This Dex Knows commercial has been around for a number of months now and every time I see it I’m reminded how effective it is. The messaging is simple and conveyed in a humorous and memorable fashion. This is the perfect example of an effective commercial in my mind. Not only do you get the point the advertiser is trying to make, the addition of humor makes it stick.
What do you think about this commercial? What is the key to an effective commercial for you?
- Dennis
Categories: Advertising · Advertising Blog · Commercials · Communication · Dex · TV
This Heineken Light commercial has been all over sports programs recently. It’s a pretty good commercial. It makes me remember Heineken Light and gives me a chance to look at Eva Longoria. These are two great things. At the very end of the commercial though, they loose lose me. When the waitress brings the two gentlemen their Heineken Lights, she brings them glass bottles. Not one stadium, arena or amphitheater in the US, serves any kind of beer in a glass bottle.
I don’t know why this gets under my skin so much. It doesn’t distract from the communication, but for some reason I can’t get past it. Is it because it takes something away from the authenticity?
It’s a beer commercial. They are not generally based in reality. The idea that these guys would be moved down to courtside seats isn’t based in reality, but that part doesn’t bother me.
Am I crazy for letting this bother me? Does this oversight make it a bad commercial? Have you seen other mistakes in commercials that ruin it for you?
- Dennis
Categories: Advertising · Advertising Blog · Beer Commercials · Commercials · Heineken Light · TV
For years Brink’s Home Security (or now Broadview) has had the same feel to their commercials. As real and frightening as it is, they have always shown a family being attacked. Whether it is the wife at home alone, the wife with the kids, the kids home alone or the entire family, Brink’s has been targeting the family market. With this newest commercial, Brink’s is going after a different market, the single female market.
My focus of this post is not the commercial itself. The commercial does a fine job of depicting a female preparing for a first date when a man dressed in the burglar uniform smashes a sliding glass door in an attempt to get it. The burglar is quickly scared away by the sound of the Brink’s Home Security System. Besides the avalanche of information that is thrown in at the end, I think the commercial does a good job of conveying the main idea Brink’s is seeking.
My goal for this post is to analyze the switch in target markets. The switch seems like a natural one. Women are seen by society as being more vulnerable to an attack of this type, making the visual images of this stick in the mind of the consumer even more. But I wonder what brought on this switch in focus from families to single women. Does it have to do with more women living alone because of the increase in divorce? Does it have to do with people delaying marriage and therefore more women living alone, or with female roommates? Does Brink’s get any type of halo effect from this? Does it carry over from single women, to families or even the elderly?
I guess this post is more of a question than anything else. I like the move on Brink’s behalf to show the vulnerability of a single woman and the safety and protection that a Brink’s Home Security System provides.
What do you think about this commercial? Does the switch in target markets or branching off of target markets help Brinks in your mind?
- Dennis
Categories: Advertising · Advertising Blog · Brink's Home Security · Broadview · Commercials · TV
I saw this commercial over the weekend and I was immediately hit with a flashback. I could smell the aroma of stale, three day old beer. The image of waking up to roommates and other people I didn’t know sleeping on the floor. I was brought back to a simpler time in my life. A time when a 12 pack of Natural Light was dinner on a Friday night. A time when I would sit on the couch and have beers thrown at me so I didn’t have to get up. As I watched this commercial I felt like they had rewound my college life and put it on TV.
Natural Light has put a spot light on their target audience with this commercial. There are no fancy parties, no glasses of wine, there isn’t even a bottle of beer in this commercial. Natural Light in a can is joke to many people. To their target audience a Natty Light in a can is an inexpensive, crisp, clean tasting night with your friends. You don’t have to worry about which fork to use, or which glass in front of you is for water. You sit back and enjoy the beer and your friends.
The natapult is a great extension of the emotional connection formed by the commercial. I can remember multiple times when I didn’t want to get up at a party or while watching a football game because I knew my seat would be stolen while I grabbed another beer or some more chips. This commercial puts a humorous yet realistic spin on a situation the target audience can relate to.
This commercial is perfectly targeted for the Natural Light audience. I was captured the second the commercial came on TV. However, it is very heavy on the emotional connection. Having a rational connection mixed in may have made the commercial a little stronger for a viewer who doesn’t have the strong connection to the product that I do.
What do you think about this commercial? Does it have the same effect on someone who doesn’t have a strong previous connection with the brand?
-Dennis
Categories: Account Executive · Advertising · Advertising Blog · Commercials · Natural Light · TV
In honor of the Lebron James/Kobe Bryant Nike commercials being made irrelevant by the Orland Magic knocking the Cleveland Cavaliers out of the playoffs, I thought I would take a look at the original Nike puppet commercial, Lil’ Penny. These series of commercials were full of star power and humor. While they were light on in your face promotion of Nike products, they stuck in the minds of the target audience. Very similar to the Lebron/Kobe commercials, Nike benefits from attaching their logo to the star power of the people/puppets in their commercials.
