From what I found, I have discovered that they were 3rd place finalist on a CMT reality competition called Can You Duet. They are from Columbia, Tennessee and they have a myspace.com page. Joey operates a small diner with her sister-in-law called Macy Jo's Mealhouse.
As for what this has to do with Overstock.com... well, this is where I feel Overstock misses the mark.
What I think Overstock is trying to do is show real people in their element that shop on Overstock.com. What I feel Overstock fails to do is connect its brand to the consumer. What do Joey + Rory have to do with the rest of us?
Their Holiday Commercial is especially confusing to me. It features Rory + Joey having Christmas get-together at the diner and singing a song. There is only a brief moment that Overstock.com is shown where Joey is purchasing a sled and it is immediately seen in the next shot being opened by the gift recipient, Danny. One other gift is seen, some sort of white sweater or shirt. The main focus of the ad seems to be Rory + Joey's performance.
There is some copy that appears throughout the commercial. This includes (in order): "Sharing Good Times," "In Macy Jo's Meal House, Tennesse," "It's Joey and Rory and Friends," "At home with the 'O'." Written out, this makes a perfect little story. However, throughout the commercial the sentences are broken up and it's nearly impossible to make them connect. The final shot is a gift that says "Overstock.com: Generously low prices."
It's hard for me to connect "Generously low prices" with Joey, Rory, and Friends at home with the "O." The whole concept seems jumbled and confusing.
There are many things about the ads that are unclear. Who is Overstock.com trying to connect with? What is their message? (Their tag line changes from commercial to commercial - the first Joey + Rory tag line is, "Touchingly low prices." What does that even mean?) Why is Joey always shopping on Overstock.com while she's working? What benefits does Overstock.com have for me?
The strongest advantage I feel Overstock.com has over its other online competitors is its super-low shipping rate. Year-round, their shipping rate is, on average, only $2 - no matter how much is purchased. This was the focus of past ad campaigns and it is one that I feel Overstock should have stuck with. The worst thing about online shopping is getting hit with a $10 shipping fee, especially on a sale item. I don't think Overstock.com has "generously low prices" or "touchingly low prices." When compared, Overstock's prices do not differ much from any other online retailer. Again, what Overstock has that the competition does not is low shipping rates. This isn't even mentioned in either of these ads.
I asked a classmate if she had seen the commercials and after a few minutes of thinking she said, "Oh, where they buy a guitar? That's for Overstock?" What I'm getting at is that Overstock.com should scrap their Joey + Rory campaign and come up with something new. How about going back to the basics? Have the brand be part of the message. Make the message clear. Communicate this message to the audience.
What do you think of the Overstock.com commercials?
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