1-877-KARS FOR...

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Why is this coming up now? I haven't heard their spots in quite a while. They don't air on KOMO anymore. I don't remember what station I was listening to last time I heard one of those spots, but it was one I don't usually listen to.

This version will be running on Sunday.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0WzU7py9VU

Their spots are all over KJR-AM and I think KIRO-AM. Ironically, I was thinking of posting a topic on the subject of most annoying/catchy radio comments. This would be at the top of my list. Their commercial is like an ABBA song that gets stuck in your head all day long. Which by the way has scientific studies to back up.

https://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/how-abba-songs-get-stuck-in-our-brains/

Bottom line: "obnoxious tends to work". This is proven on MTV with three or four-peats of commercials (usually for some sugar-based product), air within one hour. They wouldn't do it if it wasn't effective. The MTV programmers are looking away as the revenue is more important than tune-out.

Another example in my home market is a national pool/spa company that comes in twice per year and has the gall to use the same ad now for three years, "this is a once in lifetime offer only", which of course is ridiculous as they keep coming back. To add to the irony, they actually mispronounce the name of the town they are exhibiting in. It is insanely insulting, but apparently it is working for them and their ad agency.

As for "Kars For Kids", yes very obnoxious, but may fall under PSA guidelines, thus taking up unsold inventory.

seatownmedia said:

As for "Kars For Kids", yes very obnoxious, but may fall under PSA guidelines, thus taking up unsold inventory.

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You're probably right. However, there must be a hundred other worthy charities that could be rotated through, so the stations are either lazy or there must be some other enticement for the near permanent campaign of two spots that seem to saturate KIRO's programming.

Was listening to some LA-area station stream recently, and the spot came up. Same obnoxious tune and script but a different kid.

It appears the charity is well aware of the mental anguish they're causing...

https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/features/7557645/kars-4-kids-jingle-charity-backstory

May the person who wrote that jingle spend their afterlife with it on auto-repeat for all eternity.

That is all I have to say for it.

DavidEduardo said:

The Kars spots are not PSAs... they are paid.

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Thanks, David. That explains a lot, even if it still (imho) trashes up the station.

I'm also getting tired of the "text 'bleh' to 541-541" spots. My conspiratorial mind says that's a way to open your cell phone up to more spam than usual.

It's the repetition... and maybe me getting grumpier about such stuff.

They paly on KFNQ too. Some times I cant turn the transmitter, oops I mean turn the monitor volume down fast enough when that spot comes on.

Heard a different version about a week ago on KJR-AM.

Nothing worse than punching the radio presets to check that your 3 contract AM sports stations are "on the air" and hitting that spot on every one. But yes it pays the Bills since it's a paid spot.

Oh, my worst nightmare when it comes to radio ads. And these commercials are STILL on the air? If I'm tuning the AM dial at night, I expect to hear this at least once per week...the usual suspects being KIRO, KGO or KNBR.
And those 'text to (six-digit number) ads'. In fact I hear commercials that tell people to 'pull over if you're driving for this amazing offer!' Yeah, I think not. Just give me the 800 number if I'm interested in your tax relief scam or latest Proactiv product.

877 Kars For Kids has been accused of, among other things, being involved in a Ponzi Scheme. Not there is any surprise to people with half a brain, but their parent company Oorah, has been criticized and sued for making millions of dollars through 877 Kars for Kids, with very little, if any going to the Jewish youth organizations which are supposed to benefit from KFK:

Credit Charitywatch.org:

"Since 2010 when CharityWatch last wrote about Kars4Kids and the more than $100,000 it paid related to misleading advertising claims in Oregon and Pennsylvania, news reports have identified Kars4Kids and/or Oorah (parent company) in connection with additional cases involving legal accusations or other questionable financial dealings. These include getting caught up as victims in an alleged Ponzi scheme related to speculating on real estate development; Oorah losing a federal lawsuit over more than $300,000 in allegedly unpaid scholarship funds; an ongoing payment dispute with the Young Israel of Eltingville synagogue that includes tax fraud allegations against Oorah; and Kars4Kids paying to settle claims of trademark infringement.

Especially costly were Kars4Kids’ and Oorah’s real estate investments in an alleged Ponzi scheme in which they were victimized and lost more than a combined $7.6 million in 2009 and 2010. To put the $7.6 million in context, Oorah’s total cash spending on Jewish youth programs was approximately $12.2 million over that same period. The real estate developer behind the alleged investment scheme, which reportedly caused $200 million in total losses, was sentenced to 22 years in prison. Even though Kars4Kids and Oorah were victims, some donors may seriously question the judgment of Eliyohu Mintz, the principal officer of Kars4Kids and Oorah, and their other respective board members in deciding to risk donated charitable funds on real estate speculation."

Kelly A said:

877 Kars For Kids has been accused of, among other things, being involved in a Ponzi Scheme. Not there is any surprise to people with half a brain, but their parent company Oorah, has been criticized and sued for making millions of dollars through 877 Kars for Kids, with very little, if any going to the Jewish youth organizations which are supposed to benefit from KFK:

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I think the first clue is the amount of media they seem to be able to afford to buy!

Like those "police charity" scams where you do the research and see the guy behind it has a huge gated estate in West Palm Beach....not much actually goes to a cop.

The new NX50 transmitter with less than an hour of on air time got christen this morning with Kars for Kids at KIRO 710. Even had the monitor down but the transmitter likes to sing a little, so I could kinda hear it. I just hope in 20 years or less if AM goes away its not playing a Kars for Kids spot as the last thing you hear.

Maybe all of the tortured listeners should make a class action lawsuit for mental anguish...or just turn the radio off.

The fact this thread exists speaks to the effectiveness of the KFK campaign.

Though not as classy as when Daily Show lampooned the whole campaign with 1-877-GUNS-FOR-KIDS!!

AQH said:

The fact this thread exists speaks to the effectiveness of the KFK campaign.

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Not quite. Our friends donated their old hoopty to KEXP. Because the music is better.