Skewed: What Happens When Marketing Works

2009-11-01T12:35:00.000-08:00

Something for Everyo..
Watch the ad...

Welcome back the age of entertainment. (Did you ever leave?)

2008-11-05T02:52:00.000-08:00

One of my life's guilty pleasures is to deride, mock and lob disdain at X-Factor ... whilst sitting down to watch the entire programme. And if I'm feeling particularly self-indulgent I might even catch the Extra Factor repeat just to be sure that it really is drivel.

The truth, of course, is that it's utterly compelling entertainment. And unfortunately for the BBC and Sky, it's also true to say that ITV are the masters of producing shows that can pull in millions of viewers despite turning off the critics.

(Caption competition entries to kerr.mailbox@gmail.com)

Now I know that as an educated, cultured chap I should be watching the Alan Bennett play on BBC4. And according to media planners up and down the country, professing as they do the coming of the 'age of engagement', I should then go online to take part in the live webchat before downloading a dozen related podcasts.

However, the truth is I will indulge my guilty pleasure, often with others in the room, and the remote will remain untouched throughout. And as much as this cesspit of a show will enthrall us all, none of us have even the vaguest interest in checking the website until the next installment - for then mindless entertainment (instant gratification, immediately forgettable) would become something of a labour, a chore.

During the ad break on "Final" night, it was impossible not to notice how advertisers (with the exception of one) had lept on the band wagon by producing simply entertaining commercials. There was no pressure for me to 'press red' or absorb complex product detail, to decode a baffling set of metaphors or even to remember a URL. The ad break was truly as entertaining as the programming and I was happy to watch, even grateful.

One ad has since received much credit, acclaim and recognition (more about Barclaycard in subsequent posts). The other was Walls, who clearly had very little media money so invested in a simple, entertaining creative and a couple of high impact spots.

The one advertiser that bucked the trend was NatWest - and here I must first admit some involvement: they are my employers. In a sector where consumer confidence has collapsed and the media peddle doom and gloom daily, re-building trust is an imperative. So a practical, head-on message demonstrating how a financial services brand can help its customers in these troubled times seems on the money (ahem).

So, to trend spotting. Will 2009 see the likes of Mr Grade head in hands, bemoaning the relentless onslaught of PVRs and the apparent consumer want for multi-platform, multi-layered engagement-driven entertainment? Or will ITV shareholders start smiling again when the herd returns for the 'Soma' of mass-market, mindless programming to ease the worries of the real world? (Afterall, not many of us can afford the latest ad-blocking digi-box right now.)

Advertisers will also have to pay their money and make their choice: in the wake of global financial turmoil and economic doom and gloom, which will use escapism and entertainment to win hearts and minds and which will tackle the downturn head-on with practical, back to basics messaging?

In all likelihood, both approaches will work. But we're unlikely to see too many brands being aloof, arrogant or overly complex in 2009.

No need to shout to be heard

2008-11-03T12:26:00.000-08:00

CNN recently placed Ford and GM on corporate death watch after the two automotive giants applied for a $25bn bail-out by the US Treasury. The industry is suffering its worse crisis in decades: consumer demand is waning; those who are in the market cannot find credit; and steel prices have driven production costs skyward.

But it's heartening to see that Ford has the courage to launch a new model with a heavy media spend and a fabulous TV creative by Ogilvy: perfect for the target consumer and without being sullied by tedious product detail.

According to the supporting microsite (which is loaded with as many youth-oriented 'extras' as the car itself), the Fiesta doesn't just have an interior and exterior but also a 'lifestyle' all its own. Apparently, like your average Fiesta driver, it likes to dress up and go to nightclubs. It's a fan of iPod. And for those addicted to novelty you can start it by pressing the 'Power' button (keys, afterall, are so yesterday).

The entire campaign demonstrates Ford's new-found commitment to understanding the wants of young drivers. Performance statistics, fuel efficiency, boot capacity and even the maker's mark are simply of no interest any longer. The official partners on the site - Vogue and GQ - demonstrate that style and attitude are far more important. Toyota understood this when launching Aygo (CHI), but now Ford have finally figured it out too.

