The way companies advertise to countries tells a lot about the countries themselves, and I’ve seen enough ads in the last few weeks to recognize that British consumers and American consumers appreciate and respond to very different kinds of advertising.
It’s the example I see almost daily that’s my favo(u)rite. eHarmony advertises substantially on the Tube, and theirs is the particular ad that I read each time with fascination and/or disgust. The photo of the successfully-matched couple isn’t bad; an attractive, green-eyed woman leans over a dark-haired, not great- but okay-looking guy. But then there’s the blurb below the picture: “Every day I consider myself so lucky to have joined eHarmony and to have been matched with Matt. I truly believe he is the only man for me and that we will have a long and wonderful life together.”
….excuse me, but have I been launched into some starry-eyed and horribly written Nicolas Sparks novel? Do people actually talk like this in real life? Even if they believe sentiments like this when they themselves are in love, would British singles be convinced to use eHarmony thanks to this kind of rhetoric? Cynicism is a characteristic commonly associated with the Brits, so why have advertisers decided to use this kind of sappy language to lure them into using eHarmony? Maybe I’m speaking too broadly, but I think if something similarly trite was printed on an ad in New York or Chicago, it would warrant constant eye-rolls at the very least. (Then again, maybe the same can’t necessarily be said of middle America.)
Then there’s another ad that I didn’t see directly, but I saw on my British friend Ashley’s Facebook: "It’s the smaller things in life that I love. Like having strawberries and cream with my family in the sunshine. But unfortunately, strawberries have small pips in them that get under my dentures and it can be painful.”
1. There’s absolutely no way that ad can actually be helping boost sales of whatever denture glue it’s trying to sell.
2. I looked up ‘pips’ online and found nothing. This company is just making words up.
3. That was such a pathetic attempt at advertising, I literally can’t think of a way to end this post.
It’s the example I see almost daily that’s my favo(u)rite. eHarmony advertises substantially on the Tube, and theirs is the particular ad that I read each time with fascination and/or disgust. The photo of the successfully-matched couple isn’t bad; an attractive, green-eyed woman leans over a dark-haired, not great- but okay-looking guy. But then there’s the blurb below the picture: “Every day I consider myself so lucky to have joined eHarmony and to have been matched with Matt. I truly believe he is the only man for me and that we will have a long and wonderful life together.”
….excuse me, but have I been launched into some starry-eyed and horribly written Nicolas Sparks novel? Do people actually talk like this in real life? Even if they believe sentiments like this when they themselves are in love, would British singles be convinced to use eHarmony thanks to this kind of rhetoric? Cynicism is a characteristic commonly associated with the Brits, so why have advertisers decided to use this kind of sappy language to lure them into using eHarmony? Maybe I’m speaking too broadly, but I think if something similarly trite was printed on an ad in New York or Chicago, it would warrant constant eye-rolls at the very least. (Then again, maybe the same can’t necessarily be said of middle America.)
Then there’s another ad that I didn’t see directly, but I saw on my British friend Ashley’s Facebook: "It’s the smaller things in life that I love. Like having strawberries and cream with my family in the sunshine. But unfortunately, strawberries have small pips in them that get under my dentures and it can be painful.”
1. There’s absolutely no way that ad can actually be helping boost sales of whatever denture glue it’s trying to sell.
2. I looked up ‘pips’ online and found nothing. This company is just making words up.
3. That was such a pathetic attempt at advertising, I literally can’t think of a way to end this post.
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