Local Advertising at its Best

I normally don’t like to use blog posts as a soap-box, but an extraordinary opportunity like this is just too great to pass up.

We got our Valpak in the mail today and I always love to flip through them to see what sort of wacky wares & services are being advertised.  

This one caught my eye:

Immediately you have to wonder what kind of sick, masochistic services these jolly folks have to offer. I mean, look how excited they are about you being in pain. Not only that, but try to imagine what had to go through their marketing team’s noodles when they decided that the words, “IN PAIN?” should be bright red, capitalized and in a font that looks like bloody knife wounds.

If you are like me, then it is no surprise that this is a dental service ad. (Even their logo is in the bloody-knife-wound script font!).

Here’s the back for more viewing enjoyment:

I like how they make use of an advertising technique in which you emphasize key words by making them larger or bolder than the rest. Usually you would pick positive words that reinforce the emotional impact you want to leave with the viewer. I really have to wonder what their marketing team was thinking when they choose the words, “FEAR, TIME and MONEY”. 

The text below that is actually the best text they have on the ad (and also the smallest and hardest to read). It explains how they can make you more comfortable by using air abrasion instead of anesthetic and drills (“FEAR”), how they have convenient appointment times for your busy schedule (“TIME”), and how they offer payment programs with interest free terms (“MONEY”).