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Three Things All Great Ads Do Perfectly
Get these right and everything else will fall into place
“The biggest drawback to free TV is how many commercials you have to watch to enjoy it.”
Whenever my son comes to me with this complaint, I put on my wise old man hat and reply, “I know what you mean, son. But, remember. Nothing is free. You can either pay to make the commercials go away or let others pay for you to watch TV for free.”
Cable TV is the worst of both worlds. You pay for access and you watch commercials. Why? Because actors want big paychecks. And if they can draw a crowd when their show is on, they deserve it, don’t they?
I’m reminded of an old film that makes this point right from the start — A Face in the Crowd. Andy Griffith stars as a drifter named Lonesome Rhodes who is discovered by a local radio producer. He gains attention by singing in the jail so he can be “a free man in the morning.
The producer invites Rhodes onto her radio show and he’s an immediate hit. Advertisers start calling for spots on his show. Of course, the station owner is thrilled.
But then Nashville comes calling. What’s a drifter to do?
Haggle for the best deal, of course.