God’s holy trousers! Your brilliant wit can cause real problems. I think it cost me a client

The other day John Walsh let fly a blast of condemnation in The Independent about the latest Diesel campaign, which he headed A dose of something unlovely.


Here’s what he said:

Do you ever see an advertisement that really turns your head? I recently did, and not in a good way. I nearly crashed the motor while driving past a bus-stop hoarding that featured the new fragrance from Diesel.

It showed a tempestuous-looking naked woman clutching to herself a giant, heart-shaped bottle of pink perfume. It was called Loverdose.

Who in the name of God’s holy trousers thought that a good name for a perfume? What marketing department brainstorm produced that misbegotten collection of syllables? But wait, here are the product notes: “Loverdose … represents a woman who is sexy, playful and irresistible. She receives an overdose of love from those around her, but she wants more. She desires pleasure, adrenaline and passion.”

Oh I get it, it’s an overdose of love, do you see? Although, when you see the word, you don’t pronounce it “Loaver-dose” do you? You’d say “Love-a-dose” as in the phrase, “Would you love a dose of the clap?” The marketing people go on to tell us that the Loverdose bottle “represents a beautiful but deadly weapon of seduction”. I think I’ll pass, thanks.


Now John is not a stupid man, but it has clearly escaped his attention that Diesel advertising, which has been running for a good ten years, takes the piss out of the kind of ludicrous claims many ads make.

All this was lost on him. He is not a likely Diesel customer.

It reminded me of one of my own many stupid mistakes. Years ago I went to see the boss of a new firm called Telephone Warehouse. I was met at reception by a man whose face I couldn’t quite place.

Then I realised it was Ernest Saunders, former marketing head of Guinness, and a notorious name in his day. He was advising the new company. He introduced himself, adding, “I’ve been reading your book. Very interesting.”

I was flattered; but I’ve never been able to handle compliments and often pass them off with a joke. So I replied, “Why, can’t you sleep?”

This shaft of wit was lost on Mr. Saunders, and I suspect I blew my chances with that firm there and then.

By the way, here’s the Diesel TV spot http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UyWfun8HY0&NR=1

About the Author

In 2003, the Chartered Institute of Marketing named Drayton one of 50 living individuals who have shaped today’s marketing.

He has worked in 55 countries with many of the world’s greatest brands. These include American Express, Audi, Bentley, British Airways, Cisco, Columbia Business School, Deutsche Post, Ford, IBM, McKinsey, Mercedes, Microsoft, Nestle, Philips, Procter & Gamble, Toyota, Unilever, Visa and Volkswagen.

Drayton has helped sell everything from Airbus planes to Peppa Pig. His book, Commonsense Direct and Digital Marketing, out in 17 languages, has been the UK’s best seller on the subject every year since 1982. He has also run his own businesses in the U.K., Portugal and Malaysia.

He was a main board member of the Ogilvy Group, a founding member of the Superbrands Organisation, one of the first eight Honorary Fellows of the Institute of Direct Marketing and one of the first three people named to the Hall of Fame of the Direct Marketing Association of India. He has also been given Lifetime Achievement Awards by the Caples Organisation in New York and Early To Rise in Florida.

5 Comments

  1. Steve Gibson

    “This shaft of wit was lost on Mr. Saunders, and I suspect I blew my chances with that firm there and then.”
    Don't worry, Drayton, if his Alzheimer's ever comes back, he'll forget all about it.

    Reply
  2. peter hobday

    Funny you should bring up Earnest Saunders at this time. Chirac is using a similar 'Alzheimer defence' at his trial in Paris.

    Reply
  3. Allie_Dav

    What is the fascination with gap-toothed models? I thought I was watching a new advert from Corsodyl highlighting the fight against gum disease…

    Reply
  4. Drayton

    I think it's something to do with rabbits

    Reply
  5. Don

    Hi Drayton
     
    I too had the pleasure of being “grilled” by Ernest Saunders, with his curious gaze, along with the then founder of Telephone Warehouse, Charles Dunstone, 20+ years ago.  They wanted someone with experience in sales and research.  Telephone Warehouse had just relaunched as Carphone Warehouse and was clearly going places.
     
    My abiding memory from that interview was the arrogance of Mr Dunstone (perhaps warranted given his undoubted success) and the clinical dismissiveness of Saunders.  Needless to say I did not get the job nor the courtesy of a reply.  To this day I have never set foot in one of their shops and have avoided all their products.  Irrational?

    Reply

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