Have you seen the ad for the Philips Arcitec razor? It’s the one that says we conquered the sky, showing the Wright Brothers; we conquered Mount Everest, showing a climber on his way to the top; we conquered the moon, showing the landing on the moon; and we conquered the neck, showing the Philips Arcitec.
My wife who was watching with me was disgusted. “That’s ridiculous, comparing a new razor to the landing on the moon.”
But that, I’m sure, is the point. I’ve worked with a lot of advertising creative people and this feels like an intentionally ironic ad. “Of course it’s not as big as landing on the moon. It’s meant to be ironic.”
This new view of irony is when you use irony to excuse something that would otherwise be unacceptable or in this case ridiculous. The first time I encountered this was with the new Men’s magazines – FHM, Maxim, Loaded. These were read by young guys. If criticised for looking at pictures of half naked women they would say “You don’t understand. I’m being ironic. I know they are exploitative and in looking at them I am recognising that. I’m not a dirty old man.”
Applying the same think to the Philips ad the thinking goes. “Of course it’s a ridiculous comparison. That’s the point. We’re being ironic. But it’s still a cool razor and a real advance within razors.” The truth is they would really like us to believe it’s as good as landing on the moon.
The trouble with this sort of irony is that most observers dismiss it as a self delusion. They look and say “Guys who buy Maxim like looking at naked women”. And “Philips thinks its new razor is on a par with landing on the moon”. And react accordingly. Just like my wife.
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Great lies of advertising and what they really mean
I advertising we don't always say what we mean. Here is something to help you understand things better. Do let me know ones you'd like to add.
1. We want to use advertising to build the brand
We haven’t got any real point of difference and can’t be bothered to dig deeper so it’s down to the creative. Also “This is a creative challenge”.
2. Our main aim is to sell the product
Our reputation is based on peer recognition within the creative community. That’s what we care about. If we can sell some stuff at the same time that’s great.
3. We want edgy advertising
We are embarrassed that our advertising is so boring. So this time do something good. Of course it still has to beat the norms in the pre-test and we don’t want any e-mails to the president.
4. This will get talked about at the watercooler
Yeah. Only if it’s your watercooler. Seriously how many ads get talked about each year – 4 or 5? Is yours one of them?
5. I really love this idea but I’d like to save it for next year.
I hate it.
6. We’re switching budget to online/WOM/PR
I don’t know if it’ll do any good – I certainly can’t measure it - but its way cool, and besides head office (in the US) won’t interfere.
7. This will make a great viral campaign.
We know there’s no hope of you buying it for traditional advertising. But you’re less picky with online stuff. Meanwhile see 4 above – how many online things have you forwarded to friends that aren’t done by someone you know?
8. This is a totally original idea
Except for the campaign from Thailand I saw in Communications Arts.
9. It’s totally on brief
I actually only looked at the brief this morning when preparing for this meeting. But if I say it’s on brief are you going to call me a liar?
10. Research proves …
I don’t really care what the research says but I know it better than you so you’d better agree with me.
11. Consumer Insights Department
The market research department were unhappy with their low status so they rebranded themselves. c.f. alternate names for account planners and media planners.
12. It sold bucketloads
I don’t really care how successful it was in business terms but I know I’m supposed to, so I’ll say it did without bothering to look up the details.
1. We want to use advertising to build the brand
We haven’t got any real point of difference and can’t be bothered to dig deeper so it’s down to the creative. Also “This is a creative challenge”.
2. Our main aim is to sell the product
Our reputation is based on peer recognition within the creative community. That’s what we care about. If we can sell some stuff at the same time that’s great.
3. We want edgy advertising
We are embarrassed that our advertising is so boring. So this time do something good. Of course it still has to beat the norms in the pre-test and we don’t want any e-mails to the president.
4. This will get talked about at the watercooler
Yeah. Only if it’s your watercooler. Seriously how many ads get talked about each year – 4 or 5? Is yours one of them?
5. I really love this idea but I’d like to save it for next year.
I hate it.
6. We’re switching budget to online/WOM/PR
I don’t know if it’ll do any good – I certainly can’t measure it - but its way cool, and besides head office (in the US) won’t interfere.
7. This will make a great viral campaign.
We know there’s no hope of you buying it for traditional advertising. But you’re less picky with online stuff. Meanwhile see 4 above – how many online things have you forwarded to friends that aren’t done by someone you know?
8. This is a totally original idea
Except for the campaign from Thailand I saw in Communications Arts.
