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Wellcraft campaign is wobbly on its sea legs
No matter what you're selling, references to scurvy are usually best avoided. And if you're trying to sell boats—in this case, ones made by Wellcraft Marine—that goes double. Unless, of course, your vessels tend to break down a lot, leaving their occupants drifting at sea for months, their skin blotchy and gums spongy after the perishables run out. See two more ads from the series here. The visuals are also disturbing: choppy seas, rusted decks and lots of ugly dead fish. (Only Atlantic Weathergear makes the ocean look less hospitable.) The Republik in North Carolina crafted this campaign, which purports to target "well weathered, aspiring old salts" who are in the market for lake boats and "coastal cruisers" that sell for as much as $400,000. The press materials say most Wellcraft buyers are looking to buy their second or third or boat. That's probably because their previous craft sank. Being more of a hot-tub guy, I think I'll stay below decks until this perfect storm of "angry sea" advertising blows over. |
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January 14, 2009 in Boating, Gianatasio, Republik, Wellcraft | Permalink |
Comments
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"Your British sailor circa 1750 knew that citrus fruit could prevent scurvy. Now that's gotta be the only conceivable reason a man would put a lime in his beer. Then again, how bad can scurvy be? A certain amount of risk goes hand-in-hand with living The High Life."
Posted by: been done | Jan 14, 2009 11:25:38 AM
Tearing down good work is far easier than creating it.
(and no, I don't work for Wellcraft or Republik)
Posted by: Negative Nancy | Jan 14, 2009 4:38:06 PM
