Moral of the Story: Operation Iraqi Freedom Edition
Here in Canada, we don’t know a whole lot about this whole war thing you’ve got going on in the States. We have some troops in Kandahar and there was a big hullabaloo when our esteemed Prime Minister decided he wasn’t going to fly the Ottawa flags at half mast EVERY DAMN TIME a soldier died. Other than that, we tend to ignore it and discuss more urgent and pressing matters, such as the rising cost of gasoline.
(To give you an idea how seriously Canada takes the war on terror: Canada’s military was recently renamed. It used to be the Canadian Armed Forces. It is now the Canadian Forces. Jamie believes this is because we no longer provide them with guns.)
Anyway, I’m doing some home business work with Shaun Krisher of Joie de Vie Photography. He’s a photographer who does commercial and wedding photography, and I’m working on an AdWords campaign for him. (If you’ve never done an AdWords campaign, they’re harder than they look. Getting what you want to say said in 90 characters split up in to 25 and 35 character lines, including spaces, is not the easiest thing in the world.)
So Shaun offers a discount to people who have served in Iraq or Afghanistan, which is a pretty cool marketing initiative, if you ask me. I’m trying to find a way to incorporate this awesome discount in his AdWords, but it’s kinda hard. Afghanistan has a lot of letters. I thought of using “vets”, but 50% off for vets sounds like a discount for animal doctors. Even if I could clarify that I was referring to the military, it might come across that he only offered the discount to people who were no longer in the forces. Much ruminating ensued. Here’s what I came up with:
Atlanta Wedding Photos
Photojournalism, Candids, Portraits
Iraqi Soldiers, 50% Off
Not awake yet? Read that last line again.
That’s why they pay me the big bucks, people. Luckily I generally run these things by Jamie before I send them out to clients, and he had the good sense to mention that perhaps my message wasn’t getting across.
Moral of the Story: Know Your Market
If you know piss all about the topic at hand, for the love of God ask. I’m sure anybody who knew anybody who had served in the U.S. military could have helped me with this one, and eventually I came up with something that didn’t make it look like Shaun was selling the residents of Guantanamo Bay at a hefty discount, but I could have saved a lot of time if I’d just asked someone.
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Good thinking, but your last line makes it sound like only “Iraqi Soldiers”, those soldiers of Iraq decent and no other ethnicity of fighter, are offered the discount. Would you consider “Iraq soldiers” instead?
But yes, Know Your Audience is everything; you can’t stress it enough, thanks.
OPPS! I missed the line about “eventually I came up with” — so the moral of my story is “look before you leap” — kinda catchy? Mea culpa.
Hi Blair,
Thanks for coming! Yes, that’s why I didn’t send it. I didn’t want it to look like I was referring to soldiers FROM Iraq. I ended up going with “Served in Iraq?”
HA!!! I like it. “Look before you leap” might be a new MOTS. Thanks again.
most of the time when people have discounts for military they just say that instead of who served where when…
would be less confusing to just say “Military, 50% off”
and open it to all military since so many are over there, served over there, or help other soldiers who are serving/served over there….
what can i say? i grew up in a military town…
Well, you know, good Iraqi soldiers are so hard to find these days, I could use one at half off.
@ Kate - See? I should’ve asked you first.
@ MM - I know just the guy to talk to.
Collaboration is a beautiful thing. It is amazing what fresh eyes can do. So much better to have a friend point out the obvious rather than see it yourself after the rest of the world has also witnessed it.
I don’t think “Vets” is apt to be misconstrued. Also I’m sure you know that you can have different ad versions in an adgroup and track them very accurately through Google Analytics to see which works best (or which doesn’t work at all).
:) Veterans of Iraq is only 2 letters and spaces shorter than Iraqi Soldiers…would that work? Or you could say Military discount: 50%. Unless he wants it to only apply to vets of certain wars. Hmmm veterans of Iraq excludes Afghanistan vets. Okay now I’m going to wonder what you came up with. Are you going to tell us what you ended up using?
Kate’s is good.
This is what happens to me when I try to write anything about golf. Or actually all sports. Not pretty.
hey, naomi!
I hope all these folks are getting a cut of your fee!
@ Shaun - Luckily for me, all of these folks are submitting suggestions after I sent you your copy, so I’m safe. :)
I am new, at least in commenting here :) :waves hi: But I had to laugh b/c I had the same thoughts when I read “Iraqi soldiers.” Another suggestion is “recently deployed soldiers” if you want to specify those who have been overseas. Otherwise I concur with “military,” which would include lcoally-based military but could be a good idea as word will spread.
We have soldiers in Canada…? Wait… where? What do they do? Do I have to evacuate? They had GUNS??? Did they have them registered with the governmental program? Is someone double-checking on this?
Atlanta Wedding Photos
Photojournalism, Candids, Portraits
Discount for Military
(wonders why people are trying to make ads when the job was done and the post is just a joke post…)
So I hear the Canadian Forces rousted out that gopher who always checks the weather in February to ask him where the hell he got his top-secret information…
@James - Punxsutawney Phil’s a groundhog, not a gopher, and he lives about 20 minutes from where I grew up.
… and he gets his information from drinking Yuengling and Straub ;)
Gotta love Western Pennsylvania. We are hicks though and though… not me though, I live in the big city…
@James - whateva, man! I’m writing these down!
Dudes, I should do this more often. You’re a handy bunch o’ folks to know!
And hi, jr, who is new! Welcome!
@ Chris - Groundhog, that’s it. Dammit, I was sitting here thinking, “It’s not a gopher… come on, I know this… come on…” but it was like 6am and all… Brown furry rodent that pokes his head up.
We have Wiarton Willy in Canada, by the way, so I wasn’t referring to the American groundhog :)
@ Shaun - Are you selling Iraqui soldiers too?
Damn, I totally thought I was going to get a smoking deal on a POW.
Always good for a chuckle, Naomi. Breaks up the monotony of waiting for my wife while she shops at The Gap.
It’s always easier to comment after the hard work has been done. I think “war veterans” might have been a better compromise. I’d be more concerned about slighting Afganistan vets than having a few of us old timers ask for the discount. I’m a Vietnam veteran in my 60’s and wouldn’t of assummed I was included because my war was so long ago.
@dave conroy
I’m convinced that mall stores could double their sales by installing TVs, couches and xbox’s for the boyfriends and husbands while the wives shop.
I regularly cut my wife’s shopping short because I get bored.
ok folks, can I just say that these comments are way too funny after a glass of wine! I keep reading “military” as “millinery” and I’m wondering what 50% of bras has to do with photography? (ok, I’ll shut up now)
[...] Moral of the Story: Operation Iraqi Freedom Edition, wherein I try to sell the residents of Guantanamo Bay at half price via AdWords. [...]