The other morning I was watching TV and I saw an advertisement for Harley Davidson (HD) of Scottsdale. It started out with a Doctor in his office talking about a little blue pill. The doctor’s office set rolls away, the doctor takes off his jacket and is then standing in the showroom of the Harley Davidson Dealership. There is some more talking and then he gets on a Harley Davidson with a very attractive lady behind him touching his arm. As she does that the man’s tie rises up. The advertisement ends with the announcer talking about Harley Davidson of Scottsdale. I actually thought it was a funny advertisement and pushed the envelope a bit. Several of the Harley Davidson of Scottsdale advertisements have pushed the envelope.
This got me thinking…why is it advertisements in the United States are so conservative and advertisements in other countries push the envelope, or just shatter it? What are we afraid of? The HD of Scottsdale advertisement has now been changed and the part where the man’s tie rises up had been cut out. Why?
Fiat did a spoof on the little blue pill also. It was for their larger, 4-door version of the Fiat 500. It was tastefully done, I thought.
I think the more creative and edgy an advertisement is the more memorable it is. Now, I am not saying they have to be inappropriate, but I think you can have fun with an advertisement. To me, if an advertisement is entertaining then people are more apt to sit and watch them then if they are boring. Don’t get me wrong some advertisements can be done very classy, or be moving to get your attention. Budweiser and their Clydesdales is one that comes to mind. Also, years ago Maxwell House Coffee had that ad where the son comes home for Christmas and surprises his mom. That was touching and 30 years later I still remember the advertisement.
Sometimes, a really good advertisement doesn’t even have to talk about what it is trying to sell you to get you to remember their product. The HD of Scottsdale advertisement I thought was an advertisement for the little blue pill. It wasn’t until the end of the advertisement I realized it was for Harley Davidson, even though they had the HD of Scottsdale logo at the bottom of the screen.
What kind of advertisements draw your attention? Do advertisements in the United States need to push the envelope more? Sound off and let me know what you think.
Harley Davidson of Scottsdale Advertisement: Click Here
Fiat 500 Advertisement: Click Here
Geoff Cummings is President | Founder of On The Level Marketing & Consulting, LLC. Successfully helping businesses with all their marketing needs by branding their businesses and keeping their marketing simple and straight forward. On The Level Marketing & Consulting, LLC Creative | Trustworthy | Hassle-Free.
