Don’t Go Away, We’ll Be Right Back

Christmas time means Christmas advertising.

Hundreds of Southeast Texas small businesses that usually do not use electronic ads (Radio and Television) are buying commercials.

Unfortunately, the mom-and-pop businesses that usually hit the air for the first time this time of year, are falling prey to unscrupulous salesmen that grab for the little cash these stores have, then give the owner doo-doo for ad copy.

Every year you hear them.

The ads usually go something like this:

“Come to Bobs Hardware Store and you’ll find screwdrivers, hammers and nails. We have brand names you know and love. Our number is 888-5555.”

I cringe every time I hear these ads because I know some corporate-giant owned radio advertising salesman...one who needs to make a quota...just conned a small locally-owned business into coughing up five hundred to two thousand dollars to run an ad that does absolutely nothing. ( I haven't sold advertising in a long time, so I'm not sure what the ads are going for these days. I guessed at the dollar amount.)

Everyone knows you can get hammers and nails at a hardware store… this line tells the listener absolutely nothing.

Everyone knows you can get brand names at a hardware store, this line tells the listener nothing. at all.

Nobody writes a phone number down when they hear it on a radio ad.

All this ad does is irritate listeners who want to get back to the music.

But hey, the salesman has his cash, the corporate giant has scalped another small business and after all, they care about the bottom line.

I have met a few… very few… corporate ad salesmen who actually care about the small business owner who is standing like David against a Goliath from Bentonville Arkansas.

I've worked among the vipers; you cannot convince me they are not there.