Crown Ads Stress Books Over Beans

Advertiser: Crown Books Corp.

Agency: Devito/Verdi, New York

The Challenge: Incorporate several messages about Crown Books into 15-second TV spots.

The Ads: Most of the campaign’s spots rely on visual puns that play off book titles, while voice-overs and on-screen legends deliver messages about price and variety. In one spot, a man resting on a sofa rambles about an improbable career: “I used to be a scientist, you know, Teflon, Velcro. Before that, CIA, spy stuff.” Suddenly, the book “Lying on the Couch” by Irwin D. Yalom, appears. A voice-over declares: “You name it, we got it.” Meanwhile, a legend reads: “When it comes to low prices, we wrote the book.” One commercial in the campaign takes a shot at competitors Borders Books & Music and Barnes & Noble, without mentioning them by name. A man with a severe case of the jitters appears on the screen as a voice-over says: “Why do other bookstores serve you so much coffee? Maybe it’s because they don’t want you to see the prices.”

Comment: The ads are short but artfully cover a lot of ground. Taken together, the witty spots make the point that Crown offers a good selection of bestsellers at decent prices, presenting Crown as a smart alternative to competitors that sell ambience. $$$$