She's Tired Of Waiting

11 years ago

I'm bookmarking this.

Yes, it's genius. Reminds me of Ogilvy. Reminds me an time where sales were made using one page magazine ads, not 30 page Click Bank landing pages.

This would work great for a flower shop too ...

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max5ty

11 years ago

Sorry, I don't know how to upload a full sized image of the billboard.

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Steve The Copywriter

11 years ago

Max,

It is a great visual.

But like you I immediately thought the "husbands to be" would go to any diamond store.

What the copywriter should also have done is highlight the biggest reason why you absolutely HAVE to go to Robbins Diamonds.

Steve

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Mark Andrews

Banned 11 years ago

I'd have replaced that rather strange bearded man saying Yeah! above RobbinsDiamonds.com with an image of a diamond ring.

Car drivers would now see the ring finger missing it's ring, glance briefly right and see the ring and the business name below.

They would then naturally jump to the conclusion in their subconscious mind that the gold diamond ring above the business name rightfully belongs on the ladies ring finger and this is the place to get it ---> RobbinsDiamonds.com

This would help to seed the thought pattern of separation (the pain of not taking action) with being permanently together with their partner, in a life time commitment of bonding love with one another (lifelong pleasure.)

Best,

Mark Andrews

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max5ty

11 years ago

Originally Posted by Mark Andrews

I'd have replaced that rather strange bearded man saying Yeah! above RobbinsDiamonds.com with an image of a diamond ring.

Car drivers would now see the ring finger missing it's ring, glance briefly right and see the ring and the business name below.

They would then naturally jump to the conclusion in their subconscious mind that the gold diamond ring above the business name rightfully belongs on the ladies ring finger and this is the place to get it ---> RobbinsDiamonds.com

This would help to seed the thought pattern of separation (the pain of not taking action) with being permanently together with their partner, in a life time commitment of bonding love with one another (lifelong pleasure.)

Best,

Mark Andrews

That's why you're good Mark, that's a great idea.

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MikeHumphreys

11 years ago

Originally Posted by Mark Andrews

I'd have replaced that rather strange bearded man saying Yeah! above RobbinsDiamonds.com with an image of a diamond ring.

It's a good idea but that's Jerry Robbins, one of the owners of Robbins. They're a HUGE diamond seller in the Philly area.

Having lived in the Philly area most of my life, I can remember Jerry having the diamond in his beard for decades.

Here's a TV spot for Robbins Diamonds from the 1990's where you can see the diamond in his beard even then:

Robbins Diamonds - YouTube

Enjoy,

Mike

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Mark Andrews

Banned 11 years ago

They look like the infuriating pair from 118 118 Mike.

118 118 - Who you gonna call? - YouTube

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max5ty

11 years ago

Originally Posted by Mark Andrews

They look like the infuriating pair from 118 118 Mike.

118 118 - Who you gonna call? - YouTube

good lord...how do you find these things?

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Mark Andrews

Banned 11 years ago

Originally Posted by max5ty

good lord...how do you find these things?

Don't even go there Max. I hate these two guys with a vengeance.

To date, based on 118 118 TV ad campaigns alone (which are all just as bad) I'm proud to say I've never, nor will I ever call 118 118.

Their TV adverts drive me up the wall lol.

Btw it's a directory enquiries company...

Watch our TV ads

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max5ty

11 years ago

Originally Posted by Mark Andrews

Don't even go there Max. I hate these two guys guys with a vengeance.

To date, based on 118 118 TV ad campaigns alone (which are all just as bad) I'm proud to say I've never, nor will I ever call 118 118.

Their TV adverts drive me up the wall lol.

Btw it's a directory enquiries company...

Watch our TV ads

Must be a UK thing because I've never heard of them.

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Mark Andrews

Banned 11 years ago

Originally Posted by max5ty

Must be a UK thing because I've never heard of them.

Yep, it's for the UK market.

After BT (British Telecom) disbanded the 192 directory enquiries number a few years ago, lots of private companies suddenly set up their own directory enquiry businesses.

118 118 unfortunately was one of the most successful because of their massive TV advertising and marketing campaign which is still going on to this day.

They drive me mental lol.

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Doceye

11 years ago

Mike ... not to disparage the city of brotherly love, but that TV spot just entered my pantheon of bad ads at number five with a bullet.

Even in small market SLC, UT I've never seen anything remotely resembling the horror of that ad. I have tears of blood falling on my shirt.

And poor Bobby Day is spinning in his grave. As is Michael Jackson. The only one(s) left alive who recorded that insipid ditty are the Muppets. And shame on their furry souls.

Seriously, my mom's from Philly. And she said everyone she knows back home cringes when they hear one of this guy's ads spooling up.

