It’s rare to see car audio ads on TV, so we took particular note of the Al & Ed’s chain releasing two spots on cable TV in Southern California Tuesday.
This was the first time the car audio chain advertised on TV in 5 years, and at that time the ad ran for only a month. Prior to that, the last time the chain ran TV ads was 17 years ago!
Over 2,000 ads are expected to appear on leading cable TV stations including Spike, ESPN, the Sci Fi channel and, for women, Oxygen and WE. Both the new TV spots are 30 seconds long and will run over 90 days.
Al & Ed’s General Manager John Haynes said, “We are targeting two completely different customers. The first commercial attacks a largely male demographic, and is designed to give an overview of the ‘cool factor’ part of the business. The second commercial, designed to market the developing safety categories, uses a spokesmodel to talk to a mostly female demographic.”
Haynes decided to pursue the ad program after his wife bought a new Kia Sorrento. When asked how she liked the car he was surprised to learn she was unhappy because it didn’t have a back up sensor or auto dimming mirror like her old car.
“I looked at her and said, ‘You do know what I do for a living.’….My own wife didn’t know the things she’s missing she can put in her car. So how does the average person know that?”
Al & Ed’s partnered on the ad program with Spectrum Reach in Los Angeles county, and Cox Media in San Diego.
Haynes said, “In our marketing area, print is completely ineffective and radio is very, very expensive. Surprisingly, cable TV provided a way to reach many customers at a reasonable cost.”
Al & Ed’s operates 14 franchise locations.
Thanks! I agree that getting a message to the end user is important. Al & Ed’s franchise locations will all benefit from our marketing efforts. Join the family! -John
If that kind of promotion was nationwide, just imagine what the 12V industry might be doing.