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Craigslist is a sensei. No, not the rat kind that lives in a sewer, but the wise sort that can teach us marketers a thing or two about advertising. This statement may seem absurd. After all, what could a motley community of the Craigslist variety teach us about writing ads?
I’ll just put this out there: the world’s largest local classified site is full of great ads. Finding them amounts to a massive, joyful time suck. Nothing detracts from my productivity more than Craigslist, not even Justin Bieber YouTube videos. Kidding.
My ridiculous, crack-like addiction to this site has taught me a lot about advertising, so I thought I’d share some observations.
1. Product Matters.
No matter how good the ad is, if the product sucks, nobody will buy it. Ever try selling a bug-infested sofa that hasn’t seen daylight since Sir Wilfred Laurier was Prime Minister? It’s not going to fly off the floor, believe you me.
2. Story is key.
Generally this goes without saying, but it’s worth stating. You can take an average product and make it better by positioning it in an ingenious and creative way. Everyone from hipsters to athletes use their bikes as collateral against next month’s rent payment. So you might as well try to stand out with a script like this guy did. Or go the “reason to believe” route like this guy.
3. Talent lives everywhere.
“Oh, the Horror!” Believe it or not, it’s true. Craigslist proves that you don’t have to go to the Miami Ad School to prove your writing chops. Creative Directors might do well to surf the “Best of Craigslist” to scout talent. The next Bernbach could be sitting around in their parents’ basement, ripe for the picking.
4. Craigslist Connects.
I’ll admit it, I’ve made friends off Craigslist. Perhaps I need to get a life. But I’m not the only one to turn virtual classifieds into real relationships. Someone in our office even got engaged to a Craigslist beau. Beyond free beer, I can’t think of a simpler way to bring people together.
The best part of Craigslist: all of this awesomeness is free. So marketers, lose the skepticism, grab a seat, browse a little. You might learn something.
Warning: the post is funny. | The Blog of Liam Mooney
October 4, 2010 @ 12:16 pm
[...] That’s right, this shit is SYNDICATED! Click here now to read it. [...]
Pang Makerd
October 4, 2010 @ 12:47 pm
It’s true, if we just did a little browsing, we could just learn a thing or two, stumble on treasures, and perhaps maybe, score a beau. Craigslist – Landfill of Opportunities.
Emma
October 4, 2010 @ 1:29 pm
Best of Craig’s list – genius. who knew.
if all you say is true, then why are the job postings on craigslist so very very boring? they could use some spicing up like the bike-sale postings i’d say.
D McKay
October 4, 2010 @ 1:30 pm
Perhaps I should try Craigslist! I will be discovered.
Love your posts Liam. Keep them up!!
Padwie
October 4, 2010 @ 2:42 pm
I could not agree more with nearly everything – except my addiction to Justine Bieber videos far outweighs my addiction to Craigslist.
Sarah
October 4, 2010 @ 3:05 pm
Who knew that Craigslist was a budding writers forum! I thought it was just a place where “person seeking person” posted their sexual quirks & sofas from 1969 that may have been sat on by Jimmi Hendrix!
J Bisson
October 4, 2010 @ 3:24 pm
Who knew? I thought Craiglist was just for scammers and spammers, but it seems I was wrong!! Those ads were golden! I love the integrated examples, I’m too lazy to find those gems on my own… though now I am tempted to check out the entire Best Of list….
It all makes me reflect on how advertising and technology has evolved – the viewer/consumer has moved beyond cynicism to whimsical interaction that lets us ( the consumer ) feel connected on a strangely intimate level… I love what you brought up about making real life connections from these virtual interactions … its true! I feel like the best-friend-humour is so big now that I want to invite these anonymous jokester salespeople to my next house party and share a beer with them… maybe a high five as well. Possibly a secret handshake.
julia
October 4, 2010 @ 3:34 pm
Well said Liam. I couldn’t agree more. This is proven by the fact that I meant to comment on this post shortly after I read it…but my propensity to procrastinate got the better of me and the lure of “missed connections” and “best of Craig’s list” sucked me in. With ads like “stately dutch MILF magnet” making the rounds of inboxes and Facebook walls, it is clear advertising wit and talent lives in some unlikely places.
Dave Dunstall
October 4, 2010 @ 3:43 pm
Well put together article there Mooney. Craigslist is awesome. I myself am addicted to looking at craigslist even the free stuff on Craigslist draws my attention. Sometimes I even just laugh at some of the stuff that is free on Craigslist. If it wasn’t for craigslist my record collection probably wouldnt be as big as it is today.
