When ad campaigns backfire

A Daily Mail article has brought the dangers of brand promotions into the consumers light.

Walker's new campaign and promotion involves a online game where a £10 prize is available. Consumers enter on the Walkers website, with a code number found on Walkers crisp packets. The website then lets each consumer pick a time and place from a map that they think it will rain, and if correct they are awarded £10.

The idea behind the campaign is good, it has links with their other campaigns and is driving more traffic to the website and providing an incentive for people to buy their brand.

However, they have set themselves on thin ice and their online betting game is proving an easy win and they had already paid out £660,000 by the beginning of November, and the promotion is set to run though November.

Consumers are also cottoning on about how successful (for them) it has been. There have been many reports about consumers writing down the codes in shops as they are printed on the outside of the packets.

The idea is good, promotions still get people participating; but in hindsight Walkers should have at least printed the codes on the inside of the packs so consumers had to buy the crisps to access them. Hindsight is wonderful thing, and is never there when you need it the most.

I think this is a warning to all agencies and brands. With advertising becoming more and more apparent in every part of the consumers world, they will be looking for way to swing the stakes their way. Consumers know more and more about advertising methods, does this mean agencies have to get at least 5 steps ahead to play the game?

Advert lengths = target audience?

Watching the Good Food channel the programme ended and i tuned out. Out of the corner of my eye i saw the start of what seemed like an advert, but it went on and on. Curiosity took over and turned up the volume, and found i was watching the demonstration of how to make pastry for a pie. It had been playing for 2 minutes by this point and i was convinced it was the start of the next programme. However, a minute later it ended with the pastry made and the screen changed to the next advert.

Annoyingly i cannot find a copy of this advert anywhere, and i have no idea what it was for have no clear ending to it. However, i did see it again two days later in the exact same format so i am certain it was not a programming blip.

Is this a taste of adverts to come? Are we being influenced by other cultures and adverts will become common at 3/4 minutes? Or is this an advert tailored solely to its specific channel target audience that have the interest and attention span for 3 minute adverts?

Coded flash mobs

The use of Facebook for all purposes is growing. The most recently addition to it's list of uses has included their own style of flash mobs. Many charity campaigns have been jumping on the band wagon for this, with the most recent making it's annual reappearance is Breast Cancer.

With last years campaign featuring women writing about the colour of their underwear via their Facebook status, they left men wondering for days what the hype was about.

The emails have already started circling for this years Facebook campaign keep your eyes peeled for the statuses to start emerging. Can you work out this years coding system?

The power of song

Is the power of song becoming a stronger and more powerful advertising tool? Are the melody and lyrics of a song enough to enhance a brand and it's message?

There appears to be a growing trend at the moment for well known movie/musical songs to be incorporated into ad

verts; used as the background music to on screen action or as the main theme with the lyrics adapted to suit the brands message.

Mazuma mobile ad here, has altered the famous oompaloompa song from the original Charlie and the Chocolate Factory movie to incorporate its brand and their selling message.

Littlewoods christmas advert uses A Nightmare before Christmas as its accompaniment to the onscreen action for it's advert showcasing the magic of christmas and reverting to childhood.

Although i like both the advert's action and the song, parts of the connection between them are still very loose and it doesn't appear to fit all the messages that Littlewood are expressing. The magic of christmas is certainly displayed though both action and song but the other theme of Christmas (bringing out the child inside) although choreographed very well could have been suited to a better song considering the connotations with the movie A Nightmare before Christmas.

Even Iceland who have for a few years now aired their chirstmas advert in the form of song, seem to be following the trend of movie/show tunes this year and have moved away from adpating the lyrcis of well-known christmas songs, to adapting the famous Can-Can (film version from Moulin Rouge). Though a catchy tune and a well known song, the tempo makes the lryics very hard to hear, so although the brand will certainly be remembered this chirtsmas their exact message may not be displayed (apart from the prices of course).

How many other brands will be joining this group of musical sellers? Will the 'catchy' nature of these songs project them to the forefront of consumers minds when Christmas shopping, even if the song is hated by particular consumers? Adverts own form of pester power?

