“Katie Couric Demands Stunt Double To Avoid Breaking A Nail - Oprah Declines”

Doesn’t that seem a stupid idea? It’s so ridiculous that it’s not true. I used that headline to grab your attention. Speaking of stupidity, have you watched the latest pepsi commercial featuring Hollywood Actor, Jacki Chan. Fair dinkum, the creative thinking for this one must have come from a conversation with Kim Mathers at a ‘crack’ party cause there is no sane reason for it.

As I was sitting in front of the Television yesterday watching a  baseball game, when a commercial for ‘diet pepsi’ came on the television and I am guessing that Coca-Cola will be laughing all the way to the bank.

Pepsi handed Coca Cola - on a silver platter, mega millions of dollars in FREE, global advertising and exposure.

The ’story’ of the advert involves Jacki Chan beating the crap out of a group of bad guys before lining up a diet pepsi can to kick the crap out of it.

As he does so, the ‘movie director’ yells ’stunt double’ at which time the can of pepsi is replaced by a can of diet Coca-Cola - just in time for Chan to kick the can.

Obviosuly some armani suited bed wetter from New York came up with such an angle and sold the lame idea to the executives that people would get the hidden message that coca cola is no match for Pepsi and therefore only good enough to be used in a dangerous situation and as their ‘double’.

What they have failed to realize is this. Many people might be thinking that if pepsi uses coca cola as their ’stunt double’ - it must be exceptional, otherwise why would they use it. After all, would a real hollywood director use a ‘useless’ stunt double to get the desired effect for their ‘movie star’ who is afraid of getting hurt. No. They would only use the best.

Either way, the timing of swapping the pepsi can for a coca cola can is right at the ‘punch line’ of the commercial, giving coca cola so much free publicity they will be hoping pepsi come up with more sequels than the Rocky Movie.

This typical institutional advertising, reminded me of the battery commercials, featuring the little pink bunny. The amazing part of these commercials, is when people are asked do they know the ‘pink bunny’ from the battery commercials, 99.9% reply ‘yes’.

When asked which battery company, approx. 50% of people get it wrong. They choose the competitor - the battery company which they were trying to demonstrate wasn’t as good. 

From comments on a marketing tape I was listening to many years ago, the battery company had spent hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars in advertising, just trying to get people to recognize the ‘pink bunny with their battery and not their competitors. The results was an ‘improvment from approx. 60% to 54%.

Do you know the answer? Was it Duracell or Energizer? Read the PS to find out.

Kick butt - create your own sizzling sales copy.

Warmly
Trevor ‘Toe Cracker’ Crook
PS. The answer is: Energizer.
PPS. If you want to get your words rights and avoid handing money to your competitors . . . go to the ‘Helpful Products’ link on the right side of this blog.