Ogilvy on Advertising

David Ogilvy, "The Father of Advertising", wrote 30 years ago 'Ogilvy on Advertising' "Researchers have not yet found a way to quantify the effectiveness of emotion, but I have come to believe that commercials with a large content of nostalgia, charm and even sentimentality can be enormously effective" Ogilvy concluded, "I hasten to add that consumers also need a rational excuse to justify their emotional decisions. So always include one. Above all, don't attempt emotion unless you can deliver it."

So in short, Emotion is the linchpin for any successful advertising.

The usefulness of parodies

Parodies are pretty fun, they are light, comedic and mock the main message. But what does this mean for brands?

Should you block them? Take legal action? Or join in the laugh? More often parodies tend to be shared more than the actual message, however this always seems to be like an inside joke. After all how do you know what the parody is mocking until you see the real thing?

Case in point, is the latest campaign by Dove on Real Beauty 'Sketches'. Dove has been used as a parody on numerous occasions so it should not come as a surprise that their latest effort is the source of 'Dove real beauty sketches - Men'.

So is this really a bad thing? In my point of view, if parodies (as long as they are not overly offensive, racist or abusive) help create curiosity and spread the real message then why not? Open conversation is the basis of User generated conversation and social media which push the brand to the forefront of people's attention.

Here's the original Dove - Real Beauty 'Sketches'

and here's the parody 'Dove Real Beauty Sketches - Men'

Back to the Basics: St John Ambulance, saving lives

Charities are constantly clamouring at you for a chance to promote their cause and amongst all this noise the message is lost in the clutter. There are always reasons to watch out for one of several diseases that could get to you, however St John Ambulance have put together a great video to remind you of the little things that could be fatal

The video shows the story of an ordinary man with a family who is diagnosed with cancer. He goes on to battle it and win. Only to choke to death. Emotional? Anti-climatic? but more importantly is the fact that his death could have been prevented by simple first aid. The shocking statistic being that over 140,000 people die from lack of first aid which is the same as cancer. The video serves as a reminder that that there simple basic things that can get us and which can easily be prevented through care and education.

A sobering and though provoking video and an emotive one.

Copycat advertising: Is it successful?

Copycat advertising takes a really popular concept..and well copies it.

A while back comparethemarket.com launched an amazingly successful campaign comparethemeerkat.com which is still running quite successfully today perhaps also because the meerkat's in all honesty are quite successful. 

So when I came across this ad by LesFurets.com I was slightly disappointed. Sure it's a cute little ad but it lacked originality in it being too similar to comparethemeerkats.com which is in the same product category as well.

But for those who recognize the similarity its a fantastic win for LesFurets. By piggybacking on an already successful campaign their customers would recognize the advantages of the product/service being advertised, with much less investment than their competitors. 

Gender cliches: Do they work?

The use of cliches is not uncommon in advertising, however I have to question the use of gender stereotyping.
In our current age, gender roles are blurring every day so does gender stereotyping work?

Harley - Davidson uses the concept of a Man's man for their bikes....but really? Are women not allowed to own a Harley? Harley Davidson started the bikers' culture where everyone was welcome but now this seems to be restricted to males? Not sure if that's the right impression you want to give out.

Brian Atwood launched their Spring/Summer collection with a remake of a classic Marilyn Monroe scene. While I love Marilyn and everything is so feminine I'm not sure if I can relate to stripping naked and jumping in a pool with my heels on. The ad is too overtly feminine in a very old concept of what a women is about.

The one interesting point however of gender based advertising is that it exists in extremes. They either embrace the concept of gender roles in today's society or go to extreme end of the spectrum, as above. I don't think many people can relate to either. While males may perhaps aspire to be everything manly, I personally do not relate to a Marilyn Monroe type advertisement and nor would I want to.

Is this ad appropriate?

Being current is great. Hopping on the latest trend and producing some fantastic content around it is perfect for relevance. But where do you draw the line between relevancy and exploitation?

For example one of the biggest events to happen recently was the conclave and announcement of the new Pope. For many Catholics worldwide this was a highly religious event and yet this was also a hot topic for many advertisers who used the event to promote their own products. For example the ad below by Jason Associates. Sure it's really clever but is it appropriate?



There are two topics most people are highly sensitive about Politics & Religion, and the conclave touches on both. While the Pope is the faith leader of millions of Catholics he is also the political leader of Vatican city, the world's smallest country, so is such advertising a good idea?

Advertising maverick's would love taking a risk and saying why not, but today when an incorrect tweet can have big consequences its better to think before you leap.

Emotional Advertising: Some great examples

Emotional advertising seems the way to go. It's not about the product but how it makes you feel.

This is not restricted to any particular product but is applicable for services, causes, and basically anything that has an emotional value and which can affect decision making...therefore...anything.

Seen below I've put together a few examples of good emotional advertising from across all industries.

Product/Service- McDonalds 

I had to start with McDonalds as they one of the biggest advertisers out there. Recently they have been coming under a lot of flack for their un-healthy products, but yet people still love em. McDonalds have been trying to shift perceptions more from a product oriented company to a service and cause related one. They want to be seen as part of the community and community welfare in general. And why not? nearly every single neighbourhood as one, they are the Starbucks of fast food. The ad below capture this sentiment quite nicely. In fact you would want to have a McDonalds in your neighbourhood if you don't already have one.

Product - Samsonite 

This just goes to show that emotional advertising can apply to anything! After watching this ad I just wanted to get up and go explore the world all with my little Samsonite suitcase at my side. I like how this ad is not about the actual product but more about people's desires and as a side note while you're at it don't forget to have a samsonite suitcase with you.

Service - Google

Google is the most indispensable tool for anyone these days, so much so it is part of our common vocabulary. This cute little ad by Google shows how two people (soon to be parents) use Google for their different needs, and all for the same purpose. Sure we don't need to be reminded of how important Google is to us yet it does no harm for every giant now and then to show a small display of their power to keep people in thrall. Google tried to do something similar for their Nexus tablet but however not to same effect. Both ads below:

Cause - Mercy for Animals

Most of these ads have been the feel good type, however this ad by Mercy for Animals is the exact opposite. It starts off quite innocently but then you're in for a rude awakening. I can understand its purpose. It's hard to change people's behaviour and sometimes reasoning does not work. Shock advertising has an impact and doesn't leave you soon. However I cannot say how effective it will be in the long run, everything moves quickly in this age. But I know I certainly cannot eat meat for awhile.

WARNING: The video is quite graphic and not for the faint hearted

And lastly I just had to include this one for the feel good value. The ad is quite nice but what was perfect was that it was launched on Valentine's day, an emotional ad at an especially emotional time, combined effectiveness!