Liam Mooney
October 4, 2010 @ 3:52 pm
Woah! Thanks for all the love on the blog today everyone! This piece was a total joy to write, glad you all enjoyed it.
@Padwie – hilarious.
@ J Bisson – you are right people are moving into a more interactive relationship with art, advertising and more. Look at Nuit Blanche, interactive ad campaigns etc.
In many ways I want to credit Andy Warhol for this: the commodification of art. Taking what was previously considered fine art, enjoyed by few to the masses. Making it into popular culture and redefining the relationship between art and commerce.
Maybe that’s a stretch, but I want to say something exists there.
Cody
October 4, 2010 @ 3:55 pm
hmmm… at first when I read this I thought it might be a little bs… but then I thought to myself… cody… when you buy things online, or really just in general… you always notice these things Liam talked about in his blog. In fact you usually buy them. Well done Liam for explaining why I buy things I do not need… now if you excuse me I have been a little lonely lately… I am going on craigs list to find a date for friday.
Sarah
October 4, 2010 @ 4:08 pm
Craigslist makes me buy stuff. Its like justified online shopping because its USED.
Erika
October 4, 2010 @ 4:15 pm
this is the most amazing thing i have ever read.
J Bisson
October 4, 2010 @ 4:34 pm
Liam – that’s not too much of a stretch – I feel like in general we(society) are breaking down barriers and making an ‘anything goes’ all-inclusive atmosphere . Obviously there are still Many exceptions and Many hurdles to overcome, but I feel like with all the micro-blogging and whatnot people are becoming more and more intimate with each other – or at least open to the idea of people knowing about Their intimate details… and about reading about others’. Maybe the idea of full instant access to things that were once private is becoming the norm? Perhaps this spans many industries… advertising, art, AND BEYOND>>>>> haha
For reals though,
there’s not much the average person with a computer Can’t access and interact with nowadays… and the ad world is being given a great opprotunity and challenge to adapt with it and harness its potential…
Not that I like being convinced constantly to spend money on things I really don’t need…but for you, as an ad man, this is great :P
Liam Mooney
October 4, 2010 @ 6:40 pm
@ J Bisson – I just checked out your website. You’ve got some killer art going on over there, keep it up!
Re: Craigslist. People seem to share lots of information on the website – there even used to be an adult services section on the site which was recently pulled down after acrimony on both sides of the debate.
I think marketers could so some very interesting Guerilla campaigns using Craigslist given it’s free, accessible format. This explains the usage statistics, which are staggering. Billions of views, hundreds of millions of ads posted etc.
I just think it’s something that we are missing out on – we tend to focus on facebook, twitter, blogs and other forms of online advertising. Craigslist can not only give you a laugh, and expose you to great talent but I think it can be exploited as a medium all together.
Any ideas as to how we could run a cool Craigslist guerilla marketing campaign?
Brook Johnston
October 4, 2010 @ 8:54 pm
Don’t forget this gem, put together by a CP+B copywriter http://tinyurl.com/32c4yp2
Viola Roy
October 4, 2010 @ 10:05 pm
That is an awesome blog Liam. So true in many ways !
Viola Roy
October 4, 2010 @ 10:40 pm
Liam, Craig’s list … the place to go to look to be entertained for a few minutes during the lunch hour, while waiting for your name to be called at the dentist’s office..and oops you might find something you never thought you needed..like an 1950’s floor polisher in mint condition, original owner, used twice on sunny days, comes with all the bells and whistles and owner’s manual. You can have a giggle at some real interesting job offer and be thankful for the job you have. here some great opportunities..
•Drive Around Round Rock and get paid!! – seems simple enough.
•Landscaping Labor – the new Green Party.
•ROCKSTAR DEVELOPER – and you thought only American Idol was manufactured.
•Wine & Spirits retail store looking for partime help – maybe they should stop drinking their merchandise first.
•Attractive, Busy Professional Seeks Very Attractive Personal Assistant – sounds one-sided to me
•The Perfect Nanny Needed – Didn’t Ms. Doubtfire retire when the movie ended?
•You might want to work with us forever – depends on your health plan.
•I WANT TO HIRE YOU ON AT $500 PER DAY – what happens at the end of that day?
•Where Are You? – right here. Where are *you*?
•RUTH’S CHRIS STEAK HOUSE – it’s gonna be a long night for poor Chris.
•BURNING BONZAI Server Needed – Bonzai server + matches = voila!
•Part Time Dog Walker Needed! – wait, what’s the full-time dog walker doing?
