Hot Potato

Ok, I suppose you have seen it. The boyz in the freecreditreport.com band have traded in the subcompact for bikes. I wasn't in a position to see the tv that well, but it was a green bike, looked like steel, with chrome fenders. What kind was it??

wahoonc

Raleigh Superbe...I will take any and all you can find for $25

Aaron

mawtangent

Okay I don't know much about vintage bikes (though I do have an '86 Scwinn Traveler that might be considered vintage), so don't take this as a diss of the bike in question, but the lyrics (in the commercial) make the point that the guy couldn't get one of the good bikes at the bike shop (because of his bad credit of course), so he had to settle for the one we see him riding.

wahoonc

I would consider it artistic license and possibly ignorance. And given the number of fine bikes that end up in trash piles and on curbs it is pretty wide spread. FWIW my Superbe in the picture above was a good bit more than $25 but worth every penny I paid for it. In the US in particular most people seem to think that newer is better and it is a sign of success to have latest and the greatest. Look at all the people that stand in line to get the newest electronic gadget. Last game I bought was a Nintendo 64...still works too.

The bike pictured below was rescued from a dump in NH, it is very unusual and in repaired condition to the right person would probably be worth $200 or more.

Aaron

Hot Potato

Hmmm. I kinda feel guilty. I thought the ad's point was not that the particular bike being ridden was crappy compared to a nice bike, but that just having to downgrade from a car to a bike was evidence of terrible misfortune. Yet even assuming this, my reaction was "look at the bikes, I like that one and that one, what kind are they?" Instead of "why are bikes being portrayed as the last refuge of the destitute?"

Yet every morning I leave the car at home, I think about how fortunate I am. A strange dichotomy?

Nice rescue, BTW.

wahoonc

There have been several ads recently showing bikes as being second class transportation. BMW, Autozone and State Farm are a few that come to mind. To me the joke is on them. At one point I lived car free and it was great not having to worry about the maintenance, insurance, licensing, etc, etc. Not to mention the extra $200+ a month that I had to put towards other things. I currently don't live car free, but use my bike as much as possible for shorter trips. I also accumulate bikes...probably have too many, but life is about choices, my bike hobby is a lot less expensive that golfing, or flying or???

Aaron

bikinpolitico

Yeah, I totally agree. People don't realize what a money pit cars are. I wrote an article recently about the AutoZone ad and a great Hungarian ad implying cyclists are getting way more sex. I think the Hungarians have figured out how to sell cycling! The link is here: https://austinbikeblog.org/?p=299

cradduck

I'm in love.

acapybara

Too bad there's not bicycle commercials that turn the tables - show the BMW owner paying $200 for an oil change while the cyclist rides by and gives a hearty thumbs-up or something.

cb400bill

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSqVGvl3DUM

Big M

Those three in particular stand to gain from more people driving cars than turning to bikes, so it's natural for them to convince people to aspire to drive rather than enjoy biking instead.

This Freecreditreport.com commercial is a bit more insulting and ignorant, in my opinion, it's message being, "If you don't use our service, you'll be too poor to drive and will have to step down to a crappy bike."

(And really, few people will know the guy's riding a vintage classic.)

Industrial

I found that freecreditreport commerical kinda insulting for the same reasons already stated. All it does is reinforce the notion that only the poor and destitute would ride their bike to work. I should just watch less TV and ride more...

himurastewie

I personally didn't get that feeling from it. If anything I think it would've been more insulting to classic and vintage types because he implied that his bad credit only allowed him to get the "junker", rather than a shiny new thing, than to cycling advocacy as a whole. Personal opinions aside, I think we can all agree that it's far and away better than the Autozone or BMW commercials, where they imply that cycling is only worth it until you can "step up" into a car of some sorts.

There's also about 2.5 seconds of a new Target ad dedicated to a $59.99 bike, designating it (and I suppose that could be extended to cycling in general) as "The New Commute".

