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$40,000 Off Coupon

The Brainstorm Group in Toronto recently ran a full page ad in the Globe and Mail, Canada's national newspaper, featuring the above coupon for $40k off creative services.

I knew Brainstorm CEO Ron Telpner is an earlier life and he is a master at self-promotion. I was a young account person working in my first agency job when Ron and I were both working on the same political campaign. He had just formed the Brainstorm Group or was just about to. One morning the receptionist came to my door and said, "Ummm, there's a Ron on the phone for you." I could tell by her look that she had more to tell me. I said, "Ron who?" She replied, quoting him verbatim, "Ron the Ad God."

This is a great ad in classic Telpner fashion. It got everybody talking and I expect it will drive some business. However, the ad does remind me of bank advertising, the kind you don't see so much anymore. The kind that says to everyone, "We value the clients we don't have more than the ones we do have." It used to drive me nuts that my bank would offer better rates to people who weren't banking with them than they would to me. My brother-in-law went through this with his bank last year when they offered a free iPod to new customers. He called up and was told, no, no, you have to be a new customer. His reply, well, I could take all my business away from you, then sign up again and you'd give me the iPod, right? Errrr, right. So let's just skip the ridiculous part and give me my new iPod. They did, eventually.

I wonder how many existing clients will be claiming their $40k from the Brainstorm Group?

Still, I give it an A for effort and an A+ for attention.

You can read the whole thing on their website.