The Lebron/Kobe commercials are very similar to the Lil’ Penny originals. These commercials also rely on the emotional connection over the rational. The commercial doesn’t contain any technology or value messages that give you a reason to buy Nike products. They are relying on that same emotional connection they made with me when I was 10 years old. I can imagine a 10-year-old kid running around a playground in Cleveland yelling “playoffs” as he puts up jumpers. It doesn’t matter that the only shoe shown in the entire commercial is a puppet shoe. The consumer connects Nike, Lebron and Kobe together in their memory. Not because Nike reminds the consumer of Lebron and Kobe, because Lebron and Kobe reminds the consumer of Nike.
I’ve said before, that in down economic times, companies need to give consumers a rational benefit, be it value or other, if they expect someone to spend the money they are so dearly holding on to. These commercials don’t do that so I don’t think they are exceptional commercials for this current economy. If Nike is willing to ride out this down time and focus on the emotional connection with their consumers, these commercials do a great job of that.
As for the Lil’ Penny commercials, they will forever be ingrained in my mind as a fond memory from my childhood and as an argument in favor of a strong emotional connection lasting a long time.
What do you think about these commercials? Does the emotional connection work like it did with me?
-Dennis
Categories: Account Executive · Advertising Blog · Kobe Bryant · Lebron James · Lil' Penny · TV
During economic down times consumers become skeptical of companies selling to them. As a counter to this protectionist way of thinking two companies have gone to third party companies to back up their claims and supply extra credibility. They combine the reputation of the third party companies with a simple to understand main idea. By doing this they lower the iron curtain of skepticism and allow the consumer to see the benefits that are being offered.
This T-Mobile commercial has a simple premise. People are paying too much for their cell phones. They wrap the message in comedic packaging with the story of sending auditors to people’s houses to show them how much they are over spending. And when that doesn’t work, they send in their beautiful spokesperson. The comedic topping to the commercial does a nice job of making you smile, but the main idea is what really sticks with you. T-Mobile will save you money and you don’t have to listen to us, check out billshrink.com for proof.
The Honda commercial works off the same idea as the T-Mobile commercial. They give you the reasons why people buy Honda and stay with Honda. They focus on rational reasons to buy a Honda which work well during down economic times. But since they are so heavy on rational reasons they need some back up to prove they are a good as they say they are. They decided to go with Edmunds.com to prove their story. This third party reinforcement is even a little stronger than T-Mobile’s because Edmunds to more well know and will grab the attention of the consumer easier.
Both of these companies are saying, we have a better product and will save you money and we can prove it. This is a very strong message in a time like this.
What do you think about these spots? Does it matter which third party proof a company uses if they choose to go this route?
-Dennis
Categories: Account Executive · Advertising Blog · Commercials · Honda · T-Mobile · TV
Recently the “Own Your C” commercials have been running with pretty good frequency. The one I’ve noticed the most has a teenage boy throwing his “choices” into the air, only to have them boomerang back and attack him a year later. I thought this was a very good commercial. The strategy was simple and conveyed in a way that was interesting and memorable. After seeing this and the other complimentary commercials, I noticed a pattern. I noticed all of the commercials had a negative tone to them. All of the commercials spoke about negative choices coming back to haunt you. So the other day when I saw the “Tree” version I stopped and thought about which version was more effective.
The negative commercials have fear on their side. When the “Cs” come flying back at the teen that seems to be minding his own business, you get the feeling of fear and shock that the teen is feeling as he crawls into the phone booth for cover. You can picture yourself in that same situation. How many times, especially as a teenager, did you do something that wasn’t the best idea and got away with it? This commercial brings to light that you don’t always get away with it.
The positive commercial does something that is often overlooked when trying to speak to teenagers; it encourages good behavior instead of putting down bad behavior. The commercial depicts a girl nurturing her “C” as it grows into a tall, strong tree. Not only does the tree grow big and strong, it also catches her as she falls out of it. The strategy is easy to comprehend and expressed greatly by the growing tree.
I don’t think one commercial is more effective than the other. They speak to different people and work well together as a rotation. The best part of the campaign to me is they show both sides. They have commercials that show the “dark” side of bad choices and the “bright” side of good choices. I’m also glad they chose to do this in two different commercials. A lot of brands would have tried to put a positive and negative side in one spot, which would have become confusing. Separating the two makes both messages clear and concise.
What do you think about these spots? Do the positive and negative aspects of the two spots work well together?
