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26-AUG-2025 | Excerpt from Beck’s “Incompetent” Ad

Author

Dan Bogachek
August 26, 2025

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Excerpt from Beck’s “Incompetent” Ad

A few encouraging words for the totally incompeten

t.

It’s perfectly alright to be incompetent for hours on end.

I am. And so is everyone I know.

Of course, being of this persuasion, I shall never be able to afford of Beck’s Beer. Which is why the people who sell Beck’s Beer got me to write this ad.

They see it as a sort of public service announcement; as a way of consoling those who moan at the unfairness of it all. A way of making the “have-nots” feel glad that they “haven’t”.

So here, for the first time, are the great names: The people who were so bad in their chosen sphere of endeavor that they achieved greatness.

People who believed that success is overrated.

And who believed, as G. K. Chesterton once said, that “If a thing’s worth doing, it’s worth doing badly.” 🏁 

People don’t read ads. They read what interests them. Sometimes it’s an ad.

— Howard Luck Gossage

  • Applying reverse psychology to the in-group | out-group tactic. In this case, we’re creating an ironic out-group (the incompetent, who can’t afford Beck’s) to turn the reader into the in-group (the competent, who can). Notice the implicit compliment? 😉 

  • Another example of: write in complete ideas, not complete sentences!

  • The ad is centered around celebration. Even if it’s twisted in a funny way, it’s still feel-good.