Is this really how you build a diamond empire? With a stone in your beard? Really?

What? Was Johnny Depp busy?

Sheesh.

I love this job. I really, really do. Where else could you find this much entertainment value outside of politics?

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MikeHumphreys

11 years ago

Originally Posted by Doceye

Mike ... not to disparage the city of brotherly love, but that TV spot just entered my pantheon of bad ads at number five with a bullet.

Even in small market SLC, UT I've never seen anything remotely resembling the horror of that ad. I have tears of blood falling on my shirt.

And poor Bobby Day is spinning in his grave. As is Michael Jackson. The only one(s) left alive who recorded that insipid ditty are the Muppets. And shame on their furry souls.

Seriously, my mom's from Philly. And she said everyone she knows back home cringes when they hear one of this guy's ads spooling up.

Is this really how you build a diamond empire? With a stone in your beard? Really?

What? Was Johnny Depp busy?

Sheesh.

I love this job. I really, really do. Where else could you find this much entertainment value outside of politics?

Negative comments about Philly don't bother me... If you follow any of the Philly sports teams then you became used to hearing the national media rips the fans or sports teams in this area (some of it is deserved, some is not), but I digress...

You won't hear me offering their ads up as good examples of marketing anytime soon but Robbins has a major lock in the Philly area as the go-to place for buying a diamond if you're going to pop the question.

They've been around almost 100 years and have 3 locations in the area, including one in Delaware (home of tax-free shopping).

Speaking from personal experience, when I was shopping for an engagement ring for my future wife almost 10 years ago now... most of the diamond stores in the areas had LOUSY customer service.

Great example of the lousy customer service... One of them completely pi$$ed my then girlfriend by bringing a rock out that was 3 times the size of what she specifically asked for. The salesman thought he'd guilt me into springing for a bigger ring. The problem for him was my then girlfriend knew what exactly she wanted that would look good (to her) on her hand and it wasn't something TRIPLE the size.

So instead of making a sale, what that salesman got was my future wife tearing him a new one verbally in front of everyone else in the store about "not listening to what she asked for and did we need to go to another store where they had salesmen who LISTENED to what the customer asked for instead?".

But Robbins Diamonds in Delaware had flawless customer service... literally Nordstroms quality. It was a completely hassle-free experience.

Not only did I buy the engagement ring there but we went back later on and bought our wedding bands there too. For more than 7 years now, my wife has made it a point to tell everyone she knows how well they treated her.

So they may have some corny ads but they're crushing on customer service and generating word of mouth referrals.

Take care,

Mike

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Steve The Copywriter 11 years ago

It's the biggest problem us copywriters have.

It's not the copy...

It's when the client gives the people that respond - often by the boatload - awful, appalling and truly dreadful customer service.

All that hard work - vaporized because of a total lack of any common sense.

Remember...

Always choose your clients very carefully.

Steve
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adebayo4why 11 years ago

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Lori Kelly

11 years ago

Brilliant. Four words with a huge impact. A 400 word article couldn't touch what those four words conveyed.

The target market appears to be men, but how many women do you think will see that billboard while driving by it with the boyfriend and point it out?

Thanks for posting.

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Steve The Copywriter

11 years ago

Thinking about it - it had to be a brilliant Ad.

Because "Diamond Robbins" looks a bit like the late great Gary Halbert.

Steve

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Doceye

11 years ago

Call me old-fashioned, but the implied obscenity of the finger (yes, I see it's NOT the middle one) dilutes this for me.

Yes, it's a clever idea ... unquestionably. But do we really want to equate the decision to buy our girl a very expensive ring (a rare purchase for most of us) with someone flipping the bird? It's a profane disconnect that to me cheapens the value of any diamond I might buy from this guy.

I mean that ring's going to be around for decades and decades (hopefully). Do you really want to remember "that" day this way?

Maybe the ad's targeted to the younger set and they don't have a problem with that kind of imagery. A mature market? Nah. It'd fall flat. And yes, people do remarry later in life.

And I won't even touch the troll-like cartoon that destroys any idea this jewelry store is where I should go for something really special. I'd be worried the ring I chose just got cut off some corpse they just pulled out of the river.

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CopyWriteHer

11 years ago

I understand where you're coming from, but I think many people will do a double take because they think she is flipping the bird... and that will grab their attention long enough to get the billboard read.

Originally Posted by Doceye

Call me old-fashioned, but the implied obscenity of the finger (yes, I see it's NOT the middle one) dilutes this for me.

Yes, it's a clever idea ... unquestionably. But do we really want to equate the decision to buy our girl a very expensive ring (a rare purchase for most of us) with someone flipping the bird? It's a profane disconnect that to me cheapens the value of any diamond I might buy from this guy.

