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Consumers find Dodge 'Truck Month' perpetual by Jake Wilburn, Associate Editor
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HOUSTON, TX — The title of Dodge Motors' heavily advertised sales extravaganza "Dodge Truck Month" has been deemed an understatement by 95 percent of mathematicians and 100 percent of calendars. Though the word "month," as used in the English language, typically indicates a period of time varying between 28 and 31 days, Truck Month's "incredible, red hot deals" seem to be advertised year-round, causing confusion and irritation among many consumers.
"I just don't understand who they think they're kidding," says William McMillan of Clearlake, "I mean, Truck 'Month?' More like Truck 'Eternity'…assholes."
Despite Dodge's clever use of "obnoxious" country music accented with an "exceedingly obnoxious, southern-drawled" voiceover in their radio and television commercials, more and more viewers and listeners are changing the station because they feel the ads insult their intelligence as well as their knowledge of the calendar.
Dallas housewife Dina Guzman commented: "Honestly, I have very little interest in trucks and driving them over rough terrain and into volcanoes and so forth-I'd just as soon watch television. But I must admit that I was somewhat excited when I first heard it was Truck Month. But that was three years ago this April and I've been seeing twenty commercials a day for it ever since. Just sort of ticks me off, that's all."
Jeff Gilstrap, a representative of Dodge Motors admits that the word "month" is used loosely in their advertisements, citing it as a strategy used to instill a sense of urgency in potential buyers.
"'Month,' 'year,' 'century'-who gives a damn, really? It doesn't change the fact that we have some unbelievable deals on brand new Dodge Rams, Durangos, Dakotas and the new four-by-four, diesel-powered, Dodge Mountain Fucker."
This manipulative technique has begun to be adopted by other businesses yielding such new ad campaigns as Book Stop's "Dictionary Day" and Taco Bell's "Burrito 34-Second Interval." |
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