•Secret Shoppers Needed In Hollywood Hot Spots ASAP!!!! – oh great. You weren’t supposed to tell anyone!
•The easiest “SALES JOB” – EVER GONE FISHING WITH DYNAMITE? – uh, “NO”.
•SUPERINTENDED NEEDED – Superintended left already. She had stuff to take care of.
•Terramar Walnut Creek Seeks Front of House Manager! – no deal, I can only manage the back of the house.
•Part-time Quick Books – last time I checked they were books full-time.
•I Wish I Could Hire Everyone – better start looking for a really big office.
•Get Paid to Wave and Dance!!!! – This is one job I can do for free!
•Wanted: Happy Person – would that be “in your face happy”, “perky happy” or just plain happy?
•NATURAL PET STORE – the fake pet store is one street over from there.
•We Can’t Afford 8 More Years. Help Elect Democrats in November – talk about a pessimist. They already think that the Democrats will lose again twice more.
•experienced bra fitter – I bet they had trouble finding candidates for this one.
•PlayStation Brand Ambassador – please report to your residence in the United States of Nintendo.
•Eyebrow Threading – I REALLY hope this has something to do with dolls.
•Administraive/ Secretary – ok, ok, we get it. It’s clear where you need help.
•Finish Carpenter – for when the Start Carpenter gets tired.
•Helpdesk Technician @ Pentagon – “Uh, hello? I’m having a problem with this missile…”
•Nail Tech – so nails can be pretty complicated…
•Remedy Engineer – aren’t those called “doctors”?
•Saltlick Cashier – new trend in the equestrian industry. Ok, enough horsing around.
•Molecular Biologist II – when Molecular Biologist I gets promoted.
•Breakfast Sandwich Maker – we also got one of these recently.
•Hotel Housekeepers – why can’t they just say ‘hotelkeepers’?
•Preschool Teacher #4065 – either that’s a really big school or they’ve got robot teachers.
•glacéau drop team – for a new sport at the Winter Olympics: ice-water spilling.
•PLUMMER/ELECTRICIAN – get a dictionary/thesaurus first.
•DoodyCalls Technician – they really shouldn’t put down janitors like that.
•Golf Staff – and here I thought they were called clubs.
•Pressure Washers – what’s next, heat cleaners?
•Sandwich Artist – another “Jesus in my food” wannabe.
•Self Storage Manager – this is for self storage?
•Qualified Infant Caregiver – too bad for all the unqualified caregivers on the list.
•Ground Support – but there’s just more dirt under there.
•Gymboree Teacher – the hardest part is not burning your hands sliding down the pole.
•COMMERCIAL space hunter – so they did find animals further out in the cosmos? Who knew.
•JOB COACH – if they’re unemployed when they get to you, what does that say about them?
•KIDS KAMP INSTRUCTOR! – no spelling ability required.
•POOLS SUPERVISOR – “yeah, they’re still wet…”
•HOUSE MANAGER/TEEN SUPERVISOR – see the dictionary under P, for Parent.
•Licensed Seamless Gutter Contractor – just sounds bad.
Or you might find some real entrepreneur types: Looking to trade a brand new coffee maker, still in the box, was a wedding present, for a small car, must be in goood running condition and have passed inspection. Willing to deliver the coffee maker/
The legendary paper clip story :
http://www.amazon.com/One-Red-Paperclip-Ordinary-Achieved/dp/0307353168Willing
Cheers Liam !!
Mom
Ian
October 5, 2010 @ 10:32 am
The first Craigslist posting you mentioned, about the bike, was actually by an art director who used to work here.
Liam Mooney
October 5, 2010 @ 10:39 am
Well, wouldn’t you know. I knew it was somebody in Toronto, but that’s funny!
julia
October 7, 2010 @ 8:54 pm
Liam,
I agree that Craig’s list is a great place to find witty ads and talented people, but is Facebook the place to go to find bad advertising?
There is a campaign circulating on facebook that claims to be raising awareness for breast cancer. Its the status update campaign “i like it on the (insert where you hang your purse)”
This campaign is a typical example of bad advertising on facebook. I include it among my list of annoying facebook campaigns like “if i get 1 million likes (insert something irrelevant happening)” For starters, this status update campaign is unoriginal. Its already been done. the “what colour bra are you wearing” status update made the rounds a few months ago.More importantly, it does absolutely nothing to raise awareness for breast cancer. It doesn’t have anything to do with breast cancer.
I discussed this campaign in particular with a friend of mine and I remembered your blog post. I would be really interested to hear what you have to say about this kind of advertising on facebook and advertising on facebook in general.