Psychology of Advertising

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Award Winning Tradition

Last week, Hovis Bread - a leading British brand - won the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising Grand Prix for a commercial said to have increased sales by 14 percent, earning payback of $5 for every $1 spent and generating $145 million in additional profit.

The commercial was introduced in 2008 to celebrate the 122nd anniversary of the company. Named "Go on Boy," the spot is 122 seconds long. Shot in Liverpool with 750 extras, the commercial depicts British history while evoking the heritage of the brand.

This grand prix for effectiveness was not the first recognition for the commercial. In December of 2009, it was voted "Ad of the Decade" by a newspaper sponsored competition.

Now, it seems Hovis has a tradition for advertising quality. The following commercial, dating from 1973, was voted Britain's favorite commercial of all time.

Called "Boy on Bike," this commercial was directed by Ridley Scott. It was filmed on Gold Hill in Shaftesbury, Dorset.

It is an exceptional combination of cinematography and writing that delivers on a clear strategic premise (unique selling proposition).

Rosser Reeves, famous writer of Wonder Bread advertising and articulator of the Unique Selling Proposition concept, likely would have admired Scott's commercial.

For more on the Psychology of Advertising, please see Advertising and the Arc of History.

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Brand Insistence

The Arab Dairy Products Company is based in the Heliopolis district of Cairo, Egypt.

Their corporate website speaks of the natural taste of cheese from master cheese makers who combine the “handed-down, age-old cheese-making tradition with the best of modern technology, preserving the original taste while complying with stringent hygiene controls.”

Panda is their brand name for a line of mozzarella cheese products. It comes in grated form, cheese blocks, and Insalata Caprese – combining mozzarella, tomato, basil and olive oil.

The taste is said to be “delightfully fresh.”

So is their advertising. Here’s a series of spots in their current campaign.

This campaign is both strategically smart and creatively brilliant. Many thanks go to Marv Waldman for letting me know about this advertising.

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Get in the Game

This intersection of smartphone apps, advergames and promotional give-aways takes audience involvement to a new level.

This Mini Stockholm smartphone app places "advergames" in hands of the audience and invites them into a real world brand experience.

The advertising agency behind this viral, Jung von Matt Stockholm, promises to deliver "ideas with momentum."

Saturday, October 9, 2010

Sesame Street Turns to Online Spice

Sesame Street went viral on Friday.

Parodies of popular video ideas can be productive ways to hitchhike on the success of others. In this parody of the the highly successful Old Spice commercial that also went viral, Sesame Street shows strategic and creative smarts.

Of course the audience is parents, not children. The video reminds them of the joyful experience that is Sesame Street and points vividly to its qualities as a teacher of children. It also teaches us that Sesame Street is online.

This viral commercial is "Spot ON."

Friday, September 17, 2010

That's Some Strong Creativity

One's "book" or portfolio is everything for a creative person. For beginners, it is particularly important to demonstrate your promise.

One approach is to break free from existing brands and create your own product in an environment free from expectations or convention.

This "commercial" is a demonstration of directing talent by the model maker, sculptor and animatronic designer John Nolan. Hence the brand name for the cheese.

Were this a commercial for a real brand of cheese, one might leave out the middle song. Yet, as a demonstration piece, we really see John Nolan's gift for vivid creative expression and his animatronic talent.

Despite the middle scene, the work leaves you wanting the brand. That's some strong cheddar!

Good work on the package design, too.

You can learn more about Nolan and his work at John Nolan Films.

Many thanks go to Marv Waldman - creative genius - for showing me this work.

Monday, September 13, 2010

Brand Personality

The successful BMW Mini Cooper shows people will forgo larger cars and pay well for smaller cars that possess desirable capabilities communicated with appropriate imagery.

Here's the latest Mini Cooper commercial, showing the car is both in tune with the times and a pleasurable experience.

The work was done by BSUR in Amsterdam.

Thursday, September 2, 2010

Audience Augmentation of Brand Value

Strategically, advertising should be premised on a clear idea of the competitive frame and exactly what information is needed to advise consumers on how the choice is to be made.

When you are confident of the strategic considerations, then you are ready to tell the story emphatically and surprisingly quickly.

Admirable work, but this is really not a "commercial." It was not created, produced and placed by the featured brand. Rather, it is user generated media content created by Bill Day and posted on YouTube.

The work demonstrates how, in today's media environment, unanticipated voices in the marketplace can augment brand value and demonstrate the principles of effective strategic communication.

Those familiar with the original 1984 Macintosh commercial will see irony in the twist. For those not familiar with that commercial, it is nevertheless the human metaphor of the lone voice standing up to suppression that gives communicative power to the piece. In his re-use of the old commercial, the maker demonstrates some key principles.