I was watching TV and a commercial came on that had me totally engrossed. In fact, I can’t remember the last time that a TV commercial so shocked me into paying attention. You might wonder what in this age of used car salesmen could rise so far above the din to cause me to take notice.

The answer?

Silence.

The black screen had a single sentence that read, “The following 30 seconds of peace and quiet have been brought to you by Karako Suits.”

I was so surprised by the lack of noise I found myself staring at the screen, marveling at the fact that nothing was happening. I didn’t quite know what to make of the complete lack of change in the picture. My hand involuntarily reached for the remote in hopes of unpausing the screen. But of course, it wasn’t paused.

After about 25 seconds the black background faded to a picture of a suit. Then, after 5 more blissful seconds of silence, life returned to normal. (I.e., loud, flashing, abrasive and annoying.)

I think there is a lesson in here for marketers, but I’d probably have to out-shout the used car salesmen to get their attention.