When advertising to the heart, you are reaching that place that is most compelling, not just surface “wants”.
By Radio Ranch Hand
I remember the first car I ever wanted. I mean really, really wanted. Desired with all my heart. It was the original 1965 (or 1964 1//2, if you want to be really technical, and I know some of you do) Ford Mustang. I saw one on the road, and it was love at first sight. Oh, sure, maybe I saw or heard a commercial or two for them along the way – I honestly don’t remember. It was seeing them in action that clinched the deal. I began to spot them everywhere, looked for them, longed for them, stared after them. And then I saw the ultimate – a custom order bubblegum pink number that took my breath away. The driver was a blonde with big JackieO sunglasses and even bigger hair, driving along with the obvious knowledge of how heartstoppingly hot she and her pony car looked. I wanted it all. To be that blonde in that automobile. It was my first official case of car lust. Only problem was, I couldn’t drive. Didn’t have a license, wouldn’t have for a few years yet. Even the great state of Texas frowned on eleven-year-olds behind the wheel. The whole thing was beyond silly. My little pink Mustang became a dream deferred.
The first car I actually had was a hand-me-down 1960 Pontiac Catalina, which my parents knew they couldn’t get anything for as a trade in. It was like a battleship, affectionately dubbed The Good Ship Pontiac, with a beltfree bench seat in front and a backseat big enough to cart all my friends around, including a pair of 6footsix red headed twins who usually rode shotgun. Over the years, I have had a few different cars. I have bought them because I saw them, liked them, rented them, drove a friend’s, admired the automaker or the eco footprint, or because it was what we could afford at the time. My husband and I don’t buy German cars out of respect for his relatives who perished in the camps. We have become fiercely brandloyal to a Japanese automaker with plants here in the states. In fact, one of our cars right now is an 18yearold small SUV we bought in the first model year because I had a case of car lust that needed to be quenched. Not as intense as my desire for that pink Mustang – there is never anything like your first love but damn, I wanted that sporty little ute. And this time, I got it.
My point, and there is one, is that I have never, ever wanted a car, bought a car, because somebody yelled at me on the radio. We here at the Ranch seem to sell a lot of cars with spots that match the motto of one of our longest standing clients. No pressure, no hype. Lots of humor. And a nod to that extremely personal relationship between driver and car. We don’t always get to buy the car of our dreams. But as admakers we can make people feel really good about the dealership they choose and what they drive off the lot. Have a chuckle about the whole car buying experience. Want to buy from the folks who brought them that very fun and extremely listenable message.
Everyone carries a silly little pink Mustang around in their hearts. Really good radio knows how to reach it.
Listen to: “So Proud” Keystone Volvo
