Kars4Kids problems nationally.

Fraudulent and "too good to be true" ads can't help legitimate radio advertisers. They create a toxic environment.

Take the fruits and veggie pills that are claimed to cure cancer, emphysema, hepatitis-c, high blood pressure and more. The ads contain "testimonials" where people actually make those claims. If I were a legitimate advertiser I wouldn't expect listeners to take anything I said seriously.

As TheBigA points out, those ads pay the bills. But if they dry up, what then? Probably not to worry ... you know what P.T. Barnum said.

BTW, the K4K charity has been called out by various media for several years. If you're going to buy something, donate a car, whatever ... Google is your friend.

DavidEduardo said:

Only because the ads themselves are annoying.

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That's what I meant.

Thanks David

I was wondering if they were CM or PSA. Some respectable stations carry them here in the Atlanta market. And they are stations that don't have trouble selling spots.

About a year ago I pointed out that KFI does not run the jingle. Instead they have Tim Conway and other voice the spot.

KFI strikes me as a rare station these days that actually believes in the power of good programming. The station is cohesive with local shows and local news instead of a cobbled together bunch of syndicated shows with metro traffic news in between. KFI has a young sounding staff and a fun vibe.

So it's my suspicion that they balked at running that hideous jingle ... and K4K, wanting the audience KFI delivers, caved.

Others on this board insisted that K4K paid KFI talent to voice the spot. I highly doubt that. K4K is clearly in love with that damn jingle and their objective is to make money, not spend it.

They started running those bloody ads here in Canada as well. I can't turn off the radio fast enough when I hear that first note....which is then followed by a long string of profanities.

i have heard this ad on youtube vids, and i'm thankful we in the DFW radio/TV market haven't had to deal with this. instead, we have our own version of Cars for Kids program from the "Texans Can Academy" that had produced ads local on WFAA where their slogan is "write off the car, not the kid". instead of the proceeds going to fund a Jewish kids summer camp, they help kids get a education instead.

so here's the website for those outside of North Texas or any other market they cover with this campaign:
http://www.carsforkids.org

So the America Can! Cars for Kids campaign has been operating for 15 years. When did Kars 4 Kids start, and did they change the C to a K to avoid a copyright issue I wonder. The Texas based organization might do well to change the name of its campaign to avoid any possible confusion with the other organization. OTOH, Kars with a K might not be around too much longer.

They're taking over the internet as well.

That horrible jingle is all over YouTube.

New video about Kars4Kids' undisclosed religious connection, and the origin of their super-annoying earworm jingle:

kevtronics said:

New video about Kars4Kids' undisclosed religious connection, and the origin of their super-annoying earworm jingle:

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Their filings with the IRS as a non-profit entity easily discloses that they are a religious-based charity. All that is a matter of public record should you spend a few extra minutes to search for it. They also have to disclose what percentage of the charity goes toward 'overhead'.

Bottom line: If you don't want to donate to the charity, don't. If you don't care for their enormously effective jingle, do what other's do; Turn down the volume for thirty seconds.

Seriously. First world problem.

Annoying ads work. Take the Houston market and one, Gallery Furniture. The owner did ads that were intended to be annoying. In fact, some TV stations would only sell him spots in overnights because they were so bad. Eventually everybody, radio and TV was running his spots. His business, Gallery Furniture, is the highest volume single location furniture store on earth (now he has 2 stores). In fact, he beats many furniture store chains in sales volume. The owner said his intention was a terrible commercial that would have everyone who heard it talking with friends and co-workers about how bad or irritating it was. That's how he went from selling a piece of furniture on the street corner to what Gallery Furniture is today. I recall the Gallery Furniture owner sold the Houston Rockets a few years back.

And Philly has Barbara (car dealership) with some remarkably loud and somewhat incoherent ads. But you can simply ignore the and move on; should you not be able to tune out or turn down the volume, and are actually hearing it in the foreground, you'll service the trauma. Clearly it works for them; c'est la vie.

Kelly A said:

Seriously. First world problem.

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But enough of a problem for them to have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to settle misleading advertising lawsuits in multiple states.

kevtronics said:

But enough of a problem for them to have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to settle misleading advertising lawsuits in multiple states.

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In the business world, many times it's easier and more cost effective to settle than pay lawyers to go back and forth for seemingly years. A settlement doesn't mean they're doing anything wrong. It just means they'd rather not get into a costly fight about it.