Should we ignore traditional Marketing tactics?

As generations have come and gone, so has new technology. Everyday, there are rumours and discoveries of newer and better technology than the day before. It is unavoidable, that we as humans are naturally optimistic with what can be achieved in terms of technology, because it’s been proven with revolutionary products such as the iPhone, GoogleGlass and Smart-watches. Yet, as hard as it now seems to believe, the radio, TV and landline telephones were also revolutionary products when they were introduced into society and without these outdated products, the high-tech products we use today would not be around.

Marketing has taken a similar journey with technology, from it being known as just an aspect of selling, it is now heavily invested by multi-national companies and governmental organisations, being treated as a colleague of Sales.

But whilst companies discover new and exciting tactics and technology to lead their marketing activities, should traditional channels such as TV, Billboards and face-face advertising be ignored?

A recent study found that a large percentage of consumers, especially those between 18-29, are aware of brand activity from TV Commercials. There is no doubt that social media has led to huge growth in customer acquisition and more cost-effective and targeted advertising, however, what some companies have started to do is cross-channelize their communications, using the best of both resources and allowing consumers to be aware of their activities from both ends.

Face to Face communication is something that is being forgotten not only within society, but within Marketing as well. The more we use online messaging to communicate, the more monotonous and routine is becomes, whilst face-to-face communication become more unusual, and what do we as consumers remember more, the unusual or the usual?

I can remember from two years ago, being given great advice from someone in a store who knew the product he was selling well, was friendly, and could make me feeling valued as a customer. And it is this reason why the term ‘customer service’ is no longer being associated with how a member of staff treats a customer face-to-face, but by how quickly a website can search for the exact product the user wants, along with related suggestions of other products. The human element is going.

If we as Marketers can take the best of both technologically advanced marketing assets AND traditional marketing assets, would the value per customer not be increased?

The Generation of C.E.Ts (Convincing Expert Testimonials)

Every week, I continue to be astonished by the approaches of certain adverts to use so-called ‘Experts’ in their adverts. We see it in toothpaste commercials that use actors to portray ‘Dentists’ and we are now seeing it with consumer brands such as Finish with their Dish & Tips Commercial. I call these ‘Convincing Expert Testimonials’ or ‘CETs’ (Kets).

Advert Break-Down

The hilarious portrayal about this commercial is how it starts off as if it is a weekly TV Show. Oh, and could you have guessed it?? Today’s guest on the show is a “Hygiene Expert”. Oh yes, I’ve seen all her films: The Lime-scale of the Rings, Starch Wars, and my favourite, Hairy Squatter. This isn’t the Graham Norton Show!

Many toothpaste adverts can get away with KETs, saying their testimonials from ‘Dentists’ are real, because there is no easy way we can find out otherwise, because they are ‘Local Dentists’ from their region (which is not mentioned). However, this commercial has learned from others and has used a real expert in the field of Hygiene, Dr Lisa Ackerley. But how do we know she is a regular user of Finish?

If commercials want to show credibility, how are they going to convince their audience that this is not scripted? It’s phrases such as “Oh no!” and “Gosh!”. Oh, great acting! You really had us believing you were genuinely shocked!

Another one of Finish’s TV Commercials uses the same approach, however this time hosts an Engineer. When asked what most customers complain about, the Engineer says “The Smell”. As sharp as the host is, she then asks “What is that?”. Ok, not as sharp as we might have thought. In fact, the advertising agency is not as sharp as we might have thought, because how on earth is a TV Advert going to prove that the smell changes when using Finish? Well the answer goes back to the host’s terrific acting skills of course!

With her over-rehearsed facial expressions put to the test, she gives an oscar-winning performance. She smells two dishwashers, one without Finish…. “Ewwww”, and one with Finish…”That one smells so much fresher and cleaner!” Oh well I am convinced!

What have we learned?

I thought this generation had moved on from fake testimonial adverts that were so prominent in th 30’s and 50’s, however it seems that for some reason, consumers are still convinced. Maybe this is because the demonstrations are explained so simply with visual graphics, that the acting is simply a laughing matter and not associated with credibility.

Unlike many of these blogs, this is one that will (despite the moan) be applauded. If KETs were not working, we would not see any more of them, but we are. The demonstrations are clear and jargon-free, and this one in particular is keeping a consistent approach with it’s TV Show ambiance with clever branding in its design and aesthetics.

If we as consumers can be convinced by these commercials, who is to say what will be advertised next! I predict “natural-sweetener coke”…….oh wait……that’s already been attempted.

QR Codes: The Awful and Succesful

Hello fellow Marketers! We introduce a different type of Marketing Moan this week, more of a comparative analysis of adverts, where marketers have attempted to use the conveniences of technology and introduced QR Codes.