I mean that ring's going to be around for decades and decades (hopefully). Do you really want to remember "that" day this way?

Maybe the ad's targeted to the younger set and they don't have a problem with that kind of imagery. A mature market? Nah. It'd fall flat. And yes, people do remarry later in life.

And I won't even touch the troll-like cartoon that destroys any idea this jewelry store is where I should go for something really special. I'd be worried the ring I chose just got cut off some corpse they just pulled out of the river.

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Chris Webb

11 years ago

Originally Posted by Doceye

Call me old-fashioned, but the implied obscenity of the finger (yes, I see it's NOT the middle one) dilutes this for me.

On the other hand, it's a great visual device to grab the attention of drivers "why is that chick giving me the finger?" who then probably look closer "oh it's the wedding finger" and then absorb the advert.

I think it's advertising at it's best. Very simple, very memorable and very targetted

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apolwar

11 years ago

Originally Posted by Chris Webb

On the other hand, it's a great visual device to grab the attention of drivers "why is that chick giving me the finger?" who then probably look closer "oh it's the wedding finger" and then absorb the advert.

I think it's advertising at it's best. Very simple, very memorable and very targetted

Yup. The slogan and the billboard served its purpose effectively.

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jimbo13 11 years ago

I think the ad works as it is as I am looking at the guys website.

Robbins Diamonds

Seems he is pretty well known around there so just needs to convey the messsage, people would know who he is from a fraction of a second glimpse of the bearded logo.

Gets some totty too!

https://picasaweb.google.com/robbins...71892887041506

He has what all businesses should have. A proper personality.

Dan
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Greg guitar 11 years ago

Originally Posted by Lori Kelly

how many women do you think will see that billboard while driving by it with the boyfriend and point it out?

I'm going to add that to the PDF I always present first dates with (right before I hand them the bill), called, "the top ten quickest ways to get me to dump you like aged compost".

For some reason, I don't have too many second dates. Which isn't that bad-it could be worse-I could be trapped into marriage! :0
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Pusateri

11 years ago

It must be a syndicated campaign. I've seen at least three in the series. This one's my favorite:

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apolwar 11 years ago

Originally Posted by Pusateri

It must be a syndicated campaign. I've seen at least three in the series. This one's my favorite:

hahaha But it does work! Whoever is his part of his PR team is brimming with wit.
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Mr. Subtle

11 years ago

Originally Posted by max5ty

I saw this billboard along I-95 in Philadelphia.

It definitely catches your attention.

I like mine better...

(Just joking.)

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max5ty

11 years ago

Originally Posted by Mr. Subtle

I like mine better...

(Just joking.)

That's funny...

After I saw the billboard and was driving along thinking about it...

...I was thinking...

fast forward 10 years, a good "Divorce Attorney" could use the same words and picture, but just photoshop a different finger sticking up.

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Mark Andrews

Banned 11 years ago

If I was a divorce attorney living in this city Max I'd be looking to advertise on the next billboard a mile down the road lol.

A preheader...

10 Years Later...

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max5ty

11 years ago

Originally Posted by Mark Andrews

If I was a divorce attorney living in this city Max I'd be looking to advertise on the next billboard a mile down the road lol.

A preheader...

10 Years Later...

LOL...that's thinking like a "real" copywriter.

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adebayo4why

11 years ago

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max5ty 11 years ago

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MoneyMagnetMagnate

11 years ago

The line is great...

But if you don't look at the billboard carefully - It looks like she's flipping you the bird!

That is what has the impact -

"A Diamond is Forever" - That is the greatest, (and most dangerous) line this niche ever had - made the DeBeers family VERY rich...

Lather, Rinse, and Repeat...that is another great stroke of genius copywriting...
- you don't REALLY have to shampoo twice...do you?

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apolwar

11 years ago

Originally Posted by max5ty

I saw this billboard along I-95 in Philadelphia.

It definitely catches your attention.

The billboard is pure genius in so many ways -- but I wondered how many people actually remembered the business that was placing the billboard, or if they simply got the message and would use any diamond store the next time they bought a diamond...

This is a great example of how a copywriter can use a few words to get a message across.

Imagine how much you'd have to write to convey the same message?

You could spend hours trying to put together a sales piece trying to say the right words...or you could follow this example.

I didn't take this picture...but made a mental note of it's effectiveness at getting attention.

When I got home, I googled the phrase, and was surprised to see that the billboard had been talked about on other blogs.

It even started a debate on whether images or words were more important in getting your message across...

... it's a great example of combining both -- it's short, to the point, and gets the message across.

