Content Marketing Today

Scottrade TV Ads: Funny, Effective, and Devastating to Competition

Marketing Campaign Trashes Worst Suspected  Big Brokerage Firm Traits

One of the great things about funny advertising campaigns is that they tend to be particularly memorable.

Even better, we’re more likely to talk about them with our friends.  And in the viral age, we can even share commercials via YouTube and other social media. 

Best of all, funny commercials that also embed a simple and compelling message, make it unavoidable for us to remember both the commercial and the message.

In their latest TV advertising campaign, Scottrade invented the character, Chad A. Ridgeway, who represents all of the worst traits we ever experienced or imagined about the folks who tried to get us to invest big bucks with them. 

Chad is slick and just this side of sleazy. He plays racquetball, travels in a limo, and owns his own medium-size yacht. What we know for sure is he managed to get where he is by charging us a lot of money to buy and sell stocks.  But, as we learn from the commercials, all  that easy money and easy living may vanish because of the compelling value offered by Scottrade.

The use of Chad’s over-the-top character and the element of humor enable Scottrade to dismantle the competition without having to name names or offend anyone. What the commercials make obvious is that Chad and his "big brokerage" company represent everything that Scottrade is not. 

But, the TV ads are not just funny, they are affective. As we had written earlier about the Progressive Insurance long-running Flo advertising campaign, the humor integrates a consistent message that conveys a few key customer-centric points that pervade the campaign.

In the case of Progressive it has to do with saving lots of money on your insurance.  In the case of Scottrade, it focuses on seven dollar trades and easy online access. Thus we remember the commercials because they’re funny, but we also remember the key benefit points that Scottrade is so careful to convey consistently.

The bottom line: When you do it right, funny is fabulous.  Getting it right means integrating both what’s amusing and what’s beneficial to your customers. In that way, your customers will remember your company, your commercial, and your message. In their minds, you become both trustworthy and likable so that they will want to do business with you willingly.  I think Scottrade gets it exactly right with the ‘Chadster.’

Catch Chad Ridgeway at his best (or worst) below: