I was getting gas at Arco today and saw a rather bizarre advertisement for Arco.
It was a poster that showed two images. One was a van that said “DAY OLD SUSHI” on the side" There was the word “BAD” with an arrow pointing to the van. Then there was an Arco station with the word “Good” um, what?
What kind of comparison is this? It looked like some ad guy got the idea from his 4 year old kid. Ok, let me get this straight- you should buy Arco gasoline. Because Arco gasoline is better than day old sushi. Errr This got me thinking about how numerous other companies could use this technique to advertise their products. Like for instance-
Bad: Botulism. Good: Tech Deck Mini skateboards.
Bad: Neutron bombs. Good: Pizza bagels
Bad: Peyrone’s Disease. Good: The soundtrack to “Elektra”
They’ve been doing it in Infomercials for years. Y’know how they advertise, say, a Super-Spiffy Pot 'n Pan Set? They always say, “Why bother with those messy, awkward pans” and show a woman (usually in black & white) trying to stack her pans like an inept rectal-headed proto-human? They have to portray the most mundane of human behaviors - like using a broom! - as incredibly difficult, so then, VOILA!! their product is SO MUCH EASIER!!!
Isn’t it a comment on the fact that Arco are able to offer gas discounts due to their adoption of different payment solutions rather than selling lower quality fuel. They are kind of famous in marketting for refusing to accept credit card payments when the boom in credit card payments was taking off in the 80s.
I think the point is (regardless of whether or not it is effective):
Our gasoline is as good as day old sushi is bad.
Like, you know how bad day old sushi is, right? It’s really really really bad. Well, conversely, our gasoline is really really really good. Day old sushi is so very bad, but if that kind of badness could possible be evened out by an inversely proportionate example of goodness- well that’s our gasoline. If you were to visit Bizarro World and you went to a day old sushi shack they would probably serve you our gasoline. “Hey, Lisa” “Yeah, Moose?” “Sell me some of your finest gasoline” “Here you go” “Hey, wait. This is day old sushi- either you’ve gone crazy or…” “This is just the introduction to the Opposite Sketches!”
And, no, I don’t think the average consumer is going to consciously go through the whole “Our gasoline is as good as day old sushi is bad” thought process upon viewing the ad, but I think that point is meant to take hold subconsciously.
Also, it’s supposed to be funny. This helps the idea to stick in the consumer’s head. We’ve all seen countless “Our product is better than our competitor’s identical product” ads, but the “Our product is better than day old sushi” approach is fresh, surprising, and funny.
Also it makes me think of Animaniacs!
Good Idea: Feeding squirrels in the park Bad Idea: Feeding squirrels in the park to a bear
um, what?
