A SHOCKING TRUE TALE ABOUT CHRISTMAS ADVERTISING

Alan David Doane of Adirondack Broadcasting offers this heartwarming Christmas advertising tale. (You do remember last week, right?)

Hey Dan,

You may find this story funny...and it has a shock ending, too.

An AE wrote a script for an out-of-the-way gift shop in our area that sells handmade gift items. I didn't think much about the script, because it was a rush job and I didn't write or voice it, but when I was producing the voicework, one thing stood out to me like a brick to the head.

As I write this, it's the Friday before Christmas in the worst economy perhaps ever, and where I live we are facing blizzards tonight and Sunday. So the client's ad has the chance to work for them, really, only Saturday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. And then, well, we can all guess how the first quarter of '09 will be for out-of-way shops that sell handmade gifts, can't we?

The spot talks about all the wonderful, unique items you'll find at this shop, closing with the location, and the perfect two word tag:

CLOSED MONDAY.

After laughing for 20 minutes or so at the client's bird-flip to listeners and to their own bottom line, I had to go ask the AE: "Does the owner of the store get dialysis on Monday?"

He looked at me a little blankly as everyone else in the cubicles around him laughed uncontrollably. (I had already played the spot's tag line for pretty much anyone who would listen.)

Then I explained that, unless they really have some life-threatening reason they can't be open Monday, they might want to reconsider the idea of being closed on one of the last four days this year (or perhaps decade) that they will be able to make any money.

Then, the AE shocked me. He said, "If I can get the client to open on Monday, would you be willing to re-edit the spot?"

I told him, quite honestly, "That is one re-edit I would be happy to do."

And shockingly, the client saw the wisdom in staying open, and now instead of CLOSED MONDAY the spot ends with directions to the store, so listeners can actually go there and spend their money. Even on Monday.

It's a holiday miracle!