The question will remain to be answered, is the power of a song enough to enhance the brand in the consumers eye?

Technology limitations?

Reading through the papers, I saw a headline that certainly did its job as it caught my eye, "just vacuum the dog" it claimed. A copy is available here

Upon reading further it was an attachment to your normal hoover created by Dyson that allowed you to hoover the dogs loose hairs straight off them so that they didn't drop onto the carpet.

I am a bit dubious about this gadget, it is supposed to help house-proud owners, but can you 'over-hoover' the dog? It already states in the article that it is not suitable for nervous animals. I cant really see a dog who's aggravated by the normal hoover noise letting you anywhere near him waving a hoover with a new attachment on the end.

I understand that this is a problem (dog hair on carpet) but i don't think the solution is quite finished yet. I see the idea but i don't think its ready. Although dog hair is a problem for many people, is this a situation where the technology doesn't help the problem at all?

Is society realising that technology can't solve every problem?

This isn't just a funeral...it's an M&S funeral

Is this new branding strategy going one step too far in terms of branding and convenience?

The M&S campaign of being "not just an x,y,z but an M&S x,y,z.." has been a long running and successful campaign. Although internet forums and chat-rooms display their annoyance at the adverts tone of voice and superiority message, the branding has brought M&S to be a well known name among consumers.

But is adding this campaign and its message to the emotional minefield of a funeral a good idea or a fast track ticket to brand failure?

Although society is fixed on the idea of convenience and limited disruption to their lives, is an M&S funeral one step too far in a one-stop shop for every need? Will this campaign turn the brand into a caring brand that caters for every need; a perfectly tailored service to your wishes by a top quality brand that you know and trust? Or an emotionless cold-hearted 'book you relatives funerals while you shop for your vegetables', everything under one roof shop?

Tetley tea, new faces same old brand?

Finding a newspaper clipping i had saved form the summer nudged me in to posting it up here. The report was from 5th august regarding the relaunch of the tetley tea characters.

The illustrations are said to be under consideration still when they were published to the public; but the nostalgic relaunch of the characters who disappeared 9 years ago is looking to be a lot more blinged up than born again.

Although times must sometimes change, was this attempt to 'move with the times' destined to make or break this brand? Although an argument may be raised that the new characters will be easier for the next generation to connect with; the counter arguement raises the point asking if these are the images we want to be sending out as role-models to our children?

The brand insists that these characters have a 'modern day feel but are still quite obviously the characters viewers loved so much'. But is this 'modern-day feel' the role models that we want to be promoting to the next generation? Is this a case where 'getting down with the kids' is a brand turn-off?

The roles being promoted include a rapper who's appeared more in court than a tea factory, a WAG sporting making -up and designers gear, and business man styled on the stereotype of a mob boss.

Although the first advert of the relaunch was met with approval from consumers, with online forums naming it 'a tear- jerker' and an 'emotional nostalgic comeback'; the response to the supposedly leaked characters revamp was not been met with such positive comments.

If these are the stereotypes that have been pulled out to represent Britain, is this the image we want, or have, of the best of British?

Adverts with deeper meanings

Watching an advert a friend had sent me set me thinking.

It was a long advert (4.03 in length) that told the story of a little deaf girl seeing a street busker play the violin and wanting to do the same. Her family and society banished the idea , "how could a deaf girl play the violin?" and tell her to leave the music to her sisters piano playing. Scenes return back to the street busker and he inspires and teaches her that music is visible and to play what you feel when you close your eyes.

Being taught and playing along with him busking, the story follows her through a quick succession of hardship and fights and bullying she receives for being a deaf girl playing the violin. The story ends with a music contest and she follows her sister's piano performance with her violin piece teaching the audience about the visuality of music,showing her images and thoughts through the music.

The advert ends with a tagline saying 'you can shine' displaying the Pantene logo.

This advert did confuse me greatly at the end initially, i didn't associate hair products at all throughout the story; but after the brand had appeared thinking back i could see the link between the bedraggled little girl being bullied and the confident young women with the focus on her hair as she's playing on stage at the end.