QR codes are just a spec of sand in the continual development of technology and its advantages on Marketing, however with advances in technology comes a decline in human intelligence. Let’s start with the adverts that almost leave us speechless.

QR Code Fails

Ok, so for any seagulls out there, who haven’t yet been sucked into the propellers, get your phones out and scan this code whilst you’re flying at 600mph.

What Nitwit would think putting a giant QR Code on a plane would get scanned? Maybe when stationary at an airport but even then, I’ve got better things to do than try and point my phone at a plane from an odd angle.

Ok, so I’m on the highway and see this billboard with a QR Code on it, let alone I only have a split second to scan it at exactly the right distance, asking myself what part of my brain is going to convince me to ignore all instincts of safe-driving to direct me to a website which I would need to spend time and concentration looking at?!

You’ve got to laugh when the advert itself reads “Guiding & Protecting America”. Yep, this advert really signifies your ethos for protection!

QR Code Success

Finally! Someone’s used it properly! This is a QR Code design carved into the glass, so that whenever a dark drink goes into it, the QR Code is revealed! This was introduced by Guinness so that their drinks could get scanned but the beauty is that even other dark drinks will allow their scan and visit rates to go up. Their Competition is helping them without realizing it!

What have we learned?

QR Codes are useful for tech-savvy consumers who have the QR Scanning application, however marketers need to consider other methods for those who are not. Maybe this is the reason QR Codes have been dying out recently. Their innovation deserves respect, granted, however ironically, although they were created for practicality, they are considered impractical by those who do not have the time to take out their phone, get in the right position and distance and then scan.

Marketing methods by nature are becoming ever more experience-orientated, so that consumers remember the experience by which they encountered a brand, such as playing football with a Nike ball, but scanning is not seen at one of the most exciting of activities. There are ways to use them, however, such as when the consumer is in a stationary position or when the QR Code is portable, like on a business card. These, ultimately, will create effective brand engagements.

Why the Conservatives need better advertising….

This week on Marketing Moan, we remind ourselves of this year’s UK General Elections by reviewing a Conservatives advert.

To start by saying that I congratulate the advertising execs with choosing the poshest sounding narrator they could find. Yes, that is definitely going to make middle-class and working class citizens take this so-called advert seriously. I wouldn’t so much call this an advert but more of a news bulletin! “This just in….. conservative policies we know you will indubitably accept!”

I mean, did the Conservative Party really spend so much last year, that they couldn’t even afford to make a decent advert. I mean, this is supposed to be 21st Century Public Media to support their continued governance of one of the most financially adept countries in the world and the best they could do is show amateur nursery graphics?! The lack of effort is shown with that lego beefeater at 1min 3secs.

I laughed at Ed Miliband when he attempted to blend into a middle-class pub but this is even worse! It’s that music in the background that makes me cringe……Is this a policy advert or an episode of Peppa Pig?!

The first 20 seconds of this video is trying to show their advocacy for news and keeping the public informed but the way they  do this makes it look like we are square-eyed obese couch-potatoes:

“88% of UK Citizens watch TV daily”

“4 news programs a week instead of two”

What have we learned?

The Conservatives need to make take this seriously and not make it seem so patronizing as if we need drawings to understand what an underground station is. With the trend for satirical advertising always leaning on the boundaries of controversial, they keep us Brits on the edge of our seats and willing to downplay every candidate. Therefore, if a party wants to get the support by highlighting their proposed policies in a serious manner, they need to come up with better advertising than this. With an age of digitally and technologically enhanced marketing resources at our disposal, they need to take advantage of media that can reach the whole nation.

Youtube is one of those social mediums that can achieve this aim, however used with little effort, can backfire and ignite the cons that come with social media: the ability for audiences to share their criticisms! Twitter is another that can cause backlash and I for one recommend they use it, seeing as they clearly lack the ability to produce videos.

Join me next week where I will look to moan at the good, the bad, and the ugly!

COMPARE THE ELEPHANT DOT COM

This week on Marketing Moan, we look at MoneySupermarket’s Elephant Commercial. May I first start by trying to link the notion of saving money with an Elephant……. nope can’t do it! Don’t get me wrong, I find them fascinating but what I am more worried about is the fact that the driver has a wheel built into this elephant…..I mean slap my thigh and call me Judy but that must be deemed animal cruelty! Let’s not forget that this commercial is trying to sell us the idea that they can find the best value cars and insurance for money. Alright then, so does the elephant signify…

• A 4×4 vehicle?
• When Elephants roam free in the city, our roads get damaged?
• You are what you eat?
• Be more eco-friendly by riding safari animals?