And I will say it's refreshing to see at least some advertisers pushing alternatives as opposed to constantly harping about gas prices. I think people are starting to come to the conclusion that it's not gonna change anytime soon, so there's no more reason to lament about it all day long.

Mr. Underbridge

I don't think the FreeCreditReport guys were painting bikes as second class, in fact I could swear they mentioned 'going green' as part of the guy's motivation for turning in the sub-compact. The point was he couldn't afford a new shiny one, so he ended up with what (they thought) was a klunker.

Seemed like they caught on to the fact that cycling's 'hip' right now (especially among their younger target audience) and decided to tap into that. I definitely didn't see it as anti-cycling at all.

To second a previous poster - I would *love* to see either a bike manufacturer (or possibly a trade group, if they have one) put an ad out to the effect that you can buy a new bike for the cost of getting your oil changed and tires rotated at the dealership.

RogerB

If you don't hear the words, the FCR.com commercial seems to be a diss to cycling. The lyrics, however, tell otherwise. In other words you have to be paying attention to get it.

Which means that drivers will think it's a diss to cycling.


(Just a little joke, there. I'm a driver, too.)

oakback

Here are the words:

Check it out Gas prices blowin up sky high,
Ditched my used subcompact for a two wheeled ride,
Now I'm rollin Eco-friendly but i still look bad,
When the bike store saw my credit they said, "This was all they had,"

I'm singin,
F to the R to the E to the E,
To the C to the R to the E D I T,
RE to the PORT to the DOT to the COM,
Come on everybody grab your bike and sing along it's easy...


I like their commercials, but their site is so misleading, it's ridiculous. "FREE CREDIT REPORT!" Oh yeah, with enrollment to Triple Advantage, which charges you a monthly fee to check your credit, and send you an e-mail that says, "nope, nobody stole your identity yet. Here's a bill for $13."

mawtangent

Well, I guess one could argue that the commericial is a thumbs-up to bike-shop bikes (as oppossed to dept. store bikes), eventhough the guy is in a bad financial state he still hasn't sunk so low as to get an X-mart bike.

Yeah, I am sceptical about the whole deal (getting a "free" credit report IF you pay for another service). Isn't there a procedure by which you can get a free credit report anyway?(though maybe it is just once a year). My credit card company (at no extra charge) gives me my FICO score every month from one of the big 3 reporting agencies (Transunion I think).

BillyBob

I just have to ask why no company does this kind of advertising? Apple for years avoided slamming Microsoft beyond the occasional commercial. However, the Mac vs PC ads have been very effective. A humorous approach works well.

Neil_B

https://www.annualcreditreport.com/cra/index.jsp

Neil_B

(Gas station. Sounds of car horns honking. Cars and SUVs are circling and weaving to get to a pump. Cut to two people arguing over a gas pump. Cut to sign showing prices. It's shaped like a car odometer, and the price keeps going up. Pan back to show the gas station, crowds of cars and SUVs, sign with prices rising, and road in front of the station. A couple of bike commuters* ride by on the road. Soft music plays and birds sing. On screen we see: BIKE COMMUTING. NO GALLONS PER MILE.)

Do you like?

*BillyBob, DataJunkie, NeilFein, etc.

gascostalot

The commercial isnt insulting bicycles, but it is confusing. Basically he's singing that his credit sucks and he couldn't afford a nice bike, but at the same time he's riding a very nice bike.

Neil_B

To the average person, it's not confusing at all. Most Americans, when they think of an adult bicycle, think of racing. Since he's not on a racing bike, to them, and the makers of the ad, it's clear he's suffered because he didn't use freecreditreport.com.

abbynemmy

I have no problem with it. I see it as the same as buying a car. If you can't get financed for the brand new model you have to settle for the 20 year old used model. They just happened to choose a cadillac of a bike.

Sirrus Rider

I'd love one, but none were ever made in my size. (Most were 21"s and I'd need a 17")

ericy

I keep thinking of fredcreditreport.com when I see this.

They could have picked something with the small wheels, a banana seat, and streamers attached to the handlebars..