9. It’s totally on brief
I actually only looked at the brief this morning when preparing for this meeting. But if I say it’s on brief are you going to call me a liar?
10. Research proves …
I don’t really care what the research says but I know it better than you so you’d better agree with me.
11. Consumer Insights Department
The market research department were unhappy with their low status so they rebranded themselves. c.f. alternate names for account planners and media planners.
12. It sold bucketloads
I don’t really care how successful it was in business terms but I know I’m supposed to, so I’ll say it did without bothering to look up the details.
Friday, November 7, 2008
A Tale of Two Cities
Is Canada really the multicultural mosaic we want to believe it is? Well yes and no.
I moved to Toronto ten years ago from the UK. And there it’s true. My dentist is an Asian from the Caribbean. In my daughters’ elementary school the majority of children didn’t have English as their first language – their friends came from Latvia, Jamaica, Sri Lanka amongst many others. Locally I have a choice of food from anywhere from Poland to Ethiopia. We celebrate the Ukrainian Festival, Caribbana, the Taste of the Danforth. According to the 2006 Census 43% of the population belongs to a visible minority.
But I also have a cottage in Haliburton. There, according to the Census, there are 165 people who belong to a visible minority, or 1% of the population. Yes 1% vs. 43%. As they say, you don’t see too many black faces on the dock. But don’t get me wrong. The people of Haliburton are not unsophisticated – there has been an explosion of high quality restaurants; the local radio station, if sometimes delightfully amateur, is more intelligent than most Toronto alternatives; there is a thriving local arts scene.
But it is not multicultural. Ethnic food is hard to find. The artists are mostly white. You rarely hear other languages spoken.
The fact is there are two Canadas. Not French speaking vs. English. Montreal has its own thriving multiculturalism, albeit not as pronounced as Toronto or Vancouver. The Laurentians are ethnically as white as Haliburton.
The real split is cities vs. rural Canada.
One, the cities, where the majority of the media live, where 96% of all visible minorities live, where the great multiculturalism experiment is happening; and the other, rural Canada, where 2% of the population is a visible minority, where the media visit but don’t live, where non-white people stand out as different.
Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but we shouldn’t believe our own mythology about Canada being the great cultural mosaic.
I moved to Toronto ten years ago from the UK. And there it’s true. My dentist is an Asian from the Caribbean. In my daughters’ elementary school the majority of children didn’t have English as their first language – their friends came from Latvia, Jamaica, Sri Lanka amongst many others. Locally I have a choice of food from anywhere from Poland to Ethiopia. We celebrate the Ukrainian Festival, Caribbana, the Taste of the Danforth. According to the 2006 Census 43% of the population belongs to a visible minority.
But I also have a cottage in Haliburton. There, according to the Census, there are 165 people who belong to a visible minority, or 1% of the population. Yes 1% vs. 43%. As they say, you don’t see too many black faces on the dock. But don’t get me wrong. The people of Haliburton are not unsophisticated – there has been an explosion of high quality restaurants; the local radio station, if sometimes delightfully amateur, is more intelligent than most Toronto alternatives; there is a thriving local arts scene.
But it is not multicultural. Ethnic food is hard to find. The artists are mostly white. You rarely hear other languages spoken.
The fact is there are two Canadas. Not French speaking vs. English. Montreal has its own thriving multiculturalism, albeit not as pronounced as Toronto or Vancouver. The Laurentians are ethnically as white as Haliburton.
The real split is cities vs. rural Canada.
One, the cities, where the majority of the media live, where 96% of all visible minorities live, where the great multiculturalism experiment is happening; and the other, rural Canada, where 2% of the population is a visible minority, where the media visit but don’t live, where non-white people stand out as different.
Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but we shouldn’t believe our own mythology about Canada being the great cultural mosaic.
Monday, November 3, 2008
Why don’t people hate the Mac vs. PC advertising?
The other day someone was telling me how offended they got by competitive ads that knock other products. Interestingly only 5 minutes before they had said that they really liked the current Mac and PC ads; you know, the Mac ads that knock the PC.
I gently pointed out this apparent contradiction and they countered that the Mac-PC ads were different because in those the Mac wasn’t knocking the PC, the PC was drawing attention to its own weaknesses.
Now my friend isn’t stupid. They know it’s an Apple ad, written by Apple copywriters and using actors employed by Apple. So why the logic failure?
