Is doing something completely unexpected and over the top really the only way to advertise these days? Are we so desensitized to traditional advertising methods that we just don’t pay anything attention anymore? Personally, especially when it comes to online marketing efforts, I completely ignore them, become annoyed by them, and know my friends feel similarly.
Recently BFGoodrich dropped one of their new all terrain tires out of a plane at 10,000 feet. They used The Martin Agency to come up with this concept. I get what they are going for here—how can we really rough up this tire…make our audience believe that it can withstand anything as we claim it does? But really, they are just playing off of the new trend that is the “wow factor” or “stuntvertising”
When you watch this video, it’s easy to question the quality. Sure they can capture footage by having a professional skydiver follow the tire on its way back down to earth. But even as the article points out, exactly where it is going to land is highly unpredictable, as well as dangerous. They could have very easily captured footage of the tire landing, and then filmed the tire on it’s way to the Jeep with a new tire. They could have also used a new tire to put onto the car. Fact is, as viewers we just have no way of knowing whether or not what we are watching is real. It’s pretty challenging to flawlessly execute such extreme situations, because there are always unpredictable factors that can occur.
As the AdWeek article describes, “So called “stuntvertising” has become its own marketing genre in recent years, and much of it involves nauseating falls. Who can forget Red Bull’s sponsorship of Felix Baumgartner’s 2012 jump from the edge of space? In 2008, a publicity blitz called “Extreme Scrabble” found two skydivers playing the board game at 13,000 feet.” BFGoodrich is jumping on this trend, and aligning ones brand with fads sometimes dilutes brand image.
Should we always believe what we see, or what advertisers tell us. Today, we are now so quick to judge and ignore traditional marketing efforts, so why are extreme measures any different. Is the shock factor really be enough to cloud our judgment?
On another note, I just went skydiving. Too bad I didn’t endorse one of my favorite brands…could have been another trendy marketing effort. There’s always next time!
References
Klara, R. (n.d.). Why Did BFGoodrich Toss a Truck Tire Out of an Airplane? Retrieved October 9, 2014.
Loyola Digital Advertising [로욜라 디지털 광고] 
I agree, I think its a little over the top. I also like how they have the small caption disclosures – not every BF Goodrich tire will survive this fall, but this one did – I just feel like this advertisement isn’t really relevant or necessary for their brand. When would a jeep ever have a tire delivered by plane? It’s unrealistic and kind of cheesy, but it was a creative idea I guess. Also even though it made it to earth I feel like realistically it wouldn’t be safe to use the tire afterwards, especially to drive through that terrain, even though they are trying to convince their audience that this tire can withstand such a fall and still be in good use. Overall it was an alright advertisement but I don’t think it really makes any consumer want to buy this product any more than a different tire.
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I think that shock value is a very effective way for companies to get the attention of consumers. As a consumer, I know that it works on me. However, it does not make more likely to buy the product. All it does is make me more likely to watch the ad. If I do not feel that I need the product, or that the product would be beneficial to me, I will not buy it. The video used in this post, however, is more effective than most shock value tactics that I see, because part of the shock value is how durable the tire is.
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This is definitely memorable and creative. But, I think it’s fake. Also, I don’t find it relevant to tires. Who cares if a tire can “skydive”? I do see how they want to align themselves with a daring, young crowd. They will reach a certain segment with this ad, for sure.
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I definitely think that ads are getting a little ridiculous. The more extreme they are, the more desperate the brand seems to get the attention of consumers. Personally, when I see ads that are extreme or stunt-like it in no way makes me think that that product is any better, or worse. I think it tends to be a tad irrelevant, and distracting from what the product actually is. It would be better to demonstrate what it does or how it functions.
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In my opinion buying tires is a practical buy and the consumer would want to be practical and I don’t think their target audience would be convinced of the durability of a tire simply because it survived a skydive and it might be more effective to eliminate the wow factor because while it may draw attention it doesn’t necessarily sell tires.
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