Traditional industries are turning to whimsy and wit in marketing in a reactionary bid for name recognition and competing status.
The shift to unconventional marketing and the follow of competitors has become known as the “Geico effect,” after the national car insurer”™s stream of runaway advertising successes including their “gecko” and “caveman” television campaigns. Geico”™s direct competitors, Allstate and Progressive included, have created similarly lighthearted campaigns.
“Based on the deluge of marketing messages consumers are faced with daily, it is no wonder marketers are resorting to comedy or ”˜light-hearted”™ content,” said Liz Ball, president of Norwalk-based TFI Envisions, a creative studio that helps major brands like Honeywell produce and manage advertising campaigns.
Ball said there has been a major shift in advertising from simply providing information to offering lingering appeal, however frivolous it may be. She said the formula relates to service brands, like Geico, because consumers find it more difficult to gauge which is better, as opposed to when they are comparing a physical product.
Old Spice revives tired brand
One of the more recent major successes in this trend has been the “Old Spice guy” commercials. The over-the-top satirical copywriting has been the most successful string of ads largely responsible for bringing the once aging brand back from the brink.
According to AdAge, the campaign had 40 million views its first week online, and since the campaign launched, Old Spice Bodywash sales have gone up 107 percent.
Competitor Brut has recently followed suit with its own campaign, even poking fun back at Old Spice.
Darryl Ohrt, principal of advertising of Danbury-based Humongo a national advertising creative studio with expertise in social and online media, said the ads work because they relate to the consumer on a human level.
“Real people don”™t speak in insurance-speak or legalese,” he said. “It”™s taken a while for many brands to realize this, but there are obviously some great success stories for companies that have taken a good hard look at their audience, and speak to them in a conversational way, on their own terms.”
Ohrt said today consumers of all ages expect to be entertained in exchange for them listening to an advertising message.
Still a place for seriousness
According to Ball, the tone of an advertising message is still directed by what a business is selling, though some businesses are just realizing their range.
“I can”™t think of one retirement ad that is light-hearted or funny, because this is a serious matter for consumers,” said Ball. “Consumers are suspicious of brands and brand claims, but I don”™t think they are turned off by brands that have a serious message.”
Ohrt said some of the best serious messages don”™t feel serious. “Some of the work that GE is doing comes packed with serious messaging, but is also beautifully produced and entertaining,” he said.
Some brands should have serious messages, Ball said. “There is nothing humorous or lighthearted about sudden strokes or loss of vision, but you definitely want to know these things before you take a medication.”?Ball said it”™s the companies that say one thing and do another that creates mistrust, especially with the ease for consumers to do fairly in-depth research, and the channels for them to spread the word about their findings.
“If you lie, they will find out and they will tell people,” said Ball.
Ohrt said creating any advertising is less about being serious or not, and more about being trustworthy. “BP needed to respond to some extremely serious situations,” he said. “When their responses didn”™t align with reality, they lost the trust of their audience. Once you lose trust, it’s tough to get back.”
It”™s about knowing the audience
Ohrt said in his experience with many companies, large and small, is there are often disconnects and misconceptions about their audience.
“I”™ve seen presentations from (chief marketing officers) who claim their audience is women, 25 to 35,” said Ohrt. “Then they”™ll react to creative with ”˜I don”™t think…”™ based on their own personal opinions and they are a 45-year-old male.” He said similar mistakes are often made by advertising agencies in assuming upscale urbanite sensibilities are reflected in the rest of American consumers.
“Don’t forget that there are plenty of consumers in America that have never been to New York City,” said Ohrt.
Social media extends connections
Ohrt said many brands are bounding into the world of social media and trying to create viral campaigns before asking the right questions.
“You shouldn”™t be building a custom Facebook presence just because everyone else is,” said Ohrt. “Like any great marketing, it”™s important to approach your campaign with a real strategy and goals in mind. ”˜Viral”™ isn”™t a strategy. Viral is a result that takes place after you”™ve successfully produced media that connects with your audience in a new way.”
Ohrt said there is also common misconceptions about what and why consumers will share with others.
“They definitely don”™t want to share your ad,” said Ohrt. “If you look at any of the epic campaigns that have achieved viral status, they do so because they”™ve provided value to an audience. Typically that may be entertainment value ”“ but entertainment value doesn”™t mean slick production or effects, or an extremely product-centric production.”
Ohrt said rarely is the actual advertisement that”™s being shared; rather it is more often about the connection the production makes with the individual.
“It”™s important for brands to remember that it”™s not about you, it”™s about your audience,” said Ohrt.