Maybe it’s OK to knock the opposition if you wrap it up, or maybe it’s OK if it’s done humorously, or maybe it’s OK to make fun of and disparage the PC if you’re cool like Apple. Or maybe Microsoft is the marketing equivalent of white males – one of the few ethnic groups you can make jokes about.
Now all that may be true but it does undermine the moral dimension of the criticism of comparative ads. Seems like all is fair in advertising so long as it’s done well. And people don’t apply logic to what they see in ads. Not that’s there’s anything wrong with that. I love the ads too.
I gently pointed out this apparent contradiction and they countered that the Mac-PC ads were different because in those the Mac wasn’t knocking the PC, the PC was drawing attention to its own weaknesses.
Now my friend isn’t stupid. They know it’s an Apple ad, written by Apple copywriters and using actors employed by Apple. So why the logic failure?
Maybe it’s OK to knock the opposition if you wrap it up, or maybe it’s OK if it’s done humorously, or maybe it’s OK to make fun of and disparage the PC if you’re cool like Apple. Or maybe Microsoft is the marketing equivalent of white males – one of the few ethnic groups you can make jokes about.
Now all that may be true but it does undermine the moral dimension of the criticism of comparative ads. Seems like all is fair in advertising so long as it’s done well. And people don’t apply logic to what they see in ads. Not that’s there’s anything wrong with that. I love the ads too.
The Power of Energy
Apparently energy is everything. Well at least for brands and probably for me too. According to John Gerzema and Ed LeBar in their recent book “The Brand Bubble”, Energy is more important for a brand than awareness, trust, respect or familiarity in determining its future success.
Certainly, if you look at the recent US presidential campaign, that’s born out. An untried relatively inexperienced newcomer looks likely to win the election. While lacking experience and being relatively unknown, he certainly has energy. His speeches are exciting, his message is one of change and he approaches his marketing innovatively and creatively e.g. his recent foray into advertising in video games. The only recent threat was when the older, more experienced but less energetic McCain introduce Sarah Palin as a running mate. Talk about an injection of energy. But I guess that also shows that energy alone cannot sustain growth without some underlying substance.
It’s also been a favourite theme of mine. The first brand I worked on in Canada was Bell at BBDO. We were obsessed with energy, though we called it momentum. That’s because, if, you who remember your physics, it suggests direction as well as motion. Though, in retrospect, a better term might be Velocity, which doesn’t have the connotations of inertia.
At Bell we constantly tracked results on the question “I’m hearing more about them nowadays”. We believed that, like Oscar Wilde, “there is only one thing in life worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about”. The result of this thinking was the “People are coming back to Bell” campaign, which was immensely successful in a tough market situation.
According to Gerzema and LeBar many famous brands lack energy, including American Airlines, Midas and Exxon. So if you are involved with a brand like that you might want to ask yourself how to get more energy. To start you off some of the things that help are: differentiation, vision, innovation and creativity (in everything).
Now I’m going to start applying that concept to myself. It’s easier said than done. But if I’m successful, watch out world.
For more go to http://www.toolkitmarketing.ca/
Certainly, if you look at the recent US presidential campaign, that’s born out. An untried relatively inexperienced newcomer looks likely to win the election. While lacking experience and being relatively unknown, he certainly has energy. His speeches are exciting, his message is one of change and he approaches his marketing innovatively and creatively e.g. his recent foray into advertising in video games. The only recent threat was when the older, more experienced but less energetic McCain introduce Sarah Palin as a running mate. Talk about an injection of energy. But I guess that also shows that energy alone cannot sustain growth without some underlying substance.
It’s also been a favourite theme of mine. The first brand I worked on in Canada was Bell at BBDO. We were obsessed with energy, though we called it momentum. That’s because, if, you who remember your physics, it suggests direction as well as motion. Though, in retrospect, a better term might be Velocity, which doesn’t have the connotations of inertia.
At Bell we constantly tracked results on the question “I’m hearing more about them nowadays”. We believed that, like Oscar Wilde, “there is only one thing in life worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about”. The result of this thinking was the “People are coming back to Bell” campaign, which was immensely successful in a tough market situation.
According to Gerzema and LeBar many famous brands lack energy, including American Airlines, Midas and Exxon. So if you are involved with a brand like that you might want to ask yourself how to get more energy. To start you off some of the things that help are: differentiation, vision, innovation and creativity (in everything).
Now I’m going to start applying that concept to myself. It’s easier said than done. But if I’m successful, watch out world.
For more go to http://www.toolkitmarketing.ca/
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