Healthy Streets, Lousy Ads

By Scott Smith in News on Oct 25, 2006 1:10PM

The most effective ads are ones that get your attention and communicate a message quickly and simply. Less effective ads are ones that leave you sitting on the couch saying, “What the hell was that?”

In this ad, a distracted motorist hits someone with her car. Then a spokesman with Bob Fuller Roadside Memorials appears to offer comfort in the form of a ready-made roadside memorial “24 hours a day.”

(Speaking of 24 hours, anybody else catch the new 24 trailer yesterday? Awesome. Nice beard, Jack.)

A website address appears briefly at the end of the commercial, which continues to spread the word about ol’ Bob’s services. If you poke around the site long enough, you’ll discover that the ad is part of a viral marketing campaign for the Healthy Streets Campaign based here in Chicago. Its goal is “to redesign streets around the needs of people rather than motor vehicles alone” and to create neighborhoods “where reckless driving is not tolerated, and walking, bicycling and transit have priority.”

In theory, this sounds great. But aren’t transit vehicles … vehicles? Tell you what, Healthy Streets: you pass out a few brochures telling bicyclists to stay off the sidewalks, and we’ll be all for this plan. In the meantime, you might want to get to work on some new ads. On the other hand, perhaps you're sitting back in your chair, rubbing your hands together maniacally and muttering "Exxxxcellent, our plan worked perrrrrfectly." In that case, well played.