SO, WHAT’S HAPPENED TO “ADVERTISING” (in the traditional sense of the word)? Back in April, Chris Brogan remarked in one of his posts that, “…most advertising has fallen off its original premise: to inform.”
Yesterday, when I saw the film trailer below (new version), I was reminded again of a critical differentiator that drives our agency. In this clip, for the film Art & Copy, Dan Wieden (wieden/kennedy) makes the comment, “If one can speak honestly, and use this profession to do that… weird #$%#* can happen!”
Those who speak honestly, directly, clearly and purple-cow creatively will cut through the clutter and emerge as the effective advertisers of tomorrow. Social media tools now afford EVERY business—large or small—that golden, subtle, powerful opportunity. But it MUST be approached with the right creative mindset.
So, how did so many companies (and the agencies that produce commercials like the one shown below) become so far removed from honestly telling people compelling stories that spread (pun intended)? The answer is, that when people stopped believing advertising, advertisers thought the solution was to simply make ads edgier, less informative, and more interruptive.
Sure… It worked for some products. I get clever, and fresh. I love clever, and fresh.
It doesn’t work for most products. Kraft Foods’ new ad campaign below attempts to persuade me to buy Miracle Whip (instead of mayonnaise) by showing the same old me-too, tired images of beautiful people dancing around—with sandwich spread as the focus of their impromptu rooftop party. It’s just lame. Hey Kraft, you’re insulting people’s sensibility. But even worse… You’re creating more mistrust.
Where will tomorrow’s brilliant marketing and advertising minds go with this?
Again, quoting Chris Brogan, “I think there’s the potential for a renaissance of quality advertising. I think the tools are here. I think the opportunities are powerful. All that’s required next are the minds and the passions to deliver the new (and by new, I might mean very old) advertising to people who seek to be informed instead of entertained.”
What will your business do with this opportunity? The passion in advertising creativity—coupled with today’s new media tools that engage audiences along every point of the online continuum—will change marketing and advertising forever. It’s the change that fuels our social media marketing vision.
Imagine what could happen. We do—and we’re doing something about it every day.
What do you think? Please share your thoughts with us below:
It’s funny that I’m the target for that ad but after watching it my perception of Miracle Whip hasn’t changed. Now I just think that it’s a gross substitute for mayonaise that is trying too hard to be cool. Attention Miracle Whip: A condiment can’t be cooler than another condiment - that’s not how people think! Tell me why it is healthier than mayo, or a better deal then maybe I’ll consider it.
Great point, although some commercials really hit on ’story telling’ as a way to convey a feeling, attitude or personality. The Nissan 300z commercial from 1996 (?) featuring Ken, Barbie, and GI-Joe is an outstanding example of how a story can convey a compelling message without saying a word, and without a direct focus on the product.
The problem you have revealed here is that while the logical jump in ‘boy gets girl with cool car’ is not as easy to make with sandwich spread. They are clearly shooting for ‘cool and hip’, but with a product that has more to do with mom and me than adding excitement to my raucous rooftop party; no one would ever expect the party to end with ‘damn, that sandwich spread really made the scene!’, and that is where the ad fails. It becomes a distraction to the message, rather than a support for the message. I watched the ad and thought ‘really?, they’re trying to make THAT cool?’
Along the lines of your comments, I think it would make an awesome retro throwback for someone like Miracle Whip to create an ad in black and white with a zealous campy voiceover proclaiming the basic benefits while Timmy and friends bite into their freshly-made sandwiches: ‘Kids love that tangy fresh taste, and moms love to be the hero of lunchtime!’. I’d buy that.