Is There a Method to the Madness?

Every time I see a Manhattan Mini Storage ad, I cringe. Not only are their ads controversial, but they also don't really say much about their service. Their ads are usually very simple and feature yellow letters against a blue background proclaiming things such as "If you don't like gay marriage, don't get married" or "Mitt Romney? That guy couldn't even beat Obama." Is the company wasting their ad space in order to inculcate their beliefs into our heads? While I love seeing examples of gay pride plastered across the city, isn't conveying a clear message about the benefits of your product one of the fundamental rules of advertising? An advertisement that features a sexy model in a barely-there bikini might get people's attention, but will people merely look at the model and enjoy the view, or will your brand name stick into people's heads? Many brands have come across this dilemma when they buy too much into an idea that does not have a clear advertising goal. When I first saw the Manhattan Mini Storage ads, I was sure that they had fallen into this trap. I see these ads everywhere I go: on the subway, on billboards, on buildings, in phone booths... Every time I see one I try to find a point to the words written. Do they somehow relate to storage? Do the lines "Michelle Bachman says God told her to run for president. Why doesn't God talk to smart people anymore?" somehow convey a message about Manhattan Mini Storage and why we should store our extra stuff with them? After further research I discovered that they also feature ads like "Remember, if you leave the city you'll live in America", "We have more wiggle room than Herman Cain's morals", and my favorite, "If you watch Hoarders and wonder what the Big Deal is." Why haven't I seen these? These ads clearly encourage people to stay in New York and store their extra stuff. But why would they also run ads that are not as effective? Couldn't they just write the bad ones and throw them out as great ideas that almost work, but ultimately don't? According to their company page, Manhattan Mini Storage tries to run ads that "speak to the people of New York city." While I am all for speaking to the people of New York city, I don't think they should waste their ad space on ineffective ads, but instead, try to stick to their great ideas.