“Buy me!” – The changing landscape of advertising

March 4, 2010 - 11:28 am

Katie the OXO girl would have to work a lot harder to sell stock cubes today and John and Yoko would have to launch an interactive marketing campaign to tell us War Is Over…not a few monochrome billboards.

Us demanding consumers now require an assault on our senses to persuade us to part with our cash with plotlines cleverer than the Milky Bar Kid and technology reaching far beyond the Smash robots. From cinematic epics, mind-blowing effects, multi million pound celeb endorsements, games and giveaways marketers will do anything to get our attention.

So what gets us reaching for our wallets? The internet has opened up opportunities for new ways of getting us hooked.  Adware and pop-ups for example are now more subtle and targeted with some picking out words on your social networking profile or matching a site you’re visiting to similar or related products to buy- sneaky eh?  But the advent of viral marketing has taken the marketing world by storm and we love it!

Marketing experts have said we are all now ‘active participants’ in media consumption. There are some complex mind games at work as the best new adverts let us do the chasing.  Known as viral campaigns, a company aims to make a short video clip that is so compelling, prospective customers share it with all their friends and family spreading the brand’s message until the video attracts millions of viewers.

So what of these mini cinematic masterpieces?  Whether shown on TV or spread around as viral campaigns, here is a section of modern classics defining our times.

Catching the viral vibe

Evian’s roller-skating babies campaign became an internet sensation last summer with around four million viewers of the YouTube ad per week at the campaign’s peak.  In an interview,  the water company’s brand director said the company was trying to sell thirsty customers a ‘dream’.  He believes consumers expect more from a big brand than just facts.  The campaign was so effective with millions sharing the technically tricky video the company did not need to pay for TV ad space for a good few months.

Other technical achievements have spawned ‘real or not’ debates online.  Did Sony let loose thousands of bouncy balls on the streets of San Francisco for its Bravia advert or was it computer wizardry?  The video was spreading like wildfire while the debate escalated.  Check out the ‘making of’ video to finally find out!  Consumers also questioned the feasibility of Quicksilver’s surfing stunt.  With a reputed 10 million views in the first few months, the surfing is undeniably cool but is it real?  Answers on a postcard.

Viral ads let us share and compare

Staying on the real/unreal debate, cue Dove’s groundbreaking Dove Evolution advert.  As the public tired of airbrushed celebs with computer-enhanced beauty, Dove used time-lapse technology to transform a ‘normal’ woman into a model using stylists and computer-wizardry.  The slogan ‘No wonder our perception of real beauty is distorted’ spoke to a lot of women.  While the ad only aired a few times on TV, it is becoming one of the most watched videos online and it’s not only viewing figures that have soared.  The company’s profits have jumped thanks to its ‘Real Beauty’ campaign.

Once in a blue moon there is a real Viral phenomenon, unpaid for by brands and completely unplanned.  Step forward Coke and Mentos.  It all started out as an experiment by Eepybird website of dropping 2 Mentos minty sweets in the soft drink. Several videos followed raking in an estimated 50 million views.  The unofficial campaign did both brands a BIG favour as consumers clamoured to contribute their own eruption films.  What remains unclear is what happens if you drink coke while eating Mentos…no videos please!

Cinematic Sensations

You might know Baz Luhrmann for his work on the Moulin Rouge film…but he also directed Chanel No 5’s commercial starring Nicole Kidman.  It lasts an incredible three minutes and is the only advert we can think of with credits.  Experts believe the advert raised the bar for the luxury goods advertising making prospective customers feel extra special.  What better way to do that than to put the goods in a movie with a personal connection?

Movies go mini

More frustrating than Meccano without instructions or a jigsaw with a missing piece, a crack team of dedicated people with the patience of all the saints must have created Honda’s Cog commercial where a chain reaction is produced from car parts.  Its technical prowess was incredible and can be appreciated by the ‘making of’ video.  The implication was, if Honda goes to this much trouble to make a commercial, imagine how much effort goes into forming their new car!

Interactive inventions

Some advertisers have taken consumer interaction to new levels.  When comparison website Compare the Market first used a little-known Aleksandr Orlov to front a campaign, few could have predicted an animal could cause such a stir.  With zoo adoptions of Meercats up and a furry character in Harrods, the cult hit has its own interactive website.  While you can compare meercats, it cunningly lets you travel to the real price comparison site too…seemples!  The new Compare The Meerkat ad is an epic starring Aleksander but was available to Aleksander’s half a million Facebook fans and quarter of a million Twitter followers as a preview.  Word spread fast and there were even adverts for the airing of the, erm, advert.

Be a commercial star

As well as interacting with special websites created for adverts, you can actually star in one.  How’s that for interactive?  T-Mobile hosted a massive public karaoke last summer starring pop star Pink as a surprise guest.  Hoards of fame-hungry revellers crowded Trafalgar Square in London, alerted by T-Mobile texts to sing along to a medley of tunes later to feature in T-Mobile’s adverts.  Like an organised and policed flash-mob TV-hopefuls posted their experiences all over the web before the advert was even unveiled.

So while Bisto and Guinness ads may conjure up a whiff of nostalgia, maybe we’ll be looking back in years to come with fond memories of viral campaigns more contagious than swine flu.  One thing seems certain; the discerning customer demands more than a leaflet or billboard and companies are constantly reminded the customer is always right!