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BY BRIAN FLEMING
The Battalion
■Commercials sell. They reach out and grab the
masses, and here in Brazos Valley each business
seems to have its own personal approach to making
coinnercials.
■Whether the commercials seem humorous or just
cll'esy, students who make fun of local commercials
should stop and think, “Is it memorable?”
Hlohn Cangelose, owner of Sun City Tan in College
Station, said in the long run commercials tend to do
exactly what they are supposed to do — bring in
business.
■“The point is, [students] remember it, they come
in.md from there they can see if they want to use our
pitduct,” he said.
■Cangelose said his business’ advertising campaign
gets different reactions from different viewers.
■ “Usually they are either irate with it or love it,”
Cangelose said. “They might ask ‘Why did you do
that?’ but the irony is, they still come in.”
HCangelose said the commercials are attention-
grabbing, and also are aimed at reaching Sun City’s
clientele.
■ “First of all, about 90 percent of our customers are
college students,” Cangelose said, “so really we want
ed to pick a fun theme to reach them.”
I Paul Bodholt, owner of Nutritec, a health products
store in Bryan, said developing a coherent theme is
of utmost importance for a commercial.
I Nutritec takes the humor angle in reaching its tar
get audience, Bodholt said.
■ “A lot of people are sensitive to these [health] is
sues,” Bodholt said. “Making a laugh out of some
thing really makes people remember it.”
I Bodholt said the most important thing in making
a commercial is knowing its target audience.
I “We appeal to college students,” Bodholt said. “We
play our commercials on ESPN, MTV and during foot
ball games.”
[ Bodholt said Nutritec’s commercials portray ex
actly what is emphasized in its store.
[ “What we really stress is advice on dieting, losing
weight and exercise,” Bodholt said. “That has a lot to
do with our advertising campaign. We want to por-
tmy an image our customers want to achieve.”
Bodholt said Nutritec’s commercials feature actors
and actresses whose lives coincide with what its store
provides.
“In our commercial, the two [actors] both exercise
very seriously and maintain a very healthy lifestyle,”
Bodholt said. "What we want to say is, ‘You can
achieve your goals.’”
Cangelose said selecting actors and actresses for
commercials is not difficult.
“We used a combination of employees, customers
and people the production company brings in,” Can
gelose said. “For most, it is more fun to do and less
of a job.”
But after all is said and done, are commercials re
ally effective?
The verdict from some Aggies is “yes.” Kevin Dai-
grepont, a junior sociology major, said memorable
commercials often are the best commercials.
“You have to stop and think, ‘Do you remember
it?”’ Daigrepont said. “I know sometimes I do.”
Daigrepont said some traits, however, can make a
local commercial very bad.
“It seems that some commercials rarely have any
logic behind them,” he said. “What they are saying
does not even make sense.”
Daigrepont said correct grammar and clarity of
thought also effect the response to a commercial.
“When you are watching someone who can bare
ly even talk, it makes the commercial pretty ineffec
tive and stupid,” he said.
Daigrepont said some commercials fail because
they are too over-the-top.
“Some commercials seem to try too hard,” Dai
grepont said. “They can go too far with a theme, and
that makes it hard to understand. From a small busi
ness, people don’t always expect something real elab
orate, just something logical and sensible.”
Daigrepont said large-scale commercials for local
businesses usually do more harm than good.
Daigrepont said the best local commercials are
those featuring Texas A&M.
“If it has to do with Aggies or has Aggies in it, I like
it,” Daigrepont said. “That makes it easier to under
stand because it is something people around here can
relate to.”
Rayshelle Mullen, a junior English major, said a
good local commercial is sincere and personal.
“The one with Marshall Dillon, for example,”
Mullen said. “It is personal, and it is a little boy, so
that, I think, makes it more effective.”
Daigrepont said The Mattress Factory’s commer
cial is a catchy marketing idea.
“It sticks,” he said. “You remember it as the com
mercial with the kid, and if I need a new mattress.
RUBEN DELUNA/The Battalion
that is probably the first place I would think of and
where I would go.”
Mullen said most local commercials are not bad,
but if she could tell the makers of not-so-good adver
tisements one thing, it would be to simply watch what
potential customers are seeing and ask, “Would you
buy from me? ”
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