. It is the true economic aphrodisiac.
Scare them half to death, then tell them they can pay half as much. As the money rolls in, don’t think too much about things like ethics. That’s a problem for another department.
I think I’m catching on to this whole marketing thing. Honestly.
It’s actually pretty easy — much quicker than to what I’m accustomed. Maybe it’s time for a career change; I could use some extra time.
Of course, I’d probably end up watching more television and, thus, annoyingly obvious commercials about saving money.
Alas, I think I’ll stick with journalism. At least I’ll keep my integrity.
Besides, if I worked in marketing, I wouldn’t have this space to discuss pertinent social themes like fear and truth and ethics — or bargain shopping.
And you would not believe how much I saved...
Lifestyle Editor Sean Hart can be contacted at SeanH@argusobserver.com. The views and opinions expressed in this column are not necessarily those of the Argus Observer.
