When theater of the mind goes horribly wrong.
I’ll admit it – it would be awesome to have OnStar in my car. And I’ve always thought their radio commercials were pretty good. You know the ones – where they use “real life” subscribers calling in to the service for help. They were cutesy, light-hearted spots that demonstrated how convenient OnStar can be.
But has anyone else noticed the OnStar folks are starting to get a little, uh, graphic? Gone are the days when the person calls in, “Oh, hey OnStar. This is embarrassing – I locked my keys in my car again. I know, it’s like the third time this week. But this time my baby’s still inside with my pet lynx. Aren’t I a goof?” Hardy, har, har.
No – yesterday I heard a spot that went a little like this: “Oh my God, a semi just hit me. There’s blood everywhere! I can’t feel my legs! Mom?! Mom?! Where are you?” (click)
Wow. Powerful? Yes. Effective? Not so much. I understand that crash assistance is a major selling feature of the service. But the aftermath of a horrific accident isn’t up on my list of things I want to listen to while driving 65 down the I-190. Whatever happened to needing directions to a Tupperware party? Or blowing a tire on the way to the see Steely Dan? Or any other reason for using OnStar that doesn’t depress me every time I think of the brand?
Tagged with OnStar