Ray Magliozzi, one of the Car Talk guys on NPR, is doing radio spots for eBay Motors. Ray is one half of “Click and Clack the Tappet Brothers,” who entertained us for decades on Saturday mornings, along with his since deceased brother Tommy. The casting of the spot is genius — as we all miss Ray’s voice on the radio. eBay and Ray are well-known brands so there needn’t be a lot of explanation of the product or announcer. Even the writing is fun with some cute jokes.
The only odd thing about the spot is the use of a bolted-on tagline “Let’s ride.” It comes out of nowhere. And it has nothing to do with the copy. It’s an ending that doesn’t end anything. Frankly, it puzzles.
Taglines are a part of ad craft that aren’t very crafty if used without strategic purpose. Better to just end on the brand name. But some writers or brand manager feel everything needs a tagline. As a strategist I don’t disagree so long as it makes a strategic point and the spot supports and conveys that strategy.
This one doesn’t. You can almost Ray’s reluctance to read it. (And Tommy upstairs making fun of Ray for it.)
Peace.
