These days it seems that advertisers are turning to animals for star roles in television commercials- DirecTV and Geico are among them.
In the DirecTV spots, a rich, Russian man shows off his miniature giraffe.
The advertisers have even taken it as far as creating a website that has fake information about the species. The website is written in broken English – the way the actor speaks on the television commercials. It also has a few pictures and an ‘about’ tab, telling visitors the perks and care maintenance of having a miniature pet giraffe. You can even sign-up to be on the waiting list for one. I was number 1,296,026 on the list because the next available one born has been reserved for Prince. The most interesting part of the website is the live cam that shows one of the two miniature giraffes roaming around in a barn or outside.
I personally don’t think the DirecTV commercials are that great. You can check them out here on YouTube. It’s even crazier that they pumped more money into creating the website and carried the miniature giraffe theme to an extreme. This marketing ploy, while cute, is not very effective in my opinion. I’m not even sure if this gimmick would stick in my mind long enough for me to consider switching cable providers.
Geico on the other hand has rolled out several commercials with the tagline, “Easier way to save.” A couple of the commercials feature various animals in the spots performing a duty to help their owner save money. The most popular one is the guinea pig commercial. This commercial has gotten a lot of recognition but I’m still unsure of how effective it is.
Even though I’m still new to the business, I often stop and ask myself, “Does this commercial or advertisement make me want to go purchase the product/service that was just offered?” Since I’m not really in the market for new insurance or a cable provider, perhaps this is why they don’t strike a cord with me. Or maybe these ads really are a dud. Watch the videos and decide for yourself.