Whether Fiesta passes the authenticity test is yet to be seen, but given Ford is prepared to allow 25 seconds of the 30 to pass before the product reveal is a positive and bold sign.

Too little too late?

In 2000, after BMW had stripped the company of both it's most valuable brand and its front-wheel drive technology, MG Rover exchanged hands for the notional sum of £10 via a management buy-out. The consortium chose not to pursue a rational yet radical marketing-led recovery for the business, but instead blindly clung to the belief that talented sales teams and manufacturing partnerships with Indian and Chinese firms would keep the ship steady.

In hindsight, the consortium's choice of 'Phoenix' as it's moniker was blindly optimistic. The strategy led to the launch of a crap new town car, disenchantment from a previously loyal customer base, aggressive price cuts that bled margin and eventual bankruptcy.

It would be unfair to blame the collapse of the business on its muddled, if non-existent, marketing strategy. But the brand desperately needed to find its voice and to re-engage with its customers if the business was ever going to succeed.

Ford, at least in the UK, seems to have so far resisted the temptation to cut advertising spend and abandon a reinvigorated consumer-led strategy. And with Fiesta it's taking the Japanese head-on at their own game. Time will tell whether the Ford brand can be relevant again across all its ranges and if the business can survive, but the automotive world would surely be a poorer place without it.

Enjoy a Drenching

2008-05-13T13:42:00.000-07:00

A gorilla appeared on our screens last year drumming along to a 20 year old Phil Collins track. The full 90 second version ran during prime time and did more to entertain audiences across the country than the programming. And it made us feel good again about the UK's biggest confectioner.

Cadbury's reputation had slumped to a low earlier in the year after a salmonella scare had forced it to recall millions of chocolate bars. It's sponsorship of ITV's Coronation Street had run out of steam; niche and premium competitors were stealing market share; and the planned sale of Schweppes hit the rocks as turbulence swept the debt markets.

So there was substantial impetus to try something bold, an ad that would once again make us feel warm and fuzzy about bars of chocolate. 'Gorilla' was the result, and both Cadbury and Fallon have since been applauded and criticised in equal measure. But it's now clear that other brands (and agencies) have lept on the bandwagon.

The latest is an extension of a campaign launched in 2007 by Britvic to promote its new bottled water brand:

Drench differentiates by exploiting a category truth: staying hydrated keeps you alert. In a saturated market with a plethora of brands built upon equally tenuous or bland claims its refreshing (ahem) to see an ad that cuts through by genuinely entertaining us. And despite a serious lack of media money, more of us are likely to get Drenched as a result of seeing the ad via a shared link, blog or news article.

CHI have no doubt taken a leaf from Fallon's book, but who can blame them when consumers are happy to reward those brands that offer entertainment and engagement.

But what next? Perhaps the Fallon model will have had its time when we see Terrahawks advertising Chicken Tonight.

What gets skewed?

2008-05-04T09:21:00.000-07:00

Our beliefs, attitudes and behaviours are deeply entrenched. They define us, they make us who we are. And over time we seem to cling to them all the more; eventually we will all become a caricature of our younger self. Anthropologists and psychologists will argue incessantly over whether it's nature or nurture that has the greater influence over our mental make-up.

But that's all of little interest to me and of no interest to this Blog.

What is of interest - what will get 'Skewed' - are the things that influence our perceptions, attitudes and wants throughout life. Very rarely will these things change us, most often their influence over us will be barely perceptible, but given we're exposed to so many messages and so much communication it strikes me as incredible that we're able to pick out that one colour, sound or voice every once in a while and respond.

Whether it's the build up of these messages, their timely delivery, a throw-away reference or loose endorsement made by a chum or even something more primeval, the purpose of this Blog is to record and invite comment on those messages that move me in some way.

And not just me. For you too. E-mail me when your perceptions have been skewed by a killer piece of advertising, perhaps when you've been suckered into buying something you didn't need after reading about it in a Sunday supplement; or when a golden 30 foot neon 'M' has lured you into the next fast food joint for a super-sized Ronalding.