[Infowarrior] - Rant: Scottrade

[Richard Forno]

Scottrade, the online brokerage, is in my media doghouse.

So what's the problem?   Simple -- I resent being carpet-bombed by a company
who doesn't realize its ads have become so annoying and pervasive that they
make you want to spork your eyes and ears out.

In this case, the company's current TV ad campaign (with the Scottrade
founder flying over a city in a helicopter) is a series of 15-second
commercials that either "bookend" a commercial break or appear back-to-back
within the same break.  So you see two ads for the company during the break.
Annoying, but bearable.

BUT ---- they play these ads at least 3 times an hour, so you hear them
QUITE frequently during the day.  Not to mention, the music that kicks each
spot off is grating and very annoying as the day goes on when you have the
TV on during market hours.  (Simply eliminating the first 2 seconds of the
high-pitched brassy horn fanfare that begins each ad would make all the
difference, IMO.)

But we're not done yet -- now imagine when getting two "bookends" aired on
CNBC's network-owned part of a commercial break, followed by two more
"bookends" aired by Comcast in the portion of the same break the cable
company can sell ads for.....meaning that you get FOUR annoying Scottrade
ads in a single commercial break.  On top of the 2 other 'bookends" you see
during the hour as well, and you're Scottraded-to-death during the day.

Although I spoke with the Chief Marketing Officer of Scottrade recently and
he listened politely to my complaint, I don't think anything will change as
the result of our chat. But I did appreciate the personal interaction with a
senior executive at the firm.  (Disclosure: I do NOT have an account with
them, and likely won't ever do business with them.)

I fail to see how pissing off customers serves to attract them to your
brand.  But then again, I'm not a marketing expert. Even Comcast -- another
media firm I tend to despise for its carpet-bombing commercials -- has
improved their status in my view during recent weeks.

Grrr.

-rick
Infowarrior.org