I would admit that this advert contained huge empathic pushes and really stirs something inside the audience, the combination of music and the story line creates wonderful emotions; but i wouldn't have associated with Pantene until the end and i'm not so sure i would buy Pantene because of this advert.

It did get me thinking however, is that what consumer want in an advert? They want a story, some emotion they want to be entertained, to laugh, to cry, to really feel something from the brand? Is this how people remember adverts?

Turning back time

Following a recommendation I started watching the Turn back Time series on the BBC. As well as fitting in nicely with one of my university projects; looking through the website that accompanies it and some of the blogs, it is curious how this series is encouraging more people to shop locally.

The series follows a group of people who are swapping their normal trade shops to a whistle-stop tour through the shopping ages of Britain. They start off in the victorian times making and selling goods the Victorian way to a village that predominately shops at its local supermarket. Even though the participants in the programme already own bakeries, butchers etc in 2010; it documents very well the struggles they ensure throughout history and the difficulty of convincing a modern audience to buy handmade food.

Although the villagers in the programme are reluctant at first to shop in the local stores and are very critical of the produce available, it is curious how the online community who are watching the series are very keen to enhance this phenomenon and are filling the online world with talk of shopping at their local delicatesens etc.

The main interest of the programme appears to have come from the processes of baking and butchering etc. Although skeptical about the meat and the parts of the pig to be sold there is a large interested audience watching the butcher make sausages the traditional way. So although the world nowadays are obsessed with health food and value for money and this is coming through in their purchasing (or not purchasing) choices of traditionally prepared food; there is a great interest in the processes used and the lifestyle not just for the village on the programme but also demonstrated through the buzz of the online community. Is this the section of history people are interested in?

A way for history to come to life in a way people want to see it?

Modern copywriting?

Looking back through the young creatives council weekly score updates, i found a piece about a graffiti artist an his views on why he is a creative boundary breaker not a jail breaker.

It is interesting that graffiti has been around for years and

slowly, very slowly, is becoming an acceptable use of communication especially for advertising purposes from music labels, business's and fashion designers. A new form of subliminal messaging perhaps?

In answer to a question about people who think he is a vandal he replies with a very relevant argument. he upholds the belief that he is no more a vandal than the advertising companies that are pushing their adverts more and more into consumers lives. What is the difference between a brands logos being pushed in our faces every day and his artwork on display?

He does use some of the legal designated graffiti spaces but

his desire to use trains as his canvas comes from inspiration at childhood, the amazement that his art would travel the world on the side of a train and be seen by thousands. this is the same principle that underlays any media in advertising, what media shall we use if want a thousand people to see it?

Although i agree that graffiti involves trespassing and de-facing, i find his inspiration has depth and passion. on the topic of inspiration he had this to say: "Writing is all about the real world. Things just catch my eye: the shape of an object from a certain angle; the line of a building. I love being able to fit a piece perfectly where no one thought you could put letters before."

The ability to describe something that you see so vividly in words that your audience can see it too, was what always drew me to writing when i was younger. Is this graffiti a new mix of copywriting and typography on a different type of media?

He says his work and others that do the same, is about breaking the conformity we live in and having that little piece of freedom for a while. if advertising companies are jumping in on this media, will that destroy the meaning behind it?

So is graffiti art the new written word?

New advert meets old symbols.

As my housemate was watching tv last night an ad caught my eye as it flashed past and made me rewind the programme.

You can view the ad here

I wasn't really watching the tv but the new McDonalds ad had caught my eye as the 'rain' hit the ground and windows.

An excellent use of weather symbols that a vast majority people are aware off and many see on a day to day basis on tv

weather reports, the internet , newspapers etc.

A good mix of the real and the unreal mixing inanimate objects and symbols into 'real-life' environments.

And as always with the recent McDonalds ads, they show a wide range of consumers for their target market.

Also a different ad for McDonalds as it's branching away from the traditional food advert

of showing the food, show the ingredients and show someone enjoying the food.

The advert implies that their values go further than selling the food,

to the whole production and environmental concerns; following an expanding trend of companies showing 'world-wide concern'.