"Hole in the Foot" Marketing, Part 1

This is what I'd like to write about - in this blog:

Advertising that strikes me as ignorant and "missing the point".

The merchants shoot themselves in the foot.

Take this: I'm driving in my car, listening to the radio - the jingles begin...

Great message about something that might interest me, and a phone number to call. Twice, three times the number. So far, so good. I try to memorize the number...

...800-224-938..."Don't miss out on our great deals and call today!"...224-983..um...38..83..???

After they've repeated the phone number 3 or 4 times throughout the commercial, they still can't shut up in the end so I can focus on remembering the number.

The one thing you want a potential customer to remember is the phone number! Is that so hard to understand?

Why do they try anything to distract you from memorizing their number?

Do we really have to be reminded a 4th or 5th time to take advantage of their deal if this is exactly what we're trying to do but we can't because they won't stop talking about it?

Has this ever happened to you?

Shouldn't these ad guys get fired?