Dumb Luck?

Ok, first let me explain that the headline is meant to mean when dumb advertising produces lucky results. That being said, I'm going to focus on two very successful dummies: Brad J. Lamb, and Billy Mays. Both of these people are regarded as moguls in their respected industries (real estate, and cleaning products); both run pretty fantastic businesses; both have the most retarded advertising I've seen in a long time.

I think the reason I hate their ads so much is because they feature themselves in all their advertising. It's the old 'used-car-salesman' approach, where the owner of the business says something like "I'm paying for the ads. I should get some personal exposure." Not only do these ads seem cheesy and occasionally freak the hell out of people (a-la Brad J. Lamb's head appearing on a sheep's body) but they are generally ineffective. Here's the kicker though: both people have seen results and assume their ads kick ass. In my opinion this kind of backward thinking is like saying getting noticed for wearing a nice perfume is the same as walking around in a soggy diaper full of crap and being asked about the smell.

The thing is both companies are well managed, and employ great people. The management skills of both men are pretty spectacular. The business sense of either individual is above reproach, except as far as admitting bad advertising. Billy Mays buys up TV ad space and appears as an over-caffeinated infomercial spokesman pitching the likes of 'OrangeGlo', 'Kaboom', and 'Oxy Clean'. These commercials SUCK! The products kick ass. I've used several and love them, especially because I have some weird obsession with cleaning things.

If you live in Toronto, I'm sure you've seen those creepy outdoor ads showcasing Brad J. Lamb's head on the body of a sheep. So what are his wears? Sheep? Wool? Hair products? No, real estate. Yep, he has a brokerage that specializes in selling condo's. I've seen a few of his new ad's too; they appear in random washrooms as Brad Lamb standing next to an Aston Martin. Luckily, I was already in the washroom taking a dump when I saw the ad.

In the end, what is it, really, that all this says about advertising? We already know good advertising produces awesome results. Does this say that bad advertising will produce good results as long as you can back up your crappy advertising with good business? If you attract negative attention, and are able to turn it around using good business, are you obligated to keep using your bad ads? I enjoy bad advertising because it makes mediocre ads look better, but doubt it's the best for business.

In the end, here's my comment for Brad Lamb, and Billy Mays: If your ad's are working now, and you've been told over-and-over that they suck, imagine your success if you had good ads.