This is a great example of "smart" copywriting...or is it?

Its a slogan that hits straight into the jugular. Slogan making is part of copywriting strategies.

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kiteg2

11 years ago

I'm curious what makes you think it's so good?
Successful marketers don’t change a winning add, this has been changed three times.
If it was a winner would you change it?

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Mark Andrews

Banned 11 years ago

Originally Posted by kiteg2

I'm curious what makes you think it's so good?
Successful marketers don't change a winning add, this has been changed three times.
If it was a winner would you change it?

Yes because a control can nearly always be beaten by somebody, somewhere.

Mark Andrews

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Pusateri

11 years ago

Originally Posted by kiteg2

I'm curious what makes you think it's so good?
Successful marketers don't change a winning add, this has been changed three times.
If it was a winner would you change it?

The expected becomes invisible. That's why ads grow stale. After we've seen something x number of times we don't pay attention anymore, so the marketer has to change things up.

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Ross Bowring 11 years ago

Saw this ad driving down I-76 the other day. Great example of an "image" big idea. Got me to mention it to Mrs. Bowring beside me.

--- Ross
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abugah

11 years ago

Amazing. Just one picture tells an entire story.

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kiteg2

11 years ago

Yes because a control can nearly always be beaten by somebody, somewhere.

Agreed but there is no control in these adds, they are totally different adds. You can't test apples against elephants, it doesn't work.

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vdx_marketing

11 years ago

This ad might be effective because it's gone viral from people saying 'isn't it a great ad?'
Really, it's a pretty useless ad, because the marketer can't measure their response (direct marketing 101). If they've been around for as long as you guys say they have, maybe they can get away with it.

If I'm spending $10K and up on billboards, I want to get a return on it, don't I?

Second - there is no offer in this ad, just an implied guilt trip to give the girl in your life a commitment by purchasing a ring.

Good advertising gets people to take action, and you can measure it. There is no way the marketer can achieve this with the billboard in question.

You all need to go back to school. Or spend some more time on this forum

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Pusateri

11 years ago

Originally Posted by vdx_marketing

This ad might be effective because it's gone viral from people saying 'isn't it a great ad?'
Really, it's a pretty useless ad, because the marketer can't measure their response (direct marketing 101). If they've been around for as long as you guys say they have, maybe they can get away with it.

If I'm spending $10K and up on billboards, I want to get a return on it, don't I?

Second - there is no offer in this ad, just an implied guilt trip to give the girl in your life a commitment by purchasing a ring.

Good advertising gets people to take action, and you can measure it. There is no way the marketer can achieve this with the billboard in question.

You all need to go back to school. Or spend some more time on this forum

There IS a marketing world outside of direct response.

Businesses have been built large and well without ever running a single direct response ad. Outdoor advertising works if done right. Same with radio. And TV.

I'm aware of a half dozen jewelers across the US who have been tremendously successful using radio...and they very seldom use any specific (or trackable) offer.

The job of this billboard it to place the jeweler in top of mind position in that market. It's about claiming territory in the head of the audience. It's about being more memorable than the competition. It's about growing a business long term, not creating a spike in sales.

BTW - is one of the '10 costly marketing mistakes every business makes' getting suspended by their web host? Or is that just you?

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kiteg2

11 years ago

The job of this billboard it to place the jeweler in top of mind position in that market

Do your really believe that is top of mind awareness?????

"would that will shut her up" and "sometimes it's ok to throw rocks at girls" really bring top of mind awareness?

@ vdx_marketing
Nuff said.

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Pusateri

11 years ago

Originally Posted by kiteg2

Do your really believe that is top of mind awareness?????

"would that will shut her up" and "sometimes it's ok to throw rocks at girls" really bring top of mind awareness?

If you go up to someone in a given market and say, "Name three jewelers," the names you hear will be top of mind. And yes, I think this is probably an effective campaign for becoming (or staying) one of those three.

If the other two jewelers are traditional...stodgy...snooty, this is also effective differentiation.

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vdx_marketing 11 years ago

You're right about a world outside of direct response - especially for older, more established companies like the jeweller here. If you've been around for a long time, you don't even need killer offers and compelling headlines and such... just remind the world you exist and they will come to you.
With your last post ("Name three jewellers") I've read in a few places that people can typically hold 6-7 'places' in their head for each category. So, 7 brands fit in our head for airlines, 7 for smartphones, 7 for beer, etc. If you've established yourself to the point where you are one of those, then you can certainly just buy lots mass media and profit that way. Much simpler than multi-step direct response systems.

As for my website...yeah...an ongoing saga, that's for sure. I think I'll be getting a new host in the near future.
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