Last week there was much talk about the Super Bowl and specifically, of the Super Bowl TV commercials, which is the reason for this post. Over the years, the Super Bowl TV advertisements have been conceptualized beautifully and superbly executed. They have made us laugh, made us talk about them around the “water cooler” and now they have made us “share” them.
The best advertising campaigns are those that show the brand’s features by illustrating the benefits into a memorable 30 second TV commercial, print advertisement, radio advertising, or an online/social media initiative. In short, the ads must be developed to have a one track mind: Brand Recall. Has the creative raised the Brand to be the ultimate star or did the storyline and the execution or special effects become the star? If there are too many creative elements; creative, copy, special effects, design, or information which intrude on the “space”, then you may not necessarily lose your target audience… but you will lose the opportunity of making sure your ad builds brand awareness and recall. This is true of a 30 second TV commercial, billboard campaign, print campaign or online initiative.
Developing campaigns is part of the marketing process, so it’s important that advertising strategies are in line with the marketing plan. It is an extension of the Brand. It must communicate the marketing message though Brand’s persona and its reason to believe. It must without any exception make the brand memorable… not the ad. The objective of any creative commercial advertisement is to Brand Recall. A couple that come to mind are:
Almond Joy and Mounds Ads created an advertising jingle that became their slogan.
“Feel Like a Nut” 1980
Apple
Apple 1984
Bud Light Magic Fridge
“The Magic Fridge” Super Bowl XL Commercial
Chrysler Halftime in America
Chrysler “Halftime In America” Super Bowl XL Commercial
In all of these the creative integration of the features, the promise and the benefits and concept all in one. The Brand is totally integrated.
Next time you are involved in assessing a brand campaign for any media… ask yourself if the proposed concept asks of its audience to do too much to get to the creative message and to your Brand. Here’s a quick checklist:
- Is your Brand Logo and Brand Name prominently featured?
You really don’t want your target audience to say….what was that ad for? - Does it speak to your Brand’s persona?
Is it too funny? Is it too casual? Is the ad fresh, innovative within the context of your brand?Does it use the right colours? - Does the creative premise take the product’s features as the main theme?
What is your brand’s competitive edge…its unique selling point and does the advertisement speak to it. - Does the ad have a single focused message?
You really can’t say it all. Make sure there aren’t too many messages vying for attention. Equally important, is the ad taking off on a creative track that has nothing to do with the intended message. Does the ad show the benefit/experience/promise. Don’t forget, what’s in it for the our intended audience and their psychographics. - Is the message on brief?
Don’t get caught up in the beauty of the copy or the cleverness of the ad. If it’s not on brief. Then it’s off.
Share with me what you feel is the best advertising campaign (TV, Radio, Social Media, Billboard or Print) you’ve seen that show fabulous creative concept with strong brand recall.