Call Home; Play Van Halen

(If you're preaching on 1 Samuel 16:7 this Sunday, here's a freebie--you're welcome!)

It seems to me to be something of a mixed message. Perhaps you have seen the ads on television. The ones I am thinking about are for the new Ford vehicles that come equipped with SYNC, a voice activated technology that allows the driver to control his or her MP3 player or cell phone without releasing he steering wheel. This ad is easy to do on television. The commercial seems to be a simple demonstration of this new gadget. It is a much more difficult trick to pull off in a magazine.

The ad in last week’s Sports Illustrated began with a banner headline, “A lot of cars make a statement. This one listens.” That was followed by a brief explanation that the 2008 Ford Focus comes with “voice-activated SYNC technology”. The remaining 10 inches of the page proves that times really have not changed that much, in spite of the technological advances of the early 21st century. The rest of the page was a photograph of a shiny, sleek, brand-new, car. One inch of copy advertised what was available inside the car while the majority of the space was dedicated to a picture of one sharp looking vehicle.

Remember the Ford Focus’ distant, distant relative the Pinto? There could have been a super computer in the dashboard and a super model in the passenger seat. Those amenities could never change the fact that it was still a Pinto. When it comes to selling a car, appearance matters. That probably is true when it comes to selling anything. I almost missed the Ford ad because on the previous page Maria Sharapova was trying to sell me Gatorade.