I've heard it said that radio is where advertising goes to die. If that's true then I'll venture that Spotify is where they bungle the autopsy.
Solely because it saves me buying a premium account, I've learnt to grin and bear the ads that interrupt my listening pleasure on Spotify. It's easier with some than with others.
One ad over the weekend set my teeth on edge, all because of its tagline. That final sign-off line that's meant to implant a pleasing brand-related image in your head, like a lipstick snog-print on your Valentine's card.
"Are you ready to Butlins?" didn't quite get the job done.
A product has to be pretty damn good for its name to become a verb. Hoover is the obvious example. Tippex also springs to mind. I'm not sure Butlin's has ever been close.
I grew up in its heyday, yet even then it was never in danger of being anything more than a proper noun.
"Ready to Butlin's" seems a forced attempt at being 'rad', or whatever they call it nowadays. It's Butlin's, not Bondi Beach.
"Are you ready to Kona?" on the other hand, might have worked, were it not for the fact that the Hawaiian brewery's ad agency went much, much better...
"One life, right?" Some people may not get it but in a dumbed-down world, good on the creative team for taking that chance.
A tagline that's part-reminder, part-challenge, part pep-talk. In three words.
If I see that ad, I'm spending the rest of my day wisely, even if I'm nowhere near a can of Kona. Because Kona reminded me why I should.
I'm feeling good toward Kona. I'm a lot more ready to Kona than to Butlin's.
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