-Dennis
Categories: Account Executive · Advertising Blog · Negative vs Positive · Own Your C · TV
In honor of Chrysler coming out with their new campaign to save the company, I thought with this week’s Old School Thursday I would take a look back at an old Chrysler spot. I found this old Charger spot intriguing and may give some insight into why the big three are in the position they are in right now.
The 1971 Charger was a great vehicle. It had sleek lines, a low, powerful stance and an aggressive grille. The car was the epitome of muscle in a muscle era. That is why the strategy of this spot is so confusing to me.
The customer in the commercial is shown a Dodge Charger. He loves the car but is looking for something more family friendly since his wife is expecting. The salesman then spouts off the usual family car line, economy, fuel mileage and room … and promptly shows the gentlemen another Charger. This strategy shows Dodge trying to make every car fit everyone.
Instead of making a muscle car for the people that want a muscle car, and a family car for the people that want a family car they tried to sandwich everyone into their best selling vehicle. This strategy only leads to a water-downed product that disappoints everyone.
The road to where the big three are today was long and winding. There were a lot of factors that went into their demise. But in my opinion, this kind of thinking was the beginning of the end of them.
What do you think about this spot? Is this one of the reasons the big three are where they are now?
-Dennis
Categories: 1970's · Account Executive · Advertising Blog · Charger · Chrysler · Commercials · Dodge · TV
Baked Lays newest campaign, targeting women is riding the strategy that baked lays will help you get into or stay in shape. On the surface this strategy works. Women trying to trim a few pounds will be drawn to a product that will help them curb their cravings for unhealthy food. Everyone has cheat days. Everyone has cravings. The key to dieting is not totally cutting out the bad food. It’s limiting it to a manageable level, a level that allows you to attain your goals. Lays is trying to position its self as this product, but doesn’t do a very good job in this commercial.
In this commercial Lays shows a woman working out with her trainer. While the trainer goes to get some water, the woman cheats, hide and seek style. She stops working out and upon the return of the trainer, continues counting way ahead of where she actually is. The woman is utterly exhausted and collapses to the floor. Immediately after the woman collapses from exhaustion they show a bowl of baked lays. The voice over then comes in and says, “staying in shape can be deliciously fun”. At this point I’m very confused. Are Baked Lays some type of rehydration product? Will eating a handful of Baked Lays make me feel re-energized? Re-energized enough to finish my work out?
With the way this commercial is cut together Lays is positioning their product as a Gatorade type, re-energizing snack. The last thing I want immediately after working out is a bowl of chips. Baked Lays have 65% less fat than regular potato chips. That’s great. But how does that help you stay in shape. Will the Baked Lays run a mile for you? Or do 50 sits ups for you? No. Baked Lays can’t help you stay in shape.
Lays would be better suited positioning their product as the alternative to full fat snacks for people that are trying to get into or stay in shape. Show a woman in workout clothes at the store. She reaches for a bag of regular chips and has a flash back to her workout she just finished a half hour ago. Then she decides to grab the Baked Lays because they have 65% less fat. Make Baked Lays the snack you choose so you don’t ruin the work out you just finished. The emotional and rational connection would be far more effective this way. Baked Lays just aren’t believable as the product that will help you stay in shape.
What do you think about this commercial? Does the strategy work for you?
-Dennis
Categories: Account Executive · Advertising Blog · Baked Lays · Commercials · Exercise · TV
On a trip through the You Tube universe this past weekend I stumbled upon this old Wendy’s commercial. This first thing I thought was, wow, that was actually a good spot. I started looking further and found more and more classic commercials, both good and really, really bad. These gems have been collecting dust on the shelves of memories long enough. I am going to start bringing them back to life. Every Thursday I will reveal a different Old School commercial and dissect it like I do with current day spots. If you have any ideas for commercials that have gone the way of the dodo email me at UltimateAccountGuy@gmail.com or send me a tweet @TheAccountGuy.
Now on to this week’s Old School commercial.
Amid a sea of cardboard cut out burgers Wendy’s went out on a limb and proclaimed they were the unique burger in the fast food dinning experience. They used timely humor and a straightforward strategy as the platform to display all the options Wendy’s has to offer.
The strategy was perfect for the time. At the time fast food restaurants had very choices and there was almost no customized orders. Before Burg King started delivering burgers “Your Way, Right Away”, you were forced to take what was available. Clearly Wendy’s competitive advantage was the ability to get your burger the way you wanted it. This commercial does a great job of conveying the point that at Wendy’s you get exactly what you want and at other places you don’t.
As the dowdy Russian woman walks out again and again in the same outfit you’re hit with a laugh. Add on top of that a good jab at the hated enemy of the USSR and you get a great commercial that conveys a solid strategy and sticks in the mind of the consumer.
Let me know what you think about this spot? Does it hold up to the test of time?
-Dennis
Categories: Advertising Blog · Dowdy · Fashion Show · TV · Wendy's
