Topic #1 – Advertising: 1-800 Contacts

Have you seen the 1-800 Contacts commercials that just came out? They are very funny, in my opinion. They show a two young women and the struggle they face when they run out of contacts. These ads caught my attention because I wear contacts and am fearful of running out and facing similar struggles.

From the 1-800 Contacts Facebook Page

Watch the commercials here at the 1-800 Contacts YouTube page. 

In the first commercial a young woman is getting ready for a date when she realizes that she is out of contacts and will have to wear a large pair of outdated glasses on her date. Her eyes get HUGE! There isn't music per say in the commercial, more like sound effects. You hear a crescendo of a choir and orchestra as she puts on the glasses. There is a freeze-frame of her with huge eyes that shows the words "Never run out of contacts^TM". Then a male announcer voice comes on and says "Never run out of contacts. For a limited time get free shipping when you order online."  At the end there is a jingle that says 1-800 Contacts in a quick up-beat female voice.  The actress in the commercial is not someone I recognize. The ad is only 16 seconds long. I saw it first while watching an episode of House Hunters on HGTV. It was published on July 18^th, 2014 according to the 1-800 Contacts YouTube page. This is one of two new commercials that 1-800 Contacts has out at the moment. The second new commercial shows another woman who accidently drops her contact in the toilet realizing that she is out of contacts when she goes to get a new one out of the box. The commercial ends as she starts to reach for the one in the toilet. Yikes! Similar to the first commercial, there is a freeze-frame on her face as she reaches into the toilet with the text "Never run out of contacts^TM". Again we get the crescendo of a choir and orchestra, followed by the same message from the announcer and then the jingle. This commercial features another actress that I didn't recognize. It is only 14 seconds long. I saw this one for the first time on the YouTube page for 1-800 Contacts. It was also published on July 18^th, 2014.

These ads from 1-800 Contacts, along with older ones I've seen that are on their YouTube page, use the plain-folks technique. They show "average" people using their service to order contacts and have them delivered right to their door. This new pair of ads also uses the hidden-fear approach. This is a good addition in my opinion. I also have the fear of running out of contacts and having to wear my glasses instead of the convenience of contacts. The first ad, with the glasses, touches on the Association Principle because it is saying that her glasses aren't attractive for a date as opposed to her contacts. Both commercials use story-telling because they show the women facing the dilemma of what to do when you run out of contacts. One woman is forced to wear her outdated glasses on a date and the other is forced to fish her contact out of the luckily clean toilet. I think that both commercials use the television media effectively. Both are short and to the point while giving you enough to be grabbed by the story and drawn into their struggles. The announcer voice is well used to tell you about the free shipping while the jingle is catchy enough for you to remember.

This ad campaign is new for the product type. I have never seen another commercial for contacts or glasses that uses the hidden-fear approach. They are usually just showing how much better your vision can be, how much easier your day will be, or how much more confident you can be by using their product. The target audience for these commercials is anyone who wears contacts or is considering switching from glasses to contacts. This means that anyone with poor eyesight is in the demographic. The only stereotype that I can see in the commercials is that people who wear glasses are generally less attractive. I do not agree with this stereotype at all. Glasses can add to a person's appeal as long as they don't distort their eyes. I don't think that it is an offensive use of the stereotype, just one that I don’t agree with.

I feel that the strength of these ads is that they do not rely on a celebrity to sell the product. They effectively show the struggle of an average person who is faced with an awkward situation. The use of humor in how the women deal with their situations is the main reason that these ads grabbed my attention. The first one makes the horrified face that I would make if faced with having to wear those unattractive glasses out on a date. She was all ready to go and then got quite a shock. Next time, thanks to 1-800 Contacts she will not run out of contacts before an important event. The second one showing the woman getting her contact out of the toilet is just unimaginable to me. I would never use a contact again after it was in the garbage, much less the toilet, but her reluctant bending down and unpleasant expression convey her feelings perfectly. If I had to find a weakness, I would say that they should have had a male character in one of the ads, just to be sure to connect with as many people as possible. As a member of the target audience I believe that this pair of ads did effectively connect with me. I am more likely to purchase contacts from 1-800 Contacts so that I can avoid being in either of the situations shown in the commercials. I know that I can order contacts from them quickly and with free shipping now.

I was unable to find an article about these commercials on Ad Age, Forbes, or Business Week. I think this is probably because they are so new. (?) I did find a press release that talks about them. There are some articles on older ad campaigns from 1-800 Contacts, but none recently. Here is the Twitter page for 1-800 Contacts. It gives you an idea of what they are trying to do with the new commercials and the slogan "Never run out of contacts^TM". Based on these two ads I will definitely check out the prices on 1-800 Contacts when I need to order more in a few months. I am not out yet! I still have 3 pairs so I'm not in danger of running out. I did double check after seeing these ads just to be sure though. J I would recommend that anyone in the market for contacts to check out 1-800 Contacts based on these ads.

Looking into these commercials more closely I have learned that they are very new. Hopefully they will be a successful campaign for 1-800 Contacts to attract new customers and retain current ones. I know that they have a shot at my business in the future based on these commercials, as long as their prices are good. Who wants to run out of contacts and have to struggle with old glasses or a contact that has been places most people avoid at all costs? Not me! I was surprised to learn that these commercials were so new that no one had written about them yet in Ad Age, Business Week or Forbes. I thought that they would have given us their take by now.

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