I was just on Technorati and saw a banner ad that caught my. They almost never do. I probably click on one banner a month.
I was attracted first to the Flying Vee with the universal symbol for "no". Then the headline "Parents against reprehensible metal music."
"Cool," I thought. Tipper Gore wannabes on the rampage. This will be fun. So I clicked.
As the father of a 15-year old daughter who likes obscure metal sub-genres and songs with "explicit" lyrics, I couldn't wait to share this with her so we could both get a chuckle. One of the questions in the banner is: "Does your teen show any of the following signs: Wears excessive amounts of black."
Um, yup. Lots of black clothing in my house. But on dad as well.
Imagine my surprise when the banner linked to a site for Toyota Matrix. At first I thought that The Double Click ad server was on the fritz. But then I realized, holy cow, it's a bait and switch banner!
I was immediately incensed. It reminded me of those annoying "You are the 1,000,000th visitor! You won! Click here!" ads.
But then after a moment, I decided it was pretty cool. I Googled the phrase and found a nifty little site ParentsForPARMM.com "Our censor sensor is always on high alert!"
So here I am writing about it - promoting the site and no doubt sending them a few thousand more clicks. I guess that's what they wanted, right? Well, then it worked.
So what do you think? Is this a reprehensible bait and switch? Or just plain fun? What would the transparency police say?
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I did a double take also. I don't click ads but I wanted to see what this was all about. It was confusing and it took me a while to make sense of it, but it caught my attention and engaged me.
Isn't that what marketing is designed to do?
Raza Imam
http://SoftwareSweatshop.com
Posted by: Raza Imam | April 17, 2008 at 05:00 PM
My children are not that age yet, but you have to congratulate the thinking with this, sneaky as it is.
The "teens" would be about car age and naturally you would be the buyer. I would never knowingly click on a Toyota banner ad. It would be very interesting to find out whether it boosts sales.
Posted by: Luke Faccini | April 17, 2008 at 05:12 PM
Bait and Switch.
I don't like it.
I just don't see a connection at all. I think Luke has a good point about potentially attracting the right demographic, but I think it's a reach for Toyota.
They really don't have anything attractive to say about the Matrix?
I find marketing in the automotive industry incredibly boring and unoriginal...so I do admire Toyota for thinking outside the box...unfortunately I don't thinki the box is anywhere in sight.
Posted by: Ryan Sasaki | April 18, 2008 at 08:49 AM
This is the sort of teaser advertising that respectable advertisers will need to take more care about in the future. As of 26 May 2008 in the UK (and eventually across Europe) there will be new legislation making advertising which inaccurately claims or create the impression that its origin is not that of the advertiser but of a consumer or other body, when it is not, a criminal offence.(Unfair Commercial Practices Directive).
Posted by: Marina | April 18, 2008 at 10:58 AM
Reprehensible? Certainly. Hilarious? Absolutely.
Posted by: rockandrollguru | April 19, 2008 at 12:09 PM
Don't like it. I don't believe there's ever a place for tricking prospects. Ever.
That being said, I just got done playing some Metallica on my guitar.
Posted by: Jonathan Bostrom | April 19, 2008 at 09:32 PM
I'm not all that concerned about the bait and switch aspect -- as a former creative director, I was always trying to find ways to get people to notice my ads. They did a fine and innovative things here. One side note -- The good news on this campaign is that it might genuinely bring attention to Media Pollution, which is the cynical, pessimistic, dark imagery that TV, Hollywood and the music industry are pumping into our children's brains. (By the way, I'm a left-leaning, open-minded person, so this isn't a comment from a right-winger, it's a comment from a concerned parent.) We collectively should put an end to the kind of junk that MTV, Jerry Springer and others are putting on the airwaves. Seriously. We've got to get a grip on this.
Posted by: Jamie Turner | April 19, 2008 at 10:13 PM
I don't like the bait and switch. Isn't the point of internet marketing to engage the viewer, not to trick them?
Regardless though, as someone who likes Metal the Ask Gladys section is hysterical.
Posted by: Brian Carl | April 22, 2008 at 08:41 AM
METAL 4 LIFE
THAT SYMBOL SUCKS-YOU ALL DO
Posted by: Metal HEAD | May 27, 2008 at 11:16 AM
you guys need to visit ozzy for treatment. :P
haah...
Metal for Life:Metal means Life...
all religion su#ks..
but in Metalism we see no color no cast no money or Nationality etc...we just love each other...
i just hate people like you..
Posted by: Fahadkhan21 | November 09, 2012 at 01:17 PM