I took some time last night to loaf around and watch Seinfeld reruns. Mid-loaf, I saw a commercial that took a very clever approach in its call to action.
The company was trying to sell some sort of insurance, but the tone of the commercial came off not as a sell, but an invitation to complain.
“If you could do it all again, what would you change about your health insurance?” asked the soothing, disembodied voice of commercial man. Frustrated, sad-looking actors would answer, “Covering my hearing aids!” or “Paying for my mammograms,” and you could almost see disembodied voice man nodding in empathy.
The call to action urged viewers to continue the tone of the commercial: “Call us, and tell us what YOU would change.”
Obviously, after listening to all of your complaints, this company is going to sell you a product that will solve every problem, and be cheaper too. But I think it’s interesting that they didn’t say that. They stuck to the invitation for people to be self-serving, positioned themselves as a shoulder to cry on, and assumed the rest would follow. And they’re probably right. Who hasn’t felt like calling someone – ANYONE – to complain about insurance policies? As long as this company actually listens when the calls start coming in, instead of attempting a quick sell, they should see great results.
