â€œWeâ€™ll leave the light on for yuh.â€

Written by Michael Drew Filed Under: Marketers, Marketing Tactics

Itâ€™s been a while since Iâ€™ve heard oleâ€™ Tom Bodetteâ€™s voice—and I must admit, I miss it.

Tom had a way of making me feel good about his budget motel chain. His voice was soft, friendly, charming. He didnâ€™t tell me anything I didnâ€™t already know. He just made me feel different, better, about it. I donâ€™t associate Motel 6 with cheap and tacky. I associate it with clean, simple, and charming, thanks to Tom Bodette’s friendly little radio commercial.

The creative team behind the Motel 6 marketing campaign understood the power of an emotional ad done right. They mixed unpretentious wit with a friendly little tag line and, in the process, caused millions of Americans to question the value of the chocolate mints, armoires, and boysenberry body scrub they were paying double for at higher-priced motels and hotels.

They also understood it would have been a mistake to take an intellectual approach to the advertising, in which the message would have focused only on price. And every time they would have advertised a nightly cost, another nationally advertised budget chain would have advertised a lower cost. Who wants to play that game?

Deciding to speak to Emotion vs. Intellect is one of many marketing choices you must make when trying to persuade someone to take an action in your favor. Ask Tom Bodette about that choice, and heâ€™ll tell yaâ€”if you win the heart, the mind will follow.

By the way, Motel 6 is the largest owned and operated motel chain in North America.

Think maybe theyâ€™re on to something your could use in your book promotion campaign?

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