Ads.
Ads are not focused.
Ads are ambient.
The consumer watches TV. Then has a
conversation with their sofa buddy. Mutes the screen to focus on something
else. Makes a cuppa. Checks their emails. Goes to the loo. Goes on social media
to ‘catch up’ with other peoples’ lives, or second screen about the show they
are watching.
You are very, very lucky if the consumer
actually pays attention to the ad.
So your ad needs to work on a visual level
and an audio level.
The two stimuli need to work together to deliver
an engaging ad for those few and far between focused viewers.
But the two stimulants also need to work in
silo.
A great example is BBH’s Flat Eric Levi’s ad.
The visuals are not only ahead of their
time with the use of a fluffy animal,
yes it is true that the Meerkats did not start this trend, but also that
the visuals draw you in.
The essence of a good ad is that it is
engaging. If it is engaging it will lead to sales.
You can’t help but watch Flat Eric, bop his
head and change the tape with crumpling fingers and not laugh. I’m 100% sure it’s
impossible. And if it makes you laugh it also makes you want to share, and if
you’re sharing you know the creative team have nailed it. The proof is in the
pudding. This ad was made in 1999 and I’m talking about it and sharing it 16
years later. I was 5 years old in 1999 and don’t remember the ad from back
then, it was shared with me today.
Incredible.
But it isn’t about just the visual impact.
The audio needs to be perfect too.
What better than a trance techno number to
get you to look up from your screen, oh and the charm of a police siren.
With this ad, once again BBH managed to
sell more than just the Levi’s. The techno soundtrack sold more than 2.5
million copies across Europe, and was number 1 in the UK, Germany, Norway,
Belgium, Austria and Italy. Levi’s website had 1.1 million hits (remember this
was back in 1999 and that figure is still impressive today).
And what about the jeans? Well. Sales of
Sta-Prest increased significantly in a four month period, growing by 21 times
in the UK, 19 times in Italy, six times in Spain and three times in France. A
huge success for BBH and Levi.
Just make engaging ads. Is that so hard?
And if you can’t make an engaging ad don’t
make an ad at all as it won’t cut through. You won’t see an increase in
whatever KPI you were hoping for. And you would have just burnt the clients’
money. And after working client side I know if you burn the clients’ money, you
won’t be getting money for much longer.
So don’t be afraid to challenge the client.
You are the experts. Now prove it.
Do an ad right. Or don’t do it at all. 97%
of ads out there are rubbish.
Don’t make your client rubbish. Don’t make
the UK ad industry rubbish. And don’t make yourself rubbish. Be the 3%.
Please feel free to comment and let me know
your thoughts.