No, it signifies that the overweight animal (I don’t mean the elephant!) is feeling so EPIC, that he feels like he is riding a wild Saharan mammal in the middle of what looks like a congested city area (yep that makes sense). If I was feeling epic, I would probably catch a flight to the Maldives and go jet-skiing. No? Ok then, next time I feel epic, I’ll break into London Zoo, jump onto a rhino and gallop down to Cornwall for a nice pasty! I also can’t help but note the narrator introduces the driver of this elephant, who I am guessing is supposed to be called Graeme, but somehow comes out as “Gram” – Actually I would say he is more like 2000 Grams! An article from ProlificNorth reveals the creative directors of this ad campaign quoting they “took the badass swagger of Samuel L Jackson in Pulp Fiction, the strut of John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever, a sprinkle of Michael Jackson in Billie Jean, served with the Single Ladies attitude of Beyoncé – and channelled them all into a 15ft African Bull Elephant and a slightly fat bloke from Coventry”. I think their next quote sums the more realistic realization of this disastrous advert: “We still can’t believe that we get paid to do this for a living!” ……Well neither can I! What have we learned Yes, the advertising world has become accustomed with placing comical chubby men on our screens, dancing to the tunes of songs that don’t deserve the assimilation, however the advertising executives need to focus their attention on is not how it makes us feel epic but rather on how user friendly the service can be for anyone with a mobile or laptop and how much money they are saving, whilst being presented with access to multiple products. After looking at an advert, I always ask the same thing: “Could I figure out what the advert was about if turned the sound off?” The only thing that gives this away is the logo at the end, but there is nothing else that even comes close to signifying the service. In my opinion, consumers find the whole process of comparing insurance and prices a bit monotonous, but it needs to be done……so why don’t they show an advert of an ordinary person going onto their iPad and using the service easily on a simple user-interface, displaying the ease of use and convenience. Comedy could easily be added there which would not distract the actual meaning of the commercial. Tune in next week for our next Marketing Moan and SEND US YOUR SUGGESTIONS for adverts to moan at!

A Bank’s first dating service!

This week on Marketing Moan, we look at HSBC’s commercial for its dating service…… oh sorry, it’s not a dating service??

I am usually quite impressed by HSBC’s adverts which manage to portray cultural differences, due to its global presence and purpose to tailor its services across different countries. However, if there wasn’t a narrator in this commercial, I honestly would have thought it was advertising for washing liquid! You know what I mean….. a boy is getting ready for a date but spills food on his suit and then the mother uses a special washing liquid to clean it so he’s ready for his date! Pretty good huh!

When looking at the start of the advert, the image they are trying to give this young lad is a bit ambiguous! Let’s observe what is in his room to try and get a picture of the sort of person he is:

• A  Trombone
• 5 trophies
• What looks like a  miniature tortoise
• A tennis racquet
• Some books

Ok, so we have an award winning tennis-themed brass musician who is also an author of a book collection called “The Evolution of Shelled Reptiles”.

And I swear that 12 seconds in, his brother gives him a little pinch on the buttocks! No wonder the poor boy stands up so quickly!

Ok, so we finally see the HSBC Logo right at the end of the commercial, but as soon as the girl (who by the way, must be at least 10 years older than the boy, but then again, I guess they do mature earlier at a young age than us lads) kisses the boy, the slogan comes up saying “We reward our people for outstanding customer support”. You’re damn right it’s outstanding! I mean what other bank will give their customers a peck on the cheek from a 20 year old Jennifer Garner look-a-like?!

What have we learned?

More and more commercials are using metaphorical tactics to symbolize a brand’s customer service, however in a world where digital communication is becoming interconnected, this commercial needs to involve other elements to make its brand stand out such as:

• a hashtag at the bottom of the screen that says #hsbcdate or something, in an effort to keep that commercial in the audience’s head.
• A message that says “Find out what happens next at (website)” to keep the story going.

When projecting brand image, it is important to keep a unique element in your commercials that consumers can recall on. For example, Lloyd’s TSB ‘For the Journey’ commercial keeps the same cartoon design for their characters and music for their commercials. HSBC had this brand recall element with their ‘The world’s local bank’ commercials, however they seem to be differentiating from that.

Understandably, a brand narrative needs to alter as the market diversifies, so HSBC need to find that ‘element of recall’, otherwise they risk being commercially lost.

It’s not the fault of the parrot, but the supermarket that teaches him to sing!

On this week’s Marketing Moan, we put the spotlight on Tesco Mobile’s ‘Enough Said’ TV Commercial.

Now, despite this commercial starting off with good intentions, using bold, bright visual spots with a clear message, anyone walking into the room to see the last 20 seconds of this advert would think it was advertising for an RSPCA rock concert!

