Ads warning of ‘revolution’ are a new way to advertise

You may have seen a cryptic commercial on ABC-7 and billboards around the city, warning that “the revolution is coming.”

The tone of the commercial prompted reaction like this from ABC-7 viewers emailing and calling, asking what it is about.

It’s not a citizen uprising, it’s an eye-catching commercial in a style that University of Texas at El Paso communication professor Dr. Richard Pineda calls “buzz marketing.”

“You get people interested in whatever the item is — if it’s a product or event — and the idea is that you want to tease out that transformation,” Pineda explained to ABC-7.

The risk of buzz marketing, Pineda said, is that the end result doesn’t meet expectations — or in this case — people take the ads literally.

But Pineda hopes those who see the ad on television or on billboards keep one important point in mind.

“A company that has the financial resources to pay for billboards, which are rather expensive, suggests that it’s probably not a real revolution.”

The group behind the ad is evolve Federal Credit Union. The credit union is announcing big changes involving dividends and financial rewards for current and future members.

Good Morning El Paso anchor Stephanie Valle spoke with evolve’s CEO to talk about what he’s calling a revolution in banking.

That report is airing Monday on ABC-7’s “Good Morning El Paso.”