I love TV. I love GOOD TV. And I love great TV advertising. But to be good, an ad has to be engaging, resonant, and memorable. I can’t think of any advertiser in the past, say, dozen years or so that has been as consistently engaging, resonant and memorable as Jack In the Box. Their ads are funny without being too “out there,” resonant without being too earnest, memorable without the need to be repeated ad nauseum, and strike just the right chord about 99% of the time. Let me show you what I mean…There are waaaaay too many great Jack in the Box commercials to link to them all here. (YouTube has a bunch of them, hint, hint.) But one or two of them bear analysis here.

Exhibit A is one of a pair of commercials Jack did when they faced a competitive threat from Burger King regarding Angus beef. Living in the Panhandle, and having a bunch of my in-laws in the cattle business, I can tell you that “Angus” is just a breed of cow. Marketers will try and tell you that “Angus” is a better-tasting breed. I’m not convinced, but keep in mind, it is not just the breed of cattle, but the cut that makes the difference. In other words, ground skirt steak is not gonna be as tender and tasty as sirloin, no matter how good the breed of cow you use. “Angus” is a marketing ploy, pure and simple. But Burger King was getting some traction on the subject, and Jack in the Box felt compelled to respond. Here’s one of the spots they used to counter the Angus offensive:

Funny? You bet? A little edgy and rude? Undoubtedly. But still they managed to keep it clean, and made a point that resonated with the public…just exactly what part of the cow IS the ‘Angus’? It didn’t take long before B.K. stopped selling the Angus burger. They won an Effie Award for the spot. And got sued by Hardee’s and Carl’s Jr. over the ad, implying that Jack implied they were serving a part of the cow that you don’t usually think of as edible by humans (if you know what I mean, and I think you do.)

When the food Nazis started sniping at fast food companies regarding calories, fried foods, and fats, Jack took the challenge on without blinking (easy for him to do, come to think about it):

The deadpan humor is dead-on. Their consistent tone makes their spots instantly recognizable. And the humor keeps the public eagerly anticipating the next spot. (When was the last time you thought a McDonald’s or Wendy’s spot was worth remembering?)

It must be working – in the last year, Burger King has moved into the offbeat humor space, with their “Subservient Chicken” spot linked to a bizarre online, interactive promotion. Remember, in advertising, imitation is the sincerest form of plaigiarism (with a nod o’ the head to George Bernard Shaw).

What can we learn from Jack in the Box ads? Hmm. Well, to start with, humor works, but only when it’s used intelligently. Their ads are funny in a sly way, that makes them all the more appealing. Wacky gets old quickly. Tongue-in-cheek wears much better. Secondly, consistency is essential. When you develop a tone that strikes a chord with the public, ride that horse for as long as you can. Don’t discard it for something different – consistency makes your ads work harder for less airtime. Lastly, if you’re gonna do TV, do it well, and do it often. Nothing kills a campaign faster than shoddy production values and a too-small media buy. Follow those three maxims, and you’re likely to succeed. Ignore them, and well…you don’t know Jack about advertising.

This entry was posted on Friday, August 22nd, 2008 at 11:30 am and is filed under advertising, design, marketing, media.You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.