We see a lot of adverts using comedy as a tactic but at what point do they actually end up distracting the audience from product or service? In this case, it was 10 seconds for me, but that is subjectively because of my intolerance to seeing a pale blue suit on someone who looks like a 1970s anchorman.

So, as the emotionless British zombie finishes promoting the deal, it then switches to the parrot for the remaining 15 seconds of the advert…..that’s right……50% of the advert is spent watching this parrot.

When I think of using a parrot in a tv commercial, I think of two things:

1. Use it to repetitively say product name or phrase

2. Allow it to say something briefly that makes the commercial funny

I think when we get into the head of the advertising execs (and Marilyn Manson) that made this commercial they think of:

1. Let’s make a parrot sing heavy metal in a local pub

2. Let’s put a hip-hop DJ on the stage playing heavy metal

NO WONDER the pub is empty!! The mix of themes is just confusing! You’ve got the 1970s anchorman presenting a hip-hop DJ playing with a heavy metal parrot lead singer, set up on a table with nautical signs on it!

What have we learned?

The use of brand colouring is important, granted, however to have so much focus and promise for 30 seconds and then throw all the hype and meaning of capped contracts away for a screaming parrot just wastes your budget. With a 30 second commercial, you need to have that distinctive element that will stay in your audience’s head. Whether it’s a way of luring them in to your website or an unorthodox tactic to promote your product, it needs to be a  catalyst in the consumer behaviour process: Awareness – Interest – Desire – Action

Breaking down the predicted opinions of the target consumers:

Ages 11-18 = Probably quite appealing for its cheap prices, however with Goths getting close to extinction, would not fancy much attention.

Ages 19-25 = Would warrant their attention for cost but with the trend on club and house music increasing, they would delete from their memory after 15 seconds

Anyone older = “What a horrible sound!”

To Summarize

Tesco Mobile is a peripheral service in the Tesco company and with its ‘misleading’ dominance in the supermarket industry, they feel they do not have to invest highly in the mobile market, thus taking advantage of low-priced contracts with medium quality phones.

This brand image definitely resonates in this commercial and if they want to keep that reputation going, I would keep making commercials like this one. Their social media results on this advert speak for themselves with only 1 retweet and 4 favourites on Twitter……..ENOUGH SAID.

Celebrity Endorsement or Embarrassment?!

To start this weeks Marketing Moan, we focus on Santander’s cringing TV Commercial featuring Jessica Ennis-Hill.

I understand the need to be thinking ‘outside-the-box’ and to lure the attention of your audience by putting something out there that will make them cringe or feel empowered due to the fact they can judge the stupidity of an advert! However, there are certain adverts that just go beyond the message they are trying to send and just end up being put in the category ‘brands to not take seriously’.

Let us just re-cap what is going on in this advert:

Jessica Ennis apparently never walks around the house in normal clothing and seeing as the public know her an athelete, she will therefore only be in her home (wearing expensive sports clothing) whilst drying her chocolate  labrador  (infamous for their odour). Ok, fair enough! Mabye she’s about to leave for a run!

Now, a random stranger (I am assuming by Jessica’s initial expression) has somehow been lying on the floor the whole time without her knowing, suddenly pops up from the floor telling her about his experience with the 123 Current account! (I am just trying to imagine the advertising exec’s script and narrative when coming up with this  ‘ingenious’ idea for an ad).  Now, if a random stranger appears in your home putting their feet up on what looks like expensive French wood, I would imagine you would bash their head in with that hair dryer rather than drying your dog! Especially after they decide to pick up your dog! I mean that is silly…..why ruin a perfectly good suit by picking up a dog??

What have we learned?

This  commercial has lacked any real creativity or story line and has flung its cash at celebrity endorsement to try and get more views. It’s one thing using a celebrity, but then introducing two more (Rory McIlroy and Jenson Button) who have no connection to each other whatsoever other than sponsorship and this advert!

Santander need to think about the sort of image they are creating, and if they do choose to use celebrity endorsement, please for the love of all that is pure, give them better lines and some acting lessons (I’m looking at you Rory!) And for their sake, I hope they don’t have to worry about one of the celebrities gets into the news for the wrong reasons, like Gillette experienced with Tiger Woods.

Today, consumers are knowledgeable and have access to other opinions and channels. Multiple touch points to a brand will generate salience over the long haul, if successful. Celebrity Endorsement is a fast-track to consumer attention, but unless there is a clear follow up of brand meaning and purpose, the message will be forgotten and it will turn from Celebrity Endorsement to Celebrity  Embarrassment!

Tune in next week to see which channel I will be moaning at next…..or alternatively, tell me of an advert you’ve seen that you think needs moaning at and